Can Bed Bugs Live in a Vacuum Cleaner?

Bed bugs are commonly known as bloodthirsty and exquisitely talented insects to live in most anomalistic places. You may notice the pest lurking around the house inside carpets, cracks of your wall, inside the book’s pages, or even in a screw hole. In that case, driving a vacuum cleaner is the most approved tip to get rid of bed bugs, but the question is, can bed bugs live in a vacuum cleaner and don’t die entirely? The answer is Yes.

Vacuuming the bloodsuckers will not destroy them forever. If you don’t empty the vacuum cleaner, they can live for over 6months without any food or water. But, the bed bugs will surely decamp to reach out for a host.

So, let’s get into an in-depth reading of how bed bugs can live in a vacuum cleaner and how to get rid of them.

Before that, let’s check out a bit of info on bed bugs.

Basic Information about Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are a miniature insect, sizing about 4.5mm. This size clearly indicates that they are rarely seen with bare eyes. Talking about shape, the bloodthirsty insect comes in a round and flat body.

While searching for it particularly in the sneaky holes or edges of carpets, you might want to seek its body colour. But the colour basically depends on the bug, whether it has recently eaten or not. 

If the bug just filled its appetite, then a reddish hue will show in its body.

These bloodsuckers can easily transport and spread their lineage by riding onto your cloth or suitcase, or any other appliances.

Should You Vacuum To Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

Vacuuming is one of the most basic but effective methods of killing bed bugs. Through vacuuming, you will be able to get rid of bed bugs without any pesticide, mess and with just a little effort. By disposing of them outside, you will be able to have a permanent solution. 

Here is the vacuuming process:

You will have to identify the infestation. Then perfectly seal off the room so that not a single bug can escape. Now you will have to expose the harborage and suck them up with the vacuum.

After you are finished, empty the cleaner outside so that the bed bug eggs cannot re-infest.

As both the summer and winter weather is harmful to them, simply, bed bugs cannot survive outside.

Vacuuming is an effective and easy way for bed bug treatment but not 100% full proof. Though the vacuum is strong but it is so difficult to dislodge the eggs or other eggs. So, to have the best possible result, try vacuuming with any other method.

Does Vacuuming Kill Bed Bugs?

If we honestly tell you, vacuuming won’t be able to kill the bed bug’s whole infestation, especially when it has already spread enormously. And at this moment, if you can’t follow some effective methods, then all will be a waste of money.

Anyways, vacuuming isn’t a heavy duty work and it can reduce the number of bed bugs population in your house or any living area. To that concern, here are a few key tips you can follow to vacuum bed bugs:

  1. Before you begin the process, collect all your bugless bag and baggage, such as towels, mattresses, covers, clothes, pillows, and beddings, and tie them in a big plastic bag to prevent the infection.
  2. Plug a crevice tool into the vacuum cleaner. With this tool, the sealed suction increases the suction ability and ensure that your vacuum is in top-notch condition. 
  3. Before you really power the vacuum, ensure the crevice tool is plugged in properly. Because you may see that bed bugs are weak and small in size, but the truth is they can stick to a cloth, carpet, or fabric powerfully.
  4. While using the vacuum cleaner, don’t go too rough on the place you are working on. Rather than cleaning the bed bugs in carpets with your vacuum, you may risk a head start to their infestation by pushing them away.
  5. When you finish the cleaning method, dispose of the dirty vacuum bag as soon as possible. Before you throw it generally, tie it with a hard tape, and place another plastic bag over the vacuum bag. This process is to land you on the safer side. Therefore, throw it away.
  6. It might happen that your vacuum cleaner doesn’t have a vacuum bag. In that case, buy a plastic bag, and empty the vacuum cleaner. And then seal the plastic bag and shoot it to the garbage.
  7. When you don’t have a vacuum bag inside, you must have a container. And the container must be washed with hot soapy water. Usually, this type of vacuum cleaners come with a filter.
  8. When you see the filter, it’s better to wash the filter, freeze it in deep cold, then get rid of it and put a new filter in your vacuum cleaner. 
  9. In some cases, if the bed bugs spread in a vast number, you might have to clean more than just the living space in your house. Get a bundle of tap and tie the nozzle of every appliances before you shift the things from one place to another. This method is truly important as the pests can try to run away. When you complete the vacuuming process, get rid of all the materials, but an important fact to remember that bed bugs can survive outside of the house too.
  10. Wherever you’ve cleaned, repeat the entire process two or three times more for bed bug removal problem. The travelers do love to hide in old places, the infested ones, so it’s better if you vacuum those areas frequently.
  11. You can do one last thing to spares the chores of vacuuming. You can try some pest controlling ways such as laundering the bed bugs, or freezing them and so on. Do the process for not only your house, but also the outdoor like garage and other materials.

Can Bed Bugs Live In Vacuum Sealed Bags?

Without a second thought, the answer is 100 percent, yes. These bloodsuckers are renowned for their survival capabilities and that’s the reason bed bug issue is a famous one too. 

So, it doesn’t matter if you use a vacuum cleaner to kill them; instead, ending up in a garbage bag is more like a bonus ride for the kissing bugs—no death sentence for them.

To that saying, when you have done your vacuuming process, now it’s time you take out the bag as fast as possible. Keep it in an extra air tight plastic poly, seal it and then throw it in the garbage.

Make sure you check the vacuum’s hose for the stuck pests or else they may run way before you even blink.

Can Bed Bugs Crawl Out of Vacuum Cleaners?

Technically, they can, but we don’t see this happening. As bed bugs can climb up the legs of beds or even wall, a vacuum cleaner is not out of reach.

Bed bugs are not really known for their navigation skill which is based on their smelling ability. As they cannot see the light and the smell is also tricky, they cannot navigate their way out.

Climbing out of the vents is not an option for them. In case of a bagless vacuum cleaner, the storage area won’t allow them to escape. The only way is to climb out through the hose, which will not be possible.

So, the answer is, they can but they won’t. Moreover, it can be one of their key hiding places, like in deep cracks in walls, fabric items, drawer slides, light switches, and so on.

Can I Vacuum after Bed Bug Treatment?

It depends on the kind of bed bug treatment you used. If you went for heat treatment, you must have to go with a vacuum cleaning to clean off the dead bugs.

If you went for pesticide treatment, there would be some dead bugs, and the rest of them will show visible movement due to the effect of the pesticide. The same will happen for a DIY bed bug pesticide. In this case, you can always suck them up with a vacuum cleaner.

But, in this case, be aware of the fact that you don’t spread the living bugs accidentally.

Can Bed Bugs live in Carpet Cleaners?

Bed bugs are now expanded among people by their accessories. They keep themselves hidden inside your accessories, and you by chance give them ride in other places. This is kind of a problem complication with accessories that are adopted or applied by many people, for example, a hotel room.

A large number of people are using carpet cleaners in their daily life. They’re purchased barely, since they are costly and are applied once in a while. Now, most of the people tends to hire them. Few of people who took the carpet cleaner you desire to rent probably have bed bugs.

Still bed bugs push through a stiff time living in a carpet cleaner instead of a vacuum cleaner. Why so? Because carpet cleaners apply two things which demolish bed bugs: detergent and water. They are not able to survive in this wet situation of a carpet cleaner mechanism.

Spray the Vacuum Cleaner with Pesticide

Bed bugs are pretty intelligent, but not too much. You can crawl them out from the vacuum cleaner with pesticides and let them die as soon as they step out. 

For this, you can spray pesticide on the exterior of your vacuum cleaner. With this pesticide, you can enjoy two benefits.

Pesticide can catch beg bug’s special attention easily. It’s like you are inspiring the bed bugs to come out of the vacuum cleaner. It can also hover for a longer period on the surface.

So, the bugs have to pass through the pesticide you spray on the vacuum’s exterior when they come out, and as soon as they go through it, they’ll die, therefore.

On the other hand, you can consider heat treatment. It’s another vital option to choose. From a journal, we’ve come to know that bed bugs don’t survive at 120 degrees temperature. 

Now, you can heat the room with a pest controller or even the house to kill the bugs, and vacuum cleaner as well.

How to Avoid Bed Bugs Surviving In the Hose?

Well, bed bugs are really irritating insects as they can survive anywhere, even the vacuum hose of your vacuum cleaner.

To get rid of them fully, after you capture the bed bugs, now it’s time to remove them from the vacuum cleaner. 

If your vacuum cleaner has a cleaning bag, then gently pull out the bag, keep it inside another air tight plastic bag, and seal it tightly. Then throw it into the nearby garbage. That’s pretty neat, isn’t it? 

But, if you don’t have a removable bag and own a reusable trunk, it’s time for a cat and dog thing. You have to carefully throw the bugs into the garbage and then wash the trunk entirely with soapy water. Remember, the hotter the water, the better.

Another important thing – if your vacuum cleaner has a filter inside, it’s must-do cleaning stuff to do. Take it out and clean it with hot soapy water.


To wrap the article, we can say that vacuuming the bed bugs will surely assist you in getting control over the infestation of bed bugs, but this procedure will not solve the whole issue. 

In this regard, we would suggest you follow the steps provided above or hire a professional technician related to the problem. Because, prevention is better than cure.

Following this way, you can live bed-bugs free life, no more revival of their race, and finally enjoy a sweet sleep and safe home.

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