If you own a vacuum cleaner, you can become your professional exterminator for the few cents it takes to power the appliance, with the advantage of using a non-toxic method to eliminate parasites from your home. Your vacuum cleaner is the secret weapon to eliminate and break the continuous cycle of spiders and insects that infest your home. Here are some tips.
Steps
Step 1. Choose a vacuum cleaner
One that has a hose will be better suited for sucking insects off uneven surfaces and over your head. A vacuum cleaner with a rotating brush is the most effective at removing insects, and most importantly, the leftovers they eat from carpets. Canister vacuums generally have a flexible hose and some allow you to add a rotating brush head; many electric brooms allow you to replace the main head with a flexible tube. A HEPA filter will greatly reduce the particulate matter in the air and can be useful in case of allergies, but the parts are not cheap. Simple bagless vacuum cleaners quickly clog expensive filters. Disposable bags, which are inexpensive, or cyclone separators can extend their life. A vacuum cleaner with a long hose and extension cords is best for hard-to-reach areas.
Step 2. Configure the vacuum cleaner
Since the vacuum cleaner is your weapon against insects, be sure to set it to maximum power. Usually it will have a selector for the sucking power. Turning on the vacuum cleaner should be easy. You will need to press the pedal or move the toggle to on.
Step 3. Vacuum regularly and all over the house to create an inhospitable environment for insects
If they have nothing to eat, they will not enter and reproduce. Keep foods in sealed containers such as refrigerators and jars, and remove dust from carpets, corners and shelves. Vacuum or rag hard floors. Clean the floors under objects where dust can accumulate, such as sinks, refrigerators and especially stoves.
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This is a much simpler and more effective method than trying to chase insects one by one.
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Don't pull on a gas stove and don't pull hard on a refrigerator with an ice maker if you don't want to damage the plumbing. Try using a vacuum cleaner extension, or removing what's under the stove to clean underneath it.
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To dust other items besides the floor, use a simple nozzle with no electrical or moving parts. A brush beak will generally not scratch.
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Step 4. Take on the spiders using your vacuum cleaner
You can use it to immediately reduce the spider population and suck up spider webs to limit their growth in the following days and months. By removing a web, you will destroy a spider's lair, the nursery for future spider mites and its hunting area. (In some cases, spiders eat their own web!) This is a very beneficial operation, because one egg sac can hold up to 300 small spiders. While many of them will never reach mature age, imagine about half of them becoming egg-laying females. Population growth would be exponential!
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Vacuum out any cobwebs you can find.
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Use an extension cord from a canister vacuum cleaner to reach higher areas.
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A handheld vacuum cleaner is useful for niches and crevices where spiders tend to hide.
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Step 5. Fight off food moths and other pantry pests
Moths fly around, fall into your food and drink, and it can be expensive to get rid of them.
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Vacuum the cracks between the benches and counters and under the refrigerator. Food crumbs fall from all the cabinets onto the counters; these crumbs stop in the narrowest crevices and float to the fan under your fridge. These areas need to be dusted well from time to time.
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Vacuum the pantry shelf where you keep your food.
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Look for places where the ceiling and wall meet. Moths climb the walls and create their silky cocoons there. At first glance they might look like cobwebs, but whatever they are, vacuum them away!
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Throw the vacuum cleaner bag or contents outside in the trash so the bugs can't return to the house.
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Step 6. Vacuum where your pets feed
If you feed your pets indoors, remember that one of the main food sources for pantry bugs is dry pet food and bird food.
Be sure to vacuum these areas often and where you store food for your pets
Step 7. Fight the cockroaches with your vacuum cleaner
Many types of cockroaches can enter your home. The former can come in many ways - by flying into an open window, by entering the door or into your shopping bag. As a general rule, these insects lay about 30 eggs in an ootheca. When the young reach maturity they are dropped in the place where the mother is.
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Due to the airborne feces particles, their exoskeleton and the different body parts they leave, cockroaches can be a direct cause of breathing problems. A non-HEPA vacuum cleaner might only make the problem worse, so only use one with a HEPA filter. Vacuum cleaners are very useful in controlling these insects, because the ootheca is clearly visible and can be sucked in easily.
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Look for oothecae in drawers, on shelves, under cabinets, or wherever cockroaches may live. Vacuum adult insects, eggs and everything in between.
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After dusting, wash the area with a strong soap.
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Throw the bag or contents directly into an outdoor bin that will be collected shortly, so as not to allow the insects to re-enter the house.
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Step 8. Vacuum the bedbugs
If your home is overrun with bedbugs, a vacuum cleaner is a great way to pick them up quickly without releasing their bad smell by inadvertently squeezing them. Just vacuum them when you see them (usually on walls and windows) and throw them in the right way.
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Bedbugs can also be sucked up from the outside walls if your vacuum cleaner gets far enough.
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Other insects you can remove this way are pine bugs and maple bugs.
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Step 9. Remove dust mites from your mattresses using a vacuum cleaner
Dust the mattresses and pillows of any bed you have in the house to reduce the population of these insects. Dispose of the contents of the vacuum cleaner properly, in a sealed container.
Step 10. Vacuum the carpets carefully to get rid of fleas
Be sure to dust under furniture as well. You could also add flea dust to the vacuum cleaner bag or carpet if that won't cause problems with the appliance. Dispose of properly.
Step 11. Vacuum away the silverfish
These insects love humid conditions, so you'll find them mostly in the kitchen and bathroom. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the crumbs and eggs from the minnows.
Step 12. Remove the ladybugs from your home
These insects can gather in numbers large enough to infest your home during the winter. Although they are beneficial insects in the garden, disturbed ladybugs can give off a bad smell and cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. If you have a problem with ladybugs, vacuuming them in a new bag or container and then releasing them in a remote area of the garden can be a great way to get rid of the infestation and take advantage of their beneficial action.
After dusting, put some cloves on the windowsills and wherever there are cracks where ladybugs could enter. You can also try washing with clove oil diluted with water
Step 13. Vacuum the lens calliphers
These flies have a tendency to infest homes between August and October and congregate on high ceilings.
Step 14. In all cases where you use your vacuum cleaner to kill insects, always empty your appliance and tie the bag immediately after dusting, throwing it outside in the trash
If you don't trap them inside, the spiders and insects will crawl out wherever you leave them.
Advice
- You can buy insect-specific vacuum cleaners, but your vacuum cleaner will do just fine, so save your money.
- Consult a professional exterminator for focused advice on your problems if you have major insect problems that you cannot solve on your own.
Warnings
- Never put bare skin in a spider web.
- Vacuuming an insect may not kill it. Dangerous insects should be carefully eliminated before vacuuming them.
- Always wear gloves to avoid the possibility of being stung or bitten by spiders or insects.
- If you have trouble breathing, always ask a doctor for advice before starting dusting.
