HELP!! How do you get fleas out of a suitcase?

[bcinohio]

I do not own any pets but I loaned my new suitcases (used 2 times) to my cousin for her Disney trip. She just got back and I found out last night from her sister that her apartment is infested with fleas from her 2 cats. She has gotten rid of the cats and is cleaning the place and did one of those bomb things. My question is when she brings my suitcases back what should I do with them? If they were old I would probable pitch them but they are new. I was going to put them in the garage and then try to figure out what to do. I don't want to bring any of these pests into my house.

Please help with any ideas. We have a Disney trip coming up and I didn't want to have to buy new luggage.

Thanks!

 

[DisneyForLife]

I never had that problem but I would bomb the suitcase. And if she is delivering it do it in your garage or if you have to pick it up I would do it before I put it in my car. Good Luck

 

[neatokimmo]

What type of cases are they? I'd hose them out to remove any eggs, let them dry then put them in trashbags for several months. Fleas need a host to live.

 

[dawson5]

Fleas have to feed on something. I would just leave them in the garage until you need them. If they don't have anything to eat, they will eventually just die off.

 

[DisTwix]

I do not own any pets but I loaned my new suitcases (used 2 times) to my cousin for her Disney trip. She just got back and I found out last night from her sister that her apartment is infested with fleas from her 2 cats. She has gotten rid of the cats and is cleaning the place and did one of those bomb things. My question is when she brings my suitcases back what should I do with them? If they were old I would probable pitch them but they are new. I was going to put them in the garage and then try to figure out what to do. I don't want to bring any of these pests into my house.

Please help with any ideas. We have a Disney trip coming up and I didn't want to have to buy new luggage.

Thanks!

Hi there - first of all, it's crazy that she got rid of cats when fleas are so easily treated and preventable. But, that's just me - I'm a huge animal lover, and don't understand other's expendibility where pets are concerned.

At any rate! I took in some rescue kittens a while ago that ended up being reaaaally infested.... the fleas got in my carpet, and oy. Double oy! I had HUGE success with flea powder. I think I would powder the heck out of the suitcase - and put it in a huge trashbag, tying it tight and leaving it to think about things in your garage. After a week or whenever, all you'll need to do is vaccuum it really well, and wipe down anything that can be easily wiped with any kind of cleaner. Then it should be fine! (And - flea powder is cheap.)

Good luck!

 

[Piecey]

Second the flea powder, just to be sure.

Rink occassionally gets fleas and I just go ahead and flea powder the entire house when I see one on him. Maybe I'm crazy but we got them bad awhile ago and now I don't take chances.

 

[cglaura]

I would just spray them down with a good spray that kills adults and eggs. Adams makes a good one. Raid has one also that is ok, but I like Adams better. I just went through this this spring. My dog suddenly developed a reaction to the flea drops and before I could find a suitable replacement (had to use Capstar to kill the adults and am now using Program pills to prevent) we were infested.

Make sure you spray your car as well if you are bringing them home.

Definitely leave them in the garage though. Without a food source they live maybe a week (according to Google ) so a combo of the two should be good.

 

[MichelleVW]

Getting rid of cats because she let them get infested with fleas??

Poor cats...

 

[pixiewings71]

I do agree with everyone who commented about getting rid of the cats due to fleas, that's just sad. I have 2 cats and 2 dogs, we have flea issues but they are easy to get rid of. Capstar for the live fleas on the animals and then a regular flea treatment works great. For fleas that are in your home use a bomb.

OP, sorry for the mini vent above, in your case I'd just use flea powder as suggested. Fleas cannot live without hosts so if your luggage is kept away from people/pets you should be fine. Personally I would powder the luggage and then put them in large garbage bags, let them sit like that until right before you want to use and then just wipe them out really well. I'd probably use Lysol wipes myself depending on the material the luggage is made of.

 

[Tina]

What do you mean by "gotten rid of the cats?" Permanently??? How sad for those poor kitties.

 

[Piecey]

I'm HOPING she means that she removed the cats from the flea infested apartment...

We got fleas bad awhile back and I gave Rink (dog in signature) and Reese (kitty) Capstar and took them to my parents until I was sure the fleas in my house were gone.
Crossing my fingers that is what she meant.

 

[bcinohio]

Thank you for all the suggestions. She did not get rid of the cats because of the fleas. She has been way behind on her bills, due to mismanagement of money, and she could not afford to keep them. When she came back from vacation she had an eviction notice on her door if she didn't pay in 3 days. She should not have gone on the trip. When she came back she had to borrow money to keep the place.

Sorry if I made it sound like she did it because of the fleas. Since I don't have any animals I needed some advice on what to do.

 

[Colleen27]

If you don't need the suitcases any time soon, I'd just vacuum them outdoors (and be sure to get rid of the bag immediately, don't bring it into the house!), seal them in a garbage bag, and let them sit. The flea life cycle varies somewhat by species, but 45 days should be long enough to be sure they all starve.

If you need the suitcases sooner, I'd put them in a garage or shed and set off a flea bomb. That way, your home and family aren't exposed to the chemicals but the luggage will be treated. Afterwards, vacuum out the suitcases and air them out really well to get rid of the insecticide smell.

 

[crisi]

And if you leave them outside until it gets good and cold (around the corner now in Akron), you'll be doubly sure. But that means not using the suitcases until late fall.

 

[kid-at-heart]

Salt, my grandmother used to sprinkle plain old table salt in her rugs when the pets brought in fleas. It worked. I do not know why .

 

[NotUrsula]

If the suitcases were in the house when she set off the flea bomb, that's once.

Bombing for fleas has to be done 3X, about 2 weeks apart. This allows 6 weeks for the life cycle, so that you can be sure that the eggs of the ones killed in the first bomb are all hatched out by the time the third is done.

When using a vacuum to keep them away, it's a good idea to put a flea collar inside the vacuum to be sure that any that are alive when they go into the vacuum end up dead before they get out of it.

 

[Tiger926]

I'm confused by most of the posts - not sure if people even read the OP's post. She says that she has a Disney trip coming up, so many of the suggestions about leaving them for months and waiting for the cold is not going to cut it. It sounds like the OP needs the fleas handled now so that she can use them for her upcoming trip.

I don't have any experience in this area, but many of my students have brought fleas into school with them, and it's definitely not appreciated. Sorry to the OP - she did a nice thing, and got junk back in return. I would seriously not take a chance in getting fleas into your house, or your packed clothes. I would just buy a new set.

Good luck, Tiger

 

[ktkerber]

Sounds unusual, but try Dawn dishwashing soap. Last year when we took in a stray 3 week old kitten, it had fleas. I knew that it was too young for flea treatments so I called the vet to see what they thought I should do. They recommended washing the kitten with Dawn. I was skeptical, but it did work. You could see the fleas dying when the suds touched them.

Maybe you could wipe the suitcases out with it. There would also be no worries about anything harming your clothes.

Good Luck.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

I would tell her to keep them and but myself new luggage.

 

[Dismom55]

Salt, my grandmother used to sprinkle plain old table salt in her rugs when the pets brought in fleas. It worked. I do not know why .

The salt does not kill the fleas, but dries out the eggs.

One test for fleas is this, take an aluminum pan, add water and a squirt or two of DAWN (original blue) dish soap. Put the pan near where your pet lays, (I know you said you do not have a pet) put a tea light candle in the center, if you have fleas in the carpet or near the pan they will hop towards the flame, land in the water and because of the Dawn will quickly die. They can not hop back out.

So, before using the luggage, I would do the water in pan inside the luggage in the garage or outside and see if any little black spots end up in the water. (I would NOT close the lid to the luggage).

If nothing, then I would say you are clear.

I recommend the flea powder, then sealing the luggage in a plastic bag, as I would be afraid my luggage would smell like chemical, thus my clothes would smell like chemical spray.

Good luck!