desinfection of the premises after grooming dog with fleas

This is a question for all groomers who groom from home. Today I had first encounter with fleas! Hard to belive, but after almost a year of working on my own first time I had dog with fleas. Used flea bath and Zodiac, washed my uniform and got rid of towels, sprayed table, bath, floors, cleaned filter in my shop vacuum, put all clipped hair in the garbage bag and took outside of the house (tie the bag tightly)...but I still worry was that enough? My dog is on Revolution thru out the summer and he is on Advantage thru winter so he should be O.K. but what about my house, carpet, rugs... I heard that fleas can lay their eggs in areas like that. Can they live in carpet for certain amount of time and then if they can for how long?
Can my house get infested with these nusty bugs? Do I have to do anything else? Anybody who work from home please let me know what do you do when you get dog with fleas? Probably sounds silly to senior groomers, but I am still new and I do need advice from you that are in business for long time...experience priceless.
Thanks a million.

I had to laugh when i read your post Bailey, you sound just like me when I come across a dog with fleas. Everything gets cleaned and washed. I'm a little paranoid about it.

One thing I do is, I spray my room with a premise spray that I got from my vet. It (hopefully) protects for 7 months. I pull out all the kennels and do underneath and all around. I spray every nook and cranny. I also spray the area outside the door and up the steps. Lastly, I also spray the area outside the grooming room door that leads into the house. I figure, even if a flea (or fleas) does escape my cleaning, they shouldn't be able to survive for long and any eggs they do lay won't survive. My vet did suggest that I give my dogs an extra month of Revoltuion because the fleas are so bad this year.

One thing I would like to know is, does anyone use anything on the dogs, like a spray or drops, to control the fleas why they are in your shop?

Hi Ruffcuts, (Do you groom from home too?)

Yes I got so paranoid...it was a first time I have seen fleas outside of the book and pictures. That lady with dog yesterday did not use any flea protection at all ( and everybody is saying that is bad year for fleas) she had her dog for last two years and have not heard about Revolution or anything like that. I think that I will change policy from now on and ask for proof that dog is on protection before I groom the dog. Does that sound stupid to you?
Anybody got similar policies? I groom from home and I just want to keep my house clean of these nasty pests. Do you think that requesting that dog is on flea protection should be a big turn off for customers? Any comment about that would be appreciated?
Other questions if eggs are laid in carpet for how long they can live there.?
I did apply Zodiac premise 2000 thru out the whole house. ( I was busy today all day with washing, desinfecting and I am still not sure what to do with blades, scissors and brushes how to desinfect tools and equipment) Is it one application of Zodiac enough or do I need to repeat it again in next few days.
Mind that I only had that one dog so far I have not seen any fleas today or felt any bites, but I am just upset and warry a lot about the whole thing.
And should I say bye bye to the customer that brought in dog with fleas or shoud I give her another chance?
Thanks

Just a few facts....an average flea life span is about 2-3 months but a flea can live off an animal if undisturbed for up to 100 days. I have learnt alot about fleas and flea protection from working in vet clinics for many years also as a vet assistant, to learn more about the flea cycle check out the websites for Advantage and Revolution.
Having a flea protection policy is kind of tricky because if the client has muliple pets, dogs as well as cats, every animal in the household has to be protected to be effective! A flea can still jump on that pet from another pet at home, it won't survive on the dog but it may still travel on the dog to your place! (little buggers)

Ask your vet for Siphotrol Premise spray and do the entire grooming area. It is an IGR, insect growth regulator which will prevent flea larvae from maturing into adult fleas. Keep your own pets on flea preventative year round if you are concerned. That way if any fleas do get on your pets they will bite and become sterile, meaning they cannot re-produce. The siphotrol spray it good for a few months, you do not need to use it everytime. You can also spray down the room with a regular premise spray if you have a dog in that has fleas. We do recommend that dogs be on a preventative but enforcing it would be a very difficult thing I think. Try not to stress about the fleas too much they are not nearly the problem now with all the products we have as they were years ago.

Thanks to all of you. All of your replays calmed me a bit although I still going around and checking if I can see anything visible to eye.
mccosta7 did you ever had to desinfect your 'entire' home after groomed dog with fleas? Did they ever travel to rest of your home? And if that ever happen how did you deal with that?
Other question is for Admin - is that Siphotrol Premise Spray effective just as Zodiac or is it better? On Zodiac spray direction to use said that should work for 7 months. Do you think that is right or is it just good advertising for product?
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!

I have never had to disenfect my entire home and they never have spread to the rest of my home, I just make sure I spray the area (cages, table, tub) after doing a dog with fleas. I have been working from home for 3 years now and I have never had a problem. I haven't had my own dog now for the past few months but when I did I kept her on Advantage or Revolution all year.

Thanks a million.

I've been working from home for about 3 years, and like mscosta7, have never had a problem with fleas in my house or on my own dogs, by doing all the things everyone has mentioned above. Usually I just see the odd dog with fleas but this fall there have been alot more. I agree with what Admin wrote, even if your dog did pick up a flea walking through you shop, if your treating your dog the cycle should stop there and not progress to an infestation. (at least that is the theory I tell myself. I still scurry around like a mad thing, cleaning frantically,when I find alot of fleas! I can't help myself)

Thanks to you ruffcusts too. O.K. now I feel a little bit better. My dog is on Revolution and I knew that he would be fine. I honestly worried about the house and other dogs coming in for grooming after that one.
I did use Zodiac premise spray all around, but I will still get the product that Admin mentioned from my vet just in case if Zodiac is not as effective as Shipotrol Premise Spray.
As I said before experience is priceless. We all have to learn one way or the other. Now when I book appointments I do ask if dog is on any flea protection just to keep myself prepaired...
Thanks!