Acclaim Household Flea Spray, Aerosol, 500 ml, (Pack of 1)

 

I swear by this. I always have a can to hand. If i get a new house i always use this as you just dont know who has been in before you. My daughter managed to get fleas in her house from a friend visiting. I used this after hoovering and within 2-3 weeks they were all gone. Yes you do see the odd one after spraying and that is because eggs hatch however after a short period of time they die. And after a full 3 weeks from spraying they are all dead and gone. This stuff then lasts forever. I honestly swear by it.

 

If you have a flea problem and you’re not someone who insists on organic products, BUY THIS TODAY.

I don’t usually complain and can put up with hardship but lately I’ve been having an awful time of it, as I don’t have any pets, but a stray cat got in my house while I was emptying my car of shopping – didn’t notice until I’d finished and by that point he’d run around the whole place, jumping on everything. I herded him out, and thought nothing of it until a couple of days later I was sitting on my couch and saw a flea sitting on my arm. I squashed it (yes, it is possible with enough determination!!), and thought that was that. Nope. Next day, there they were, on my jeans, one or two on my arm. I tried hoovering everything, and bought a can of Bob Martin from the supermarket. Compressed air would have been more effective. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THAT STUFF! At this point, I went on to Amazon and ordered this product, but it was over a weekend by the time I knew about it, and I was on the verge of breaking down – I’d had so many bites on my feet and ankles, and I don’t take well to them, they were (still are) VERY sore and raw, but healing now, thankfully.

Over the weekend, due to my hours of internet research, I purchased cedarwood, lemon, pine and rosemary essential oils, which apparently kill on contact and act as deterrents. Not to these ones, they don’t. Again, they made no difference. So, over the weekend I confined myself to my bedroom (a few had made it to the carpets outside my room, but not toooo badly affected), my bathroom, and I carried as much to drink from the kitchen as I could, so that I could avoid the rigmarole of checking myself over for them as much as possible. Every time I made the trip, I’d have at least 1 on my legs.

So, Monday morning came by, and I planned in my head exactly how to do this. In case it’s of any help to any of you, here is what I did:
1 – grab all clothes and anything I may need both for work and afterwards, take it all to the bathroom, and get myself showered. I didn’t put on my socks or trousers, as I wanted to be as sure as possible NONE of the little gits survived. I went downstairs to the kitchen, squished the ones that had jumped on me, and got dressed completely. The kitchen has vinyl flooring, and fleas don’t stay on that. Thankfully.

2 – I left for work, and walked back to the kitchen immediately after grabbing the spray from my mail (I knew it would be delivered today, as it had been posted on Friday evening by the seller). I got changed (nothing had got on my in the mad dash to the kitchen!), put on shoes and put carrier bags over my feet and ankles, secured with parcel tape, and sprayed with Acclaim (including the next few inches of exposed jeans). Yes, it says don’t use on clothing, but I noticed no adverse effects at all. Plus, as I said, I wanted to be sure nothing survived! I also diluted the lemon oil and covered my hands and forearms to deter them from jumping on me as I sprayed.

3 – I sprayed the house very liberally with this stuff. I turned over all cushions that I could, sprayed into the corners, made sure that I got it right under the couches and units, got the curtains, and corners/edges of the rooms. My stairs are carpeted, so I ensured I sprayed all the risers as well as the steps, and worked my way round the house. I even sprayed my bed and pillows (again, it says not to use on bedding, but I haven’t noticed any ill effects here either). I then went back to the kitchen, removed the bags from my feet, and went out, making sure I still had the can (3 bedroom end terrace, and still had 1/4 can left). On returning from the shops, I gave my car a 2 second spray, in case any had hitched a ride.

4 – Next day, I was again very careful with my anti-flea regime (although on all my checks, I saw only one the whole day), and on returning from work I hoovered the place top to bottom. Edges, stairs (including risers), pillows, cushions, the lot. It took some time, but that’s ok. Again, I sprayed my shoes and bottoms of my jeans with Acclaim – still nothing bad that I’ve noticed.

5 – I’d bought 2 cans, so I sprayed the worst areas again. I’m only a very tiny amount into the 2nd can after 1 VERY thorough covering, and one respray.

End result? I was so warm last night after all this, so I bit the bullet and put on shorts. I didn’t want any trapped in my socks, so I was defenseless from the knees down. I spent the evening in my living room, after banishing myself from it for 2 days, and I didn’t see another living soul. Thankfully, with my not having pets, and the fact that fleas cannot reproduce without their named host’s blood (ie cat fleas must have cat blood to lay eggs), I shouldn’t experience another outbreak. But even if I do, Acclaim states that the protection from hatching eggs lasts several months. So, I should be all good, but I’m keeping the can to hand for the next 2-4 weeks, and at the first sign, I’ll spray once more. Thanks to this spray, I feel like I can relax in my own home again. So, the title of this review goes to the manufacturers, as I’m not endlessly scratching, having to look at my feet and ankles every 10 seconds, and the bites that I have suffered are now healing.