Fleas: There's Nowhere For You To Hide In My House Now! (Johnson's Household Flea Spray)

Member Name: Silverwillow

Product:	Johnson's Household Flea Spray
Date:	02/02/09 (416 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Kills Fleas, Great Value For Money

Disadvantages: Kills Fish, Dangerous To Water Environments, Full Of Chemicals, Smells!

After finding a flea on my beloved furry boy I must admit I overreacted. Despite knowing that the cats were treated with Frontline and this little bugger could only have been hitching a ride unable to lay eggs I HAD to treat my house.

What could go in the washing machine did but what about the carpets and the chairs? Whilst explaining my irrational cleaning needs to the pet store owner he recommended that I purchase this product.

Johnson's is a brand that I trust having used several of its products in the past for different reasons.

The packaging is brightly coloured, in aerosol form for easy application and claims that it will kill fleas and their eggs for up to 6 months. It also states it can be used pretty much on anything but advises that you should test an inconspicuous area just in case it affects the colours. At £4 for 150ml I thought it was rather expensive until reading the above. £4 over 6 months, that's less than 3p a day to keep my home flea free.

The good news is that the canister is CFC free, the bad news is that the chemicals contained in the treatment are extremely harmful to aquatic life so please be careful when disposing of this product should you buy it. Also if you own fish - I'd ask a family member to fish-sit for the day or keep them well covered and try to avoid spraying near them. It's also not suitable for spraying on any furries.

I started by opening all the windows as wide as possible, it states to use in well-ventilated areas but that smell is still going to hit you hard at the back of the throat, so the more fresh air you get in that room fast, the better it's going to be.

Turn off all naked flames such as fires, cookers, lighters and even cigarettes as the spray is flammable.

Kick the children, furries, husbands, additional lodgers out for the day (only really needs an hour but enjoy some peace) as you don't want any of them touching a treated surface and then eating/licking paws.

The instructions are to hold the can 15 inches from the surface you wish to treat and give an 8 second burst per square metre. Honestly, I didn't follow that and I just held it about 8 inches away and sprayed away until I felt the surface was sufficiently covered.

Once you have treated your house, wash your hands and get out of the house for an hour to allow the spray to do it's job and to prevent breathing too much of it in. If this is not an option, I'd leave one room for you to hide in (keep windows open) and wait until the rest of the house is back to normal before treating that room. The spray does have a strong smell but this disappears very quickly with the fresh air circulating. There's been no residual smell left on my furniture either which is great.

As with all aerosols that contain chemicals, store in a cool, dry place and out of reach of children. Common sense really, kill fleas not your children!

It took the whole aerosol can to treat my two bedroom house and I do this every 6 months along with the big summer/winter clearout so that it's easy to remember about. I have been using this product for two years now we have not seen another flea so I have to assume that it's doing its job very nicely. I definitely recommend it.

Summary: A Must For Cat & Dog Owners!