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Washing down jacket- flea problem!

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 1step2far 30 Sep 2015
Need advice on washing down...I have googled etc but haven't found what I need to know.

So, out break of fleas in my room after purchasing second hand sofa bed. Sadly my down jacket and gillet were on the back of my chair in the room. Flea man coming tomorrow to coat the house in toxic stuff. (Oh joy).

Now the fleas seem to be congregated in one corner well away from jackets so first question is:

Can I risk not washing them?

If not,

How hot a wash can I get away with? Have washed down before and got on ok. But aware I need to do a hot wash to kill the little devils!

Ok. You can stop scratching now!
 wiwwim 30 Sep 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

freeze them, bring back to hatching temp for 1 day, then freeze rapidly again (colder the better). This is what I did to kill carpet moths in 400yr old carpets once (-40)
OP 1step2far 30 Sep 2015
In reply to wiwwim:
Cheers! Hadn't thought of freezing. At the risk of sounding dim can you freeze it in a domestic freezer?
 gethin_allen 30 Sep 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

> Cheers! Hadn't thought of freezing. At the risk of sounding dim can you freeze it in a domestic freezer?

I'm sure a -20 freezer would be plenty.

I remember when my sister brought her bags home after a trip to kenya and my mum noticed ants crawling out of the bottom it her rucksack everything got shoved in the big chest freezer for a day or two.
 Billhook 30 Sep 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

Wiwwin's advice is spot on.
 veteye 30 Sep 2015
In reply to 1step2far:
Don't forget that in the correct conditions that flea eggs can survive for 3 years and then hatch out and it is unlikely that the chemicals coming your/their way tomorrow will penetrate the shell of the egg.
I'm wondering if you are wondering? Whether to get rid of the offending flea palace?

Anyway hoover as well as use the pest control chap.Then spray the house again in a few months time and again.
If you have fish in tanks, then you need to rehome them for a while to avoid the toxins.

A real case of caveat emptor?
In reply to veteye:
The down jackets are unlikely to be infested - the flea eggs will have come in with the furniture and fleas cannot breed without taking a blood meal - usually from a dog or cat.

Once hatched the flea larvae feed on skin flakes near where the egg was laid and won't bother you at that stage.

When they reach adulthood the fleas are more mobile but usually just in response to stimuli they associate with a live mammal - warmth, humidity, vibration - they won't be attracted to a down jacket unless it has only just been taken off.

Do you have a dog or cat? The immediate temptation is to exclude pets from the area but often the best way to get rid of the fleas is to treat the pets with a prescription flea product that kills fleas on contact and then actively encourage the pets to use the affected area - the fleas are desparate to jump onto a host and will be killed.

Otherwise the freeze thaw cycles for the jacket should work, but simple fumigation of the room won't be a final solution - it won't kill fleas in their dormant 'cocoon' phase
Post edited at 22:38

........or the eggs. A 'household' flea spray from the vet may be better as it may contain components to stop the fleas growing to adulthood, but these may contain neonicotinoids so have some environmental concerns.

Hoovering, turning the thermostat up and boiling a kettle in the room before spraying can help by inducing the fleas to emerge in their adult (easier to kill) form.
Post edited at 22:40
 mishabruml 30 Sep 2015
In reply to wiwwim:

how did you put a carpet in the freezer?
OP 1step2far 01 Oct 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

Thanks all! In the freezer they will go! Apparently he comes back again in a few weeks for round two. Thank fully no fish or other animals to worry about.

I have let the previous owners know, but they seemed rather unconcerned.
Andy Gamisou 01 Oct 2015
In reply to mishabruml:

> how did you put a carpet in the freezer?

Possibly left it at Ratho over winter.
 FactorXXX 01 Oct 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

Wash and dry as normal. The heat from the tumble dryer will sort them out.
 veteye 01 Oct 2015
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

I was suggesting that the problem of the flea eggs would remain with the sofa bed and drop off in the carpet or cracks in the floorboards.
In reply to veteye:

Exactly - the jacket shouldn't be a problem.
 veteye 01 Oct 2015
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

Yet the resultant hatching out fleas from the eggs will be a continuing problem for the future of any item of clothing placed in that room.So if the down jacket is placed once again in the same room,then the fleas that hatch out may infest the jacket.
OP 1step2far 01 Oct 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

Two jackets now residing between chips and wedges in the freezer! Thanks all!
In reply to veteye:

Why would they ? - if the jacket's not warm, humid or vibrating there's no incentive for adult fleas to infest it. The fleas will stay in the sofa, or fall off onto the floor.
 veteye 01 Oct 2015
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

The eggs will have fallen onto the floor and will reside there for a variable amount of time.
You are not telling me that the room in question will not become warm next summer for instance, or even during a cold spell in the winter when the heating is put on for a longer period of time over Christmas again for instance.At that time the eggs may hatch and go through larval stages to pupae(again a resistant stage somewhat) eventually becoming adult fleas.Those adults will then move around in the heat and search for a host and if there is none they may be lodged in any bedding,furnishing and clothes.(how did the fleas end up in the bed in the first place?-they did not get chance to find a host)
 BusyLizzie 01 Oct 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

Aaaaghghghgh

(do I get the prize for the most unhelpful reply?)

OP 1step2far 02 Oct 2015
In reply to BusyLizzie:

You do indeed! However it's not too far off what I said when I discovered them!
 BusyLizzie 05 Oct 2015
In reply to 1step2far:

Sorry! Anyway, I wish you well in solving the problem. Things will get better. Drink lots of tea
L

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