# Indorex - help please!



## Snuggles2012 (Oct 17, 2011)

Ok, so I am in panic mode after finding a few fleas on my cat yesterday. Pretty horrified as we've never had a problem before. She had been treated with Frontline about six weeks ago.

Anyway have now treated her with Stronghold and am madly hoovering the house, washing bedding etc, and spraying with Indorex. I am just confused about the instructions and I really want to make sure I'm getting this right to give the best chance of getting rid of the damn things.

It says to hold the can upright to use it. But obviously I'm spraying carpets etc, so does this mean I have to spray it upwards and let it fall onto the carpet, or is it ok to point the can downwards (which seems the logical thing to do). I don't see how you could get into nooks and crannies if you are pointing the can upwards??

Also, we have vinyl flooring in the kitchen, hall, and bathroom. Do I need to do these rooms? I'm thinking the fleas lay their eggs in soft places (carpets etc) so it's maybe not necessary??

Any advice would be much appreciated, as I don't want to take any chances with this


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I think that as long as the spray is coming out of the can, you are doing it right.
I would strongly recommend treating the rooms with vinyl or hard floors too....well, the gaps around the edge specifically and a quick spray into the gap under washing machine etc
Indorex is good in that it is low odour, but don't forget to vacate sprayed rooms for an hour or so before re-entering and airing as the chemical cocktail is a strong one.


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## sarahecp (Aug 22, 2011)

I used Frontline for years without any issues until about a year ago I found flea dirt on Seb and a couple of fleas on the floor. I changed the boys flea treatment to Advocate, no issues since. 

I also used Indorex, using the can upright - nozzle at the top, pointed the can nozzle to the area I was spraying. I have wooden flooring throughout my house, I sprayed one room at a time, I sprayed all the floors, skirting boards, all nooks and crannies, mattresses, sofa, armchairs etc. washed all soft furnishings and pet bedding and toys. I also have a flea collar in my hoover bag just in case. 

Hope this makes sense


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## Snuggles2012 (Oct 17, 2011)

sarahecp said:


> I used Frontline for years without any issues until about a year ago I found flea dirt on Seb and a couple of fleas on the floor. I changed the boys flea treatment to Advocate, no issues since.
> 
> I also used Indorex, using the can upright - nozzle at the top, pointed the can nozzle to the area I was spraying. I have wooden flooring throughout my house, I sprayed one room at a time, I sprayed all the floors, skirting boards, all nooks and crannies, mattresses, sofa, armchairs etc. washed all soft furnishings and pet bedding and toys. I also have a flea collar in my hoover bag just in case.
> 
> Hope this makes sense


Hi and thak you. I am probably being really dim (sorry!) but how can you point the can nozzle at the carpet/floor for example whilst holding the can upright? This is what's confusing me! Do you mean you were spraying upwards and letting the spray then fall onto the floor?


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## Shiny (Mar 24, 2013)

I've heard that it's important to hold spray/aerosol can upright whilst using them, or it can affect some inner mechanism that breaks the spray power of the can, and then they stop working.

For carpets, just life one end up and spray it, unless it is attached to the floor. I guess in that case, you spray it above the carpet and let it fall.


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## sarahecp (Aug 22, 2011)

Snuggles2012 said:


> Hi and thak you. I am probably being really dim (sorry!) but how can you point the can nozzle at the carpet/floor for example whilst holding the can upright? This is what's confusing me! Do you mean you were spraying upwards and letting the spray then fall onto the floor?


You're welcome and you're not being dim 

If you hold the can a few inches away from the carpet and spray directly on to it.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Shiny said:


> I've heard that it's important to hold spray/aerosol can upright whilst using them, or it can affect some inner mechanism that breaks the spray power of the can, and then they stop working.
> 
> For carpets, just life one end up and spray it, unless it is attached to the floor. I guess in that case, you spray it above the carpet and let it fall.


Yes but the Indorex spraying mechanism is not like a standard aerosol spray. I really do not understand the instructions to hold the can upright, the nozzle seems particularly well designed to hold the can slanting downwards towards a surface and deliver a well directed spray....that is how I have always used it and never had a problem.
Holding the can upright and trying to get the spray to fall like a fountain seems like a bad idea to me.
Mind you, the instructions also talk about short bursts of pulverisation so maybe it is badly translated from another language.


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## sarahecp (Aug 22, 2011)

Paddypaws said:


> Yes but the Indorex spraying mechanism is not like a standard aerosol spray. I really do not understand the instructions to hold the can upright, the nozzle seems particularly well designed to hold the can slanting downwards towards a surface and deliver a well directed spray....that is how I have always used it and never had a problem.
> Holding the can upright and trying to get the spray to fall like a fountain seems like a bad idea to me.
> Mind you, the instructions also talk about short bursts of pulverisation so maybe it is badly translated from another language.


This is how I use it, you've explained it far better than I did  I'm useless at explaining things


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## Shiny (Mar 24, 2013)

Paddypaws said:


> Yes but the Indorex spraying mechanism is not like a standard aerosol spray. I really do not understand the instructions to hold the can upright, the nozzle seems particularly well designed to hold the can slanting downwards towards a surface and deliver a well directed spray....that is how I have always used it and never had a problem.
> Holding the can upright and trying to get the spray to fall like a fountain seems like a bad idea to me.
> Mind you, the instructions also talk about short bursts of pulverisation so maybe it is badly translated from another language.


I've never used Indorex, I was just assuming from what I saw from a picture. It wouldn't make sense to me either to spray it upright, so you're probably right about some instructional fault.


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## Snuggles2012 (Oct 17, 2011)

Thank you all, I am probably over-thinking this, but just in a real panic that we are going to be over-run with them if I don't get this right


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## Shiny (Mar 24, 2013)

Snuggles2012 said:


> Thank you all, I am probably over-thinking this, but just in a real panic that we are going to be over-run with them if I don't get this right


Well, it's best to take care of them as fast as possible, and you seem to be doing everything right as far as I can tell.

Good luck


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## Voiceimitator (Jan 3, 2019)

Snuggles2012 said:


> It says to hold the can upright to use it. But obviously I'm spraying carpets etc, so does this mean I have to spray it upwards and let it fall onto the carpet, or is it ok to point the can downwards (which seems the logical thing to do). I don't see how you could get into nooks and crannies if you are pointing the can upwards??


I found this thread through Google, so I wanted to give some advice from my own experience in case it's useful to anyone out there (been overrun by fleas before, was safe for two years, and currently in mid infestation now).

About can upright: it doesn't spray properly if you hold the bottle parallel to the ground (which you might be tempted to do to spray under a bed). Otherwise, I don't think it matters how you get the chemicals onto the surface. Just get them there! I point the nozzle 45 degrees downwards to spray on carpet.

One tip: there are three settings for the nozzle. Off, long stream, short puff of mist. You mainly want short puff of mist.

About flea infestations in general...

What doesn't work:

-- None of the natural remedies work. Eg wipe the floor with vinegar/cider mixture? Nope. All you get is wet fleas.
-- Flea collar: I found fleas happily living under the collar.
-- Salt: minor usefulness (can dry out larvae), but the adult fleas happily jump around on it. Main result is you end up with very soggy floors. Pet doctor websites tell me diatomaceous earth has similar limited usefulness.
-- Insect repellant: just doesn't repel.

Insect bombs: they do kill things (you see carcasses), but I'm not sure if these are as effective as Indorex, where you're spraying directly on a surface. You're just sort of trusting the mist to drift around into all the right places. I've seen fleas hopping around the corners of a room 12 hrs after I let off a bomb, but I haven't seen this with Indorex.

What does work:

-- Advantage/Advocate. You can see the results. The fur is clean a day after you apply.
-- Indorex to kill fleas/stop eggs from hatching. Vaccuum before you spray, and every day for seven days afterwards. This is life-saving stuff. It just works. It's not cheap, but I'd strongly advise you buy more bottles than you think you'll need.
-- Flea combs to remove fleas and eggs. Many ppl dip the comb in warm soapy water after each brush. But my cat hates the wetness, plus I can only comb her when she deigns to jump in my lap, and it's not like I'll always have warm soapy water on hand ready to use when this happens. Instead I have several combing stations through the house with tissue paper and resealable sandwich bags. I wipe the comb with a tissue after each brush, then lock the scrunched up pieces of tissue paper in an airtight sandwich bag (the fleas do escape otherwise).
-- Sticky flea traps (green LED lights with sticky paper): lay one of these down, and you can see the results. Very effective. I have four of them, a brand called My Flea Trap from eBay.
-- I assume vacuuming/washing in hot water helps, but results aren't as obvious as the above
-- Sticky lint rollers can be handy to have around

I've never tried any of the bath-type treatments.

General signs you might have fleas:

-- It's warm, humid weather, and maybe other creepy crawlies are more active than usual, not just fleas
-- Cat is scratching a lot
-- You see black dirt on the cat
-- Cat likes to sleep up high or on non-porous surfaces or spends more time than usual out of the house, away from the fleas
-- Cat bounds when moving through house (to avoid picking up as many fleas)
-- You're itchy and/or have bites, especially around ankles
-- There are little dots of blood on the surfaces the cat sits on (this is crushed flea dirt)
-- I think heightened spider activity might indicate fleas
-- You'll see more after vacuuming, because the vibrations hatch the eggs.

I've found that the signs can be subtle, and big infestations can creep up on you without you noticing. The weather suddenly changes, and it's like all the fleas hatch at the same time. You didn't notice any fleas before, and now they're jumping on your feet when you exit the shower.

Remember: for every adult flea you see, there are four more fleas hiding around the house.

One more tip: the white socks test. Walk around the house wearing them and see if anything jumps on you.


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## Tigermoon (Apr 2, 2013)

This thread is 5 years old!!!


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## Voiceimitator (Jan 3, 2019)

Apologies for the necro, but the info is still current! And still shows up highly ranked on Google when looking for more information about Indorex.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Last year, it was reported that the use of Indorex would no longer be permissible as of now (January 2019) under new EU biocides legislation. Veterinary practices were told they would not be able to sell Indorex and several similar products from dates starting in July 2018.

However, since then I've personally heard nothing more about the changes, and Indorex is still freely available for sale as far as I'm aware. I've tried to find out more but turned a blank so far. Does anyone know if the planned change in legislation has been amended/delayed/abandoned?

Meanwhile, I would add that one can of Indorex is enough to treat your average 3 bedroom house and is effective for up to 12 months - so it's not usually necessary to purchase multiple cans unless you live in a mansion. One or two is just fine.

I would caution against overuse - remember it contains permethrin, which is toxic to cats. Using it in quantities greater than those recommended by the manufacturer is not advisable.


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## Cully (May 16, 2018)

Just to add, after vacuuming empty, the dust bag/bin straight away into an airtight rubbish bag and put in an outside bin. If not, the fleas you vacuumed up will just escape out of your cleaner and back into the carpets etc. You could put a piece of flea collar in the rubbish bag too. It's about the only thing they're useful for!
If using a flea comb I found keeping a jar with a strong solution of soapy dish detergent next to me very useful. When you 'catch' a flea in the comb, dip it into the jar of solution to remove it. The soap breaks the water surface so the fleas can't swim and will drown. No escapees! It also gives me great personal satisfaction seeing the little blighters I've caught!!!
As far as I'm aware, Indorex is still available on Amazon at about half vets price.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

I did see one of the online sites offering a New formulation Indorex and had previously seen old stock being sold off cheaply


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

https://www.vet-medic.com/blog/2018/05/household-flea-sprays-to-be-banned/


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

OrientalSlave said:


> https://www.vet-medic.com/blog/2018/05/household-flea-sprays-to-be-banned/


Yep, but that was May 2018 - heard nothing since. Indorex is still on sale.


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Cully said:


> Just to add, after vacuuming empty, the dust bag/bin straight away into an airtight rubbish bag and put in an outside bin. If not, the fleas you vacuumed up will just escape out of your cleaner and back into the carpets etc. You could put a piece of flea collar in the rubbish bag too. It's about the only thing they're useful for!


Few adult fleas will be sucked up in a vacuum - they live on animals, not in the carpets. You will suck up eggs, larvae and some pupae though



Paddypaws said:


> I did see one of the online sites offering a New formulation Indorex and had previously seen old stock being sold off cheaply


I had suspected that the formulation of Indorex would be changed, but have been able to find nothing about it. Do you know anything more?


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

They seem to be calling it Defence spray rather than flea spray and it seems to be much cheaper now!


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## Ceiling Kitty (Mar 7, 2010)

Fab, thanks!

Probably doesn't work as well either, knowing our luck!


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