The fleas you can see on the animal are the part of the problem that is easiest to deal with. The part that brings them back is in the carpet, the skirting boards and the gap under the sofa cushion, and no amount of treating the pet touches it.

This is a household spray rather than anything that goes on an animal. Bob Martin describe it as triple action: it kills adult fleas around the home for up to 3 months, it stops flea eggs and larvae developing for up to 12 months, and it also kills house dust mites, which they note are a common cause of allergies in people and pets. The bottle is 500ML.

• 500ML trigger bottle
• Kills adult fleas around the home for up to 3 months
• Stops flea egg and larvae development for up to 12 months
• Also kills house dust mites
• Intended to break the flea lifecycle
• For household surfaces, not for use on an animal

What is not on the card. Bob Martin have not supplied us with the active ingredient, the area 500ML covers, which surfaces it is and is not safe on, or how long people and pets should stay out of a treated room. Every one of those is on the bottle's own label, and that label is what to read before you spray anything — particularly if there is a fish tank, a bird or a small animal in the room. This is also only half a flea job: it does nothing for the animal itself.

Who it's for: anyone who has treated the pet, cleaned everything, and is still finding fleas a fortnight later, and households doing a spring clean before a new animal arrives.