flea spray for clothes

id10t · 07-25-2026, 03:35 AM

dealing with a flea outbreak but not even outside is safe

is there something I can spray on my clothes that will keep the fuqqers off/away? like Off for mosquitos etc?

need to remove some carpet and do some minor cleaning before having a pro come and spray both yard and house

Roswell · 07-25-2026, 04:26 AM

Fleas are really bad this year. Try Adams flea spray.

masraum · 07-25-2026, 04:44 AM

You spray your clothes until they are wet, then let them dry. They are then supposed to be protected for 6 weeks or 6 washings.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Fleas really suck.

Back in the days of having a rent house, I thought the lady living there was great. When my wife and I decided to buy the house we are living in, I decided to sell the rent house to dump that money into our new house. So I asked my renter move out. I went to inspect it after she was gone and the fleas just swarmed my legs. I bailed out and went right to the store and bought a can of bug bomb for every room, and a few extra for good measure. I went in like a commando raid, setting them off, and bailed out. I came back the next day and they were all dead. I can't imagine how she could have lived in there.

I had to rip out all the carpet, and vacuum the floor, and then set off more bug bombs to kill any eggs that might have hatched. I will never be a landlord again.

id10t · 07-25-2026, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Fleas really suck.

Back in the days of having a rent house, I thought the lady living there was great. When my wife and I decided to buy the house we are living in, I decided to sell the rent house to dump that money into our new house. So I asked my renter move out. I went to inspect it after she was gone and the fleas just swarmed my legs. I bailed out and went right to the store and bought a can of bug bomb for every room, and a few extra for good measure. I went in like a commando raid, setting them off, and bailed out. I came back the next day and they were all dead. I can't imagine how she could have lived in there.

I had to rip out all the carpet, and vacuum the floor, and then set off more bug bombs to kill any eggs that might have hatched. I will never be a landlord again.

ive bombed 3 times in the past week with Raid ... cant tell if getting inside vs out

it produces major vacuum ....

sc_rufctr · 07-25-2026, 06:23 AM

Back in the 80s I lived in an Army married quarter. We had dogs and issues with fleas. The houses were on short stilts and the dogs could get under them. The Vet sold us some concentrated chemical in a can. It was diluted with water and sprayed around and under the house. The instructions were very clear. You couldn't use it inside a house. It worked very well but we had to respray every other year.

Looking back now I hate to think what was actually in that chemical.

Zeke · 07-25-2026, 06:46 AM

I think the Sawyer clothes spray is good I believe some outfitters like LL Bean sell clothing with protection built in. Likely this is Permethrin, not Deet.

Then the Sawyer non Deet stuff works too for mosquitos so I assume for fleas and ticks. Also look into essential oils based repellants. When I put socks on I spray them pretty good.

masraum · 07-25-2026, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeke

I think the Sawyer clothes spray is good I believe some outfitters like LL Bean sell clothing with protection built in. Likely this is Permethrin, not Deet.

Then the Sawyer non Deet stuff works too for mosquitos so I assume for fleas and ticks. Also look into essential oils based repellants. When I put socks on I spray them pretty good.

Yes, the Sawyer is permethrin. And I have had some outdoors clothes that came treated, I assume it's also permethrin.

The bottles say "repellent" but it's actually an insecticide, so it kills bugs that get on the clothes, but as long as it has dried on the clothes, its supposed to be safe for the person wearing the clothes, even if they get super sweaty in the clothes.

I've been using it for several years. We have a ravine that runs through our property, and in the summer, if you go down to the ravine, you're likely to get chiggers. I use tall rubber work boots (the tops treated with the Sawyer stuff) and have a couple of sets of outside work clothes (pants, shirt, socks) that are treated that I wear. It seems to do the trick.

Quote:

Permethrin is a synthetic chemical used as a medication for skin conditions like scabies and lice, and as an insecticide sprayed on clothing and gear to kill ticks and mosquitoes

id10t · 07-25-2026, 08:26 AM

Mom had a fresh can of Cutter skeeter spray that says it works on fleas, so I drove out and tested. It seems to work, no fleas on my legs after several minutes.

Still gonna have a pro do yard and house but now i can at least do some pre-work on it

this is a major do not recommend ...

KFC911 · 07-25-2026, 10:50 AM

I'm gonna give my pooch a 3-month pill coming up.. gonna time it ... 'cause they are gonna be bad in about a month or so ... here.

Rawknees'Turbo · 07-25-2026, 03:05 PM

Keep in mind that permethrin is deadly for cats if it gets directly on their skin or they ingest it when grooming. Apparently they lack a specific liver enzyme that deals with the chemical and even minor contact can cause sever problems and/or be fatal.

I looked into this when a friend brought a bottle of it to the airport I work at, for the purpose of dealing with the nasty, chiggers situation out there.

masraum · 07-25-2026, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

Keep in mind that permethrin is deadly for cats if it gets directly on their skin or they ingest it when grooming.

Good to know. We don't have a cat, so we're good to go. But that's something that I hadn't heard or read.

Zeke · 07-26-2026, 08:10 AM

Me neither and makes me wonder. I got a flea collar for a cat a few years back and the cat went into a real lethargic mode. Being concerned I removed the collar immediately and he recovered well. Actually lived to be 21. Maine Coon. Great cat.

I got it on A so I went back to check what it was. 2019 and said active ingredient was lemon grass. Who knows if and what. Anyway, I use sprays in the house from the online pest control. I'll see that I'm more careful as we have another cat as of 4 weeks ago. A rescue, of course.

gchappel · 07-26-2026, 04:51 PM

In a home-we had to have our home treated years ago.
They basically just sprinkled all the carpets with boric acid. They actually had a 2" pvc roller with holes in it- they filled it with boric acid and rolled it along. Brushed it into the carpets. We were to vacuum in 48hrs. It worked great.
gary