How to Clean Your House After Tapeworms

Tapeworms don’t just hamper your pet’s health but also affect you and your family members’ health. After your pet is free from parasites, you need to clean your home to ensure you and your pet remain safe. Here’s a guide on how to clean your house after tapeworms.

How to Clean Your House After Tapeworms?

It might seem daunting, but a deep clean is achievable as long as you know what you need to do.

Method #1: Cleaning With a Floor Cleaner

Step #1: Gather Supplies

Ensuring that you have all you need to clean the house will save you a lot of frustration. Here’s what you need to do:

• Pick up a bottle of floor cleaner.
• Get tools such as a mop and a cloth head. 
• Gather a bucket and vacuum cleaner. 
• Put your pets in their crates or put them in a room where they won’t interrupt your cleaning session.

Step #2: Clean the Pet’s Bed

The first area that you need to clean is the pet’s bed. Tapeworms might be hiding in the bed, waiting to infest again. So, you need to:

1. Take a washing solution. Flea shampoo will also work.
2. Wash the bed with it thoroughly. Make sure you clean the sides just as well.
3. Dry the bed under sunlight. 

Step #3: Clean the House

After cleaning the most vulnerable area for tapeworm infestation, the pet’s bed, it is time for house cleaning. Here’s the best way to go about it:

1. Vacuum the entire house without leaving any corners. Ensure you vacuum the carpets, furniture, under the sofa, under the bed, and all other hard-to-reach spots.
2. Tapeworms can survive outside of your house. Sweeping or vacuuming outside your home is also a good idea.
3. Mop the floors with water mixed with floor cleaner.
4. Use a clean cloth head with the mop for a neater outcome.

Tip: For best results, use floor cleaners with Permethrin and Methoprene. Also, change the mop water whenever it gets too dirty.

Step #4: Take A Shower

Taking a shower and making sure you and the bathroom is clean too is just as important as cleaning the house.  There is a possibility that flea, tapeworms, and their eggs might stick onto your clothes or body while cleaning up.  

Make sure you put your clothes in the washing machine right as you get in the shower. You don’t want the pests hanging around in your laundry basket.

Method #2: Steam Cleaning

Tapeworms are known to be quite susceptible to moisture and heat. Therefore, steam cleaning is the perfect way to get rid of those tapeworms and their eggs. Here are the steps that you can follow:

Step #1: Prepare for the Cleaning Session

The first step for this method is to prepare for the steam cleaning sessions. Here are some of the things you need to take care of before proceeding further:

• Arrange for supplies, such as steam cleaner, vacuum cleaner, dusters, and floor cleaning solution.
• Lock your pet away while you are cleaning the house. 

Step #2: Vacuum the House

The next step is vacuuming the place for eradicating dust, dirt, and debris. It is possible to clean out some of the tapeworms with just vacuuming.

Use appropriate attachments to clean different areas of your house. Vacuum all corners of your home without fail. Pay special attention when cleaning pet beds, kennels, beds, and couches. 

Step #3: Wash the Pet Bed

After you vacuum the pet bed, it is time to clean it thoroughly before proceeding with the next step:

1. Prepare a mixture of hot water and a little bleach.
2. Dip the pet bed into the bucket.
3. Use a brush to clean the dirt out of the bed.
4. Rinse it with clean water, and put it out to dry. 

Step #4: Steam Clean Your Home

After vacuuming, you can start steam cleaning all the areas in your house.

Steam the carpets, curtains, drapes, furniture, rugs, and every other area that you vacuumed. The heat and moisture will kill the adult tapeworms (and fleas, too, if there are any) and will destroy the eggs. 

Tip

Surfaces like wall cracks and furniture gaps can’t be cleaned well with a vacuum or steam cleaner. You can use bleach to clean out such spots. However, remember that some surfaces do not react well to chemical bleaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can the Tapeworms Survive on a Carpet?

The eggs can survive for months on almost any surface, including grass, carpets, bathroom floors, and bedsheets. If a live tapeworm leaves the body, it can survive for around three weeks without a host. 

Can I Get Tapeworms? How Can I Flush Them?

If you have tapeworms, you will experience nausea, weight loss, weakness, and abdominal pains. The good news is, you can use oral medication to flush out these tapeworms from your body. If you experience symptoms, consult a doctor.

How Frequently Should I Clean My House for Tapeworms?

If you have a pet in your house that goes outside for a walk every day, it is better to opt for daily cleaning. A tapeworm infection doesn’t take long to set in, and the parasites pose a risk to you and your family.

Conclusion

Having a pet has its perks, but it can also be a lot more work than you thought you were in for. Helping your pet get better after an infection is the easy part – it’s keeping yourself and your pet safe after the infection that takes effort.

The methods listed above are the best ways to clean your home after your pet recovers from a tapeworm infection. Using either of the methods will help ensure your pet’s good health.