Like a Parasite, I Wanna Crawl All Over You

My furry little bundle of joy has brought home yet another surprise. Fleas!! This is my first encounter with these buggers and I am ripping my hair out. If you know me at all then you know that bugs freak me out to no extent. So of course the first thing I did was go online and Google. A lot. I was trying to find a general consensus on how to take care of the situation. After surfing the web for an hour I came up with a general game plan. I also picked up a few tips that I had never even heard of.

When attempting to get rid of fleas you are declaring war! Clear one day completely and get the pets and kids out of the house if you can.

The very first thing I did was put a flea collar in the collection tank of my vacuum. This is suppose to help kill any bugs or eggs sucked up in the process. Most flea collars are the same so I bought a cheaper one from Wal-mart.


Next you have to do a lot of vacuuming and a lot of laundry. Wash all bedding, all clothes on the floor, all pet beds, all cloth pet toys, and any drapes that touch the ground in very hot water. Pretty much any fabric in your house. Then I decided to use a flea powder to put on the furniture and carpet. I was really nervous about doing this because most bug killers are very toxic and harmful. So I chose Natural Defense fabric powder from Sentry. It's safe to use around kids and pets so I don't have to freak out about my dog walking across treated carpet. Basically you sprinkle the powder all over the carpet and use an inside broom to work the powder further into the carpet. Concentrate on ares the animals usually hang out. You can vacuum after only an hour but they suggest that you wait 24 hours. Fair warning, this one may set you back a little. One 10 oz bottle runs for about $17. I used almost three but I was really, really thorough.

***Cover any animal tanks or aquariums before using!***


Another key factor is to treat your animals the same day you clean the house. Or else all that work will be for nothing. First I give them a thorough scrub down in the tub. I use the Sentry flea shampoo. It works and it actually smells good. It doesn't have that weird chemical smell.




Last but not least put your pets on some sort of flea and tick prevention. Honestly, I couldn't afford some of the more popular brands so I'm giving Hartz Ultraguard a try.

Well, when this is all done and over with I will let you guys know if they're really gone for good. Wish me luck!

"The flea, though he kill none, he does all the harm he can."
--John Donne

***UPDATE - August 28, 2009***

They're gone! The fleas are really gone! The Natural Defense flea powder worked so well. During this process I also discovered that the power also deodorizes the fabric it is being used on. Got a couch that smells like dog? Not anymore! After letting the powder sit for 24 hours everything in my house smells clean. The Hartz flea medication worked really well too. No fleas, no ticks, no bugs at all! So, yes, I would definitely recommend these products to anyone. They worked great!

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Pet Stains: The Losing Battle

If you have a dog or any other furry critter then you know pets are messy. No, pets are extremely messy. Taking care of a house with multiple dogs has been a huge challenge. It feels like they are constantly trying to ruin something in the house. You turn your back for one minute and the carpet behind the sofa is missing and someone has urinated under the dining room table. So, needless to say, I have tried about a hundred different cleaning products in an effort to keep up with these mutts. I use these products more than I’d like to admit to anyone I know! For a long time I felt like I might as well just not have carpet ever again. To make matters worse I live in an apartment. Which means I can’t afford to ruin ANYTHING in my own home. Trying to take care of this carpet has just about given me an ulcer. No joke.

Well, in the past months I have fallen head over heals for Bissell cleaning products. They make cleaning up soooo much faster. If the products you use now don’t work then keep reading.


The Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum works really well. I would highly recommend it. I love that there’s no vacuum bag. It saves me loads of money and it’s really easy to just empty all that gross stuff into the trash can. The only think that needs to be replaced is the Hepa filter (about $10) and I’ve only had to replace it once in the year and a half I’ve had the thing. Plus it has this great little bar that flips down in the front to collect extra pet hair. I don’t really have to use it but it’s great for dogs with longer hair. The only thing that I’m not crazy about is the attachments. I’ve used them on my couches and I really wasn’t that impressed. They just don’t work that well.




I also use the Bissell Quick Steamer with Bissell pet stain cleaners. The steam cleaner is perfect for my home because it’s simple and compact. You simply put a little formula and water in the top tank and you’re ready to go. This little machine is also really powerful! The first time you use it you will be astounded (and thoroughly grossed out) at how much nasty dirt comes out of the carpet.

Okay, in the past couple of years I have come up with my own carpet cleaning ritual. I’m not crazy, just a little OCD.

-First vacuum everything very thoroughly. This is so carpet fuzz and large objects don’t clog up the steamer.

-Then it’s time for a once over with the steam cleaner. When filling up the tank use just a tiny bit of the formula. If you use too much you end up with crap left in your carpet.

-After you’ve finished going over everything once, inspect the carpet for any pet stains. (For this next part you’ll need the pet stain spray AND a spray bottle full of plain water.)

For pet stains: First spray the stain with water. Then cover the entire stain with the pet spray. Then spray again lightly with the water bottle. Let the stain sit for about ten minutes. The reason I use the water bottle is because it’s important to keep the stain wet in order for it to lift from the carpet. If the stain dries out it won’t come out completely.

-After treating any stains, steam clean the carpet with water only. Doing this will remove any cleaning chemicals left in the carpet.




Depending on how dirty your carpet is, you may have to steam clean it again using water only. You carpet isn’t completely clean until the water you empty out is almost clear!

*Another thing to keep in mind if you have pets: If you do not remove all of the odor from pet stains in carpet, the animal will keep messing in the same spot! Their noses are much more sensitive than ours and they like to claim their property.

*Bissell photos from http://www.bissell.com/.

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Brüno Movie Review

"How cool is Jesus? Is he cooler than the Backstreet boys?"

By now if you haven't heard of Sacha Baron Cohen then you've been living under a rock. Cohen is the mastermind behind Borat and the recently released Brüno. (Let's not forget his priceless roles in Sweeney Todd & Talladega Nights!) Yes, his movies are full of side-splitting surprises and Brüno is no exception. In the film Cohen plays a gay Austrian fashionista who has traveled to the United States to become famous once again. If you are offended easily or cannot stand the sight of male genitalia, then this movie is not for you! Everyone else, however, will find this film absolutely hilarious. You will be shocked and you will laugh ... A lot. Cohen is a shameless, self-promoting genius and that's why we love him. I can't wait to see what, or "who" I should say, he comes up with next.


Verdict: Go see it in theaters while you still can!

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