House with Ticks

Ok... the way I read this question is that the dogs have brought the fleas and ticks inside, right? And your friend has moved in with you temporarily?

Well, as far as the dogs bringing the ticks inside, your kids would have found them by playing outside... they just hadn't been noticed yet.

So... maybe you should be thankful that her dogs discovered the ticks before a tick bite on your kids went unnoticed? This way, you can properly handle the situation....

And... yes, a professional exterminator is probably the best bet. I personally don't like insect bombs, because then, every surface is covered with insecticide! A professional will know how to handle the problem with the least human exposure.

As far as fleas, the best preventative I've found for dogs is Comfortis.... it is a pill that lasts a month, even down here in Texas where fleas are a year-round problem.

keep the dogs outside and get an exterminator

You need to hire an exterminator, and hire a reputable one. We used Terminex for some problems we were having, and they were wonderful. They use products that are safe for pets and children, they talk you through the treatments, and explain everything to you. They'll come back and do multiple treatments if needed and will back up their work and basically "get it done until it's done."

They got rid of roaches, termites, ants, and grubs all in one contract. That was several years ago. The only thing that returned are the grubs, and they came from my neighbor's yard which came from the other neighbor's yard and so on. We just treat the grubs as necessary now on our own without any issues.

I would hire an exterminator. Maybe have them come every month during the spring/summer months. Not to scare you, but ticks also carry rocky mountain spotted fever. My mom was bitten by a tick and she almost died from it. Take care of this asap and maybe even tell your friend to keep the dogs either in the backyard or garage (not in the house at all). Yes, kids can bring them in the house, but it seems like you have a bigger problem than just a once in a while finding.

Professional exterminator for the house and the property.
After that she should be fine to visit again. That is the safest way to dealt with it.

call your local veterinarian, they'll tell you what's the best thing to do. My sister is a vet tech in Orlando, when we got our Lab I saw one tick in my house and just knew more were going to come. And sure enough I found one crawling on my sons earlobe. The dog was gone the next day. Thankfully, our yard was not infested neither was the house it was actually the dog. But she told me about the products they use at the vets office to control them. I can't remember the name of it. But that would be your best bet.