Once the fleas are in the carpet, you have your work cut out for you. The vaccum will get a majority of the flea eggs, but the fleas themselves burrow to the bottom of the carpet fiber, making your vaccum pass over mostly ineffective. You have to use the flea powder on the carpet, vaccuming, even every day, w/o it will not be effective. They will survive and lay more eggs. Also the fleas come up to eat, bite you or an animal, then retreat back down into the carpet, making your window for vaccuming up adult/young fleas very minimal.