Ants are some of the most common pests in homes. They often come in vast numbers, and once they infest a home, they are notoriously hard to get rid of.
Though the internet is filled with innovative ways to free a house from these annoying pests, none of them seem to work effectively. They either can’t remove all the ants, or they involve such chemicals that are unsafe for use in your home.
Luckily, there is an easy way to rid your home of ants, and it requires something you most likely already have at hand: a vacuum cleaner. The following sections will tell you everything you need to know about vacuuming ants, including whether it is effective and how you can do it safely.
Is It Safe to Vacuum Ants?
A common misconception a lot of people have is that it is unsafe to vacuum ants. Some believe the insects would jam their vacuum cleaner, while others think the vacuum cleaner simply isn’t able to get all of the ants at once. Both assumptions are wrong.
Regardless of which type of vacuum cleaner you have, ants will not be able to do it any harm. If you have one with bags, you should simply replace the bag after vacuuming the ants. If you have a vacuum with a container, the cleaning process is even more straightforward. So, your vacuum will be perfectly fine either way.
As for the other belief, it simply isn’t logical. You know a quality vacuum cleaner can suck up just about anything (whether you want it to or not). Thus, a few ants or a few dozens of them will not be a problem in any way. In fact, vacuuming them up is an effective way to ensure you actually get all of them, and you can do it in just a minute or so.
Although it is, as you have read, a completely safe process, vacuuming ants does require some careful planning. You need to ensure that the cleanup is meticulous after you are done.
How to Vacuum Ants Effectively
Get your vacuum cleaner out as soon as you notice a big group of ants in one part of your home. Vacuum the ants as you would virtually anything else, but make sure you get all of them.
A vacuum is an effective way to remove ants if they are in a single line or concentrated around the same area for some reason. Simply run the vacuum over them, and they’ll be gone in the blink of an eye.
All of that was the easy part. Getting rid of the ants is actually the most important part of your task. Why is that, you are probably wondering? Won’t vacuuming ants kill them instantly? Well, it actually won’t. Ants are extremely sturdy beings, as you probably know by now.
Some of them might die when you vacuum them, either due to the pressure or by getting slammed into something hard. However, the vast majority of the ants will stay very much alive, and you need to ensure they never come back to infest your home again.
So, cleaning out your vacuum is actually the essential task that you need to handle. How you will do that depends on the type of vacuum cleaner that you have.
Use a Vacuum Cleaner With Bags
If you have a cleaner that uses vacuum bags, you need to make sure you have a spare bag at hand before you suck up the ants. That is important because you will have to dispose of the bag full of ants as soon as possible.
However, you can’t just throw the bag into your trash can and call it a day. Ants will eventually break out of it. Then, it will take them only a few minutes to infest your home again, and you will be right back where you started.
To avoid that, you need to take the bag as far away from your home as possible. Wrap it up in a garbage bag, and get rid of it safely at a dumpster/disposal site somewhere else.
Alternatively, you can put some diatomaceous earth in the bag. Seal it, shake it, and dispose of it in your trash can. The earth will kill the ants instantly, as it is a known and successful solution to dealing with most common pests. Yet, it is harmless for you and your pets, so you can safely use it around the home and leave it in your trash can.
The ants will be dead within minutes, and you will be able to rest easy knowing they won’t come back into your home again. Still, if you don’t have this solution at hand, taking the bag to a dumpster away from your home is a good enough fix.
Use a Bagless Vacuum
Cleaning out a bagless vacuum is an even easier task. Here, you don’t have to buy a new bag and spend time replacing it. You simply need to clean out the vacuum container after you are done vacuuming the ants.
Pour everything into a trash bag, and clean the container thoroughly after that. You don’t have to use any special cleaning supplies. Just wash everything the way you usually do, and you’ll be good to go.
When it comes to disposing of the trash bag containing the ants, you can follow the same instructions as above. So, either use diatomaceous earth or dispose of the bag somewhere else.
It is important that you never use any insecticide or harsh chemicals on the vacuum container and your vacuum in general. It will damage it, and it can be hazardous to you and your family. Stick to water and natural pest killers instead.
Benefits of Vacuuming Ants
Though there are many ways to kill ants in your home, none are as effective and successful as vacuuming them. Here are all the benefits of using your vacuum to get the job done.
Easy and Efficient
As mentioned above, vacuuming up ants takes less than a minute. With just a few sweeps, you can get rid of them all. Using other cleaning methods will never be that quick.
You Need No Special Equipment
The only tool that you need for this task is something most people already own: a vacuum cleaner. You might also need a spare vacuum bag if your cleaner requires one and a trash bag to dispose of the ants/vacuum bag.
Either way, you already have everything you need, with no need for going shopping. Of course, if you decide to kill the ants with diatomaceous earth, you will have to buy that, but it is not the only way to get rid of them, as you have read.
So, you can remove those pesky ants as soon as you spot them, without wasting any precious time. And when it comes to pest infestations, every second counts.
It Is Eco-Friendly
Vacuuming up ants requires no chemicals. Thus, it is a fully eco-friendly way to dispose of the annoying pests. You will not be putting yourself or your family at risk, and no harmful emissions will go into the atmosphere.
The only minuscule impact this method has on the environment is the small amount of electricity you will spend as your vacuum runs. Compared to how harmful and detrimental to the planet other techniques are, that impact is pretty much nonexistent.
It Is Affordable
If you opt for any other way to kill the ants, you will have to spend quite a bit of money. Whether you go for bleach, baking soda, different harsh chemicals, or anything else, you will have to spend money on it. With a vacuum, these expenses are eliminated.
What’s Next?
As with most pests, it is vital that you take some preventive steps after getting rid of them. That way, you will ensure the ants don’t return in the future.
To that end, there are a few things you can do. First off, keeping all surfaces of your home clean is pivotal. Then, you should try and keep all your food in sealed containers. Ants are always drawn to food, so making sure none of it is easily accessible or just lying around is key.
You can also take the time to seal any cracks and small entrances to your home. Moreover, you should spray an ant barrier around your home as well, especially your garden. Doing all of that will help keep ants as far away from your house as possible. Then, you won’t have to worry about vacuuming them again.
To Sum Up
As you have read, vacuuming up ants is an easy and effective way to get rid of them for good. It is crucial that you dispose of the ants properly after you are done vacuuming them, as the process itself won’t kill them. Then, you ought to take preventive steps so that they do not return again. That way, your home will be ant-free forever.
