When you realize you have fleas or ticks in your home, you will probably start looking for the fastest way to get rid of them. There are all sorts of chemicals you can use, but if there are pets or kids in your home, then it may not be safe to use something even slightly toxic.

Thankfully, there are vacuum cleaners that are specially designed to eliminate and remove ticks and fleas from your home. We are going to show you how you can find the right one for you and then review some of the best ones.

Our Top Picks:

Why Are Fleas and Ticks So Hard to Get Rid of?

PETA recommends that you vacuum your home every day when you realize that you have fleas or ticks. The more often you vacuum, the more likely you are to get rid of all the eggs and adult pests that are still hanging around. However, even that may not be effective at removing all the pests. You may need to use pesticides in some situations, even though you’d rather not use those.

Also Read: Best Flea Powder & Spray For Carpets

The reason it is so difficult to get rid of all the pests is because of how small and mobile these invaders are. You can treat your pets and spray everywhere and still miss some out-of-the-way spots that fleas or ticks are using for hiding. You have to be extremely thorough if you want to get rid of them all.

You also need to realize that they can reproduce quickly. These pests can lay eggs every day, and if you only get rid of some of them, then they will repopulate before you know it.

It’s important that you do get rid of these pests as soon as you realize you have a problem. Ticks can spread some life-threatening illness, and fleas can contribute to some medical conditions as well.

Best Rated Vacuum Cleaners For Fleas And Ticks Reviewed

We want to share a few of the best vacuums for dealing with fleas and ticks. We picked these particular products due to their effectiveness and because of the value they offer.

Dyson DC41 Animal Complete Upright Vacuum Cleaner – Fuchsia

It may be expensive, but this vacuum by Dyson is backed up by a five-year warranty and some serious cleaning power. It’s incredibly durable and very lightweight, which is a superb combination that not a lot of vacuums will offer you. It boasts powerful suction and a self-cleaning head, which makes it a joy to use and perfect for getting those hard to see fleas and ticks.

Vapamore MR-100 Primo Steam Cleaning System

With this vacuum, you get a sanitizing function that makes it easy to keep your floors free from allergens and germs and for a decent price to. It actually kills a lot of the pests found in your carpets and room corners, saving you some serious time and effort.

As a steam cleaner, it can get rid of stains in your carpet and provide powerful floor cleaning that will render using a mop unnecessary. The limited tank capacity however, means that it will only clean for 60 minutes before needing to be refilled.

Shark Steam Mop S1000A

This is one of the most user-friendly steam cleaners. It only takes 30 seconds to set up and be ready for use, and it is lightweight and simple to operate. It’s price tag is pretty customer friendly too, but you’ll pay for that with a lack of warranty and a design that isn’t as durable as much of the competition.

We recommend weighing the pros and cons of this steam cleaner carefully before you put down money for it. Even though it does not have a warranty, it can be very useful for people on a tight budget.

BISSELL PowerFresh Steam Mop, Floor Steamer, Tile Cleaner, and Hard Wood Floor Cleaner, 1940

Here is a cleaner that does just about everything. It mops, cleans hardwood and tile, sanitizes and vacuums. This is great for getting rid of fleas and ticks, because it kills a lot of them and their eggs quickly.

It only works on hard floors though, and it does not come with any attachments for precision cleaning. It does have a low-profile head, though, which allows it to get into some places that similar cleaners cannot.

If the good aspects outweigh the bad in your book and chemical treatments have been a disappointment, then maybe you should give it a try.

Verilux CleanWave Sanitizing Portable Vacuum – UV Technology – 400-Watt Motor – Cyclonic Action

Here is another vacuum on the lower end of the price spectrum. It’s lightweight, versatile and designed for getting rid of pests and allergens.

The sanitizing features are excellent at removing pests while making your floors clean, but it will have trouble getting into corners and other tight spaces. There are no included attachments to help you clean under your furniture or in those other out-of-the-way locations.

What to Consider Before You Buy a Vacuum Cleaner for Fleas and Ticks

Before you go and buy any vacuum for cleaning your home and getting rid of these tiny critters, you need to know what to look for. Here are some things to keep in mind as you are shopping for a vacuum cleaner:

• Quality- This should be your top priority when you are trying to find the right vacuum cleaner. These machines can be expensive, and you want something that will hold up and prove useful over the long run. It not only needs to be durable, but also effective, and if you settle for nothing less than a high-quality vacuum, your cleaning efforts will go much smoother.
• Attachments- If you are really going to get rid of fleas and ticks by vacuuming your house, then you need to get in all the corners and under everything. That means you need to have the appropriate attachments for the job, so check to see what a vacuum cleaner comes with before you purchase it.
• Buy for Your Flooring- Not all vacuums are made to work on every type of flooring. Some work better for carpets, while others work better on hardwood floors. Consider your flooring when you are comparing vacuum cleaners to ensure you buy the appropriate machine.
• Size- If you are going to be taking the vacuum up and down stairs to clean different floors in your home, then you probably want something lightweight that can be moved around easily. You can find quality vacuums that are very portable and light, but you’ll have to look out for those characteristics when you are shopping.

What to Avoid

Certain kinds of vacuums or different aspects of some vacuums may make them ill-suited for the environment you will be cleaning in. Here are some things you need to avoid when you are trying to choose the right vacuum:

• Noisy Vacuums- Some vacuums are incredibly noisy, and if that bothers you, your pets or anyone else in the house, you may want to consider something quiet for your flea and tick cleaning.
• Tough to Clean- You need to be able to take out the brush roll and open up the bag compartment to clean out the vacuum regularly. If you don’t clean the different parts, then some fleas and ticks will survive and re-infest your home.
• No Tools- Your vacuum should have some extra brushes, hose attachments and other accessories that allow you to clean in all sorts of places. If it doesn’t, then you won’t be able to clean fleas and ticks very easily.
• No Warranty- If the manufacturers cannot provide a warranty for their machine, then they do not stand behind it. Be sure to check for a warranty and make sure it matches up to the value of what you put into the vacuum in order to protect your investment.

But Can You Really Vacuum Fleas Off?

A key step in getting rid of fleas from furniture, is to use a vacuum cleaner that has a strong powerful suction. Clean the sofas, rugs and carpets with the vacuum cleaner daily. Use disposable dust bags only for your vacuum cleaners. Once enough dust is collected, seal it and dispose of it from your house. The fleas go inside the dust bag and the disposable dust bag goes inside the trash can out side.

It’s not that simple to remove flea larvae and other pests’ larvae from sofas and carpets. The vacuum cleaner easily picks up eggs and adult fleas, but the larvae cling to the carpet and don’t come out easily. As an additional  measurement you can also consider shampooing the carpet, because it can remove kill the larvae. Vacuuming after such treatment may prove to be much more effective.

Final Thoughts

If you’re dealing with a flea and tick infestation in your home, you know how bothering it can be. After researching some of the best cleaners on the market today, you can now choose the best option for your case. With the right cleaner, you can get rid of those pests and enjoy a much healthier, cleaner home. Just make sure to factor in your exact cleaning needs. It would be pointless to get a steam cleaner, if you have carpets covering all the floors in your home. In such a case, a strong vacuum cleaner would be more advisable. As long as you stick to the above-mentioned guidelines though, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a product that will suit your needs.