Sat. Nov 2nd, 2024
Occasional Digest - a story for you

When Lucas MacLean and Mackenzie Jowett bought their latest renovator’s delight, they anticipated it would be like their previous DIY projects.

Instead, it brought with it an unexpected challenge for the couple; a flea infestation.

“When we had first come around to look at [the property], Mackenzie … walked away saying she was feeling like she was getting bitten on the arms,” Lucas said.

The bites had spread before they had even picked up the tools to do any of the remodelling.

“I had ripped up the carpet, and I could feel something similar, but I … thought it was … just standard itches you get from dust and fabric,” Lucas said.

“Then my dad had come and helped me move the carpet out and he’s the one that said, ‘I think there’s fleas in the carpet and I’m getting bitten.'”

While renovations often bring emotional and financial stresses and strains, sometimes — like for Lucas and Mackenzie — they can also affect your physical health.

So, what do you do if you run into a nasty surprise? 

Fleas and carpet beetles

Luckily, Lucas and Mackenzie’s flea infestation didn’t lead to more serious health concerns.

Flea bites are extremely itchy and appear as red and swollen lumps before developing into a blister or a small wound the next day.

Because of the itchiness, it’s not uncommon for people to get secondary infections from scratching the bites and in some cases could result in a tapeworm infection.

A wide shot of a brown shag carpet in an empty room
Carpet was the source of Lucas and Mackenzie’s flea infestation.(Supplied: Lucas MacLean)

The pair only got rid of their fleas by removing the infested materials.

“We removed all the carpet, and then all the fleas just moved into the curtains,” Mackenzie said.

“All the curtains had to come down — no curtains, no carpet.”

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