How To Remove Ants From Carpets In 5 Steps That work

Is the sight of ants crawling on your carpet troubling you? If yes, then you may be facing a nasty ant infestation in your carpet.

Carpets and rugs can become a hotbed of ant activity due to food crumbs or moisture in the floor underneath.

Additional factors, such as ant spillovers from other areas of your home, can also significantly contribute to attracting ants to your carpet.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find out why there are ants in your carpet and how to remove ants safely without causing any damage.

Let’s dive in.

Why Are Ants In Your Carpet?

There are two main reasons for ants in your carpet – food waste on the carpet and possible ant colonies underneath the carpet.

Let’s take a look at how each of these factors plays a role in creating an ant infestation in your carpet.

Food Wastes On The Carpet

Food crumbs often drop onto the floor and carpet. These crumbs attract ants.

A solitary ant picks up the food waste on the carpet, which in turn draws other ants.

Ants leave behind pheromone trails while they’re searching for nesting sites or food sources.

These pheromone trails emit a scent that other ants pick up, following it to reach the exact location.

The rest of the ants follow the scent trail to reach the food sources or nesting sites.

Consider these pheromone trails as the ants’ primary mode of communication.

Ant Nest Underneath The Carpet

Ants have a habit of making their nests or establishing their colonies in the cracks of walls and floors.

Wooden furniture is also one of their preferred nesting locations.

Any thin crevice on the floor can allow the ants to sneak in and start boring to establish their colonies.

These ants will lay their eggs inside the floor underneath the carpet.

The result? Ants will show up on your carpet!

Do Ants Live In The Carpet?

No, ants don’t live in the carpet. They also don’t lay eggs on the carpet.

It’s the queen ant that lays eggs inside the colonies, which ants might have established in the floor underneath the carpet.

Ants are not your typical carpet bugs that infest carpets. Your carpet attracts ants if it’s full of food crumbs and beverage spills.

How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Carpet?

Eliminating ants in the carpet can be a bit tricky if you just use ant sprays and leave the carpet as is.

You’ll need to ensure that you remove the ants in your carpet from their source.

Here’s how –

Vacuum Clean The Carpet To Remove The Ants

A thorough vacuum cleaning will extract most ants from your carpet.

Be slow and methodical, paying attention to corners and edges. Then, flip the carpet and vacuum clean its underside.

This method will help you eradicate ants without risking exposure to harmful insecticides.

Remember to dispose of the vacuum bag away from your home.

Apply Ant Carpet Powder To Kill Ants In The Carpet

Ant carpet powders are insecticide dusts, and they will kill the ants that survived the vacuum cleaning.

Scatter some on the floor and on the carpet, letting it rest to take effect.

However, too much can repel ants, causing them to hide in other parts of your home.

After applying, patiently wait for its impact, as insecticide dust eliminates ants a couple of hours after scattering.

Then take your vacuum cleaner and methodically remove the insecticide dust and dead ants from the carpet.

Diatomaceous Earth, Baking Soda, Borax To Kill Ants In The Carpet

If you prefer to use natural remedies instead of chemicals, then you can use diatomaceous earth or baking soda.

Both work in the same way as insecticide dust.

Diatomaceous earth and boric acid penetrate the ants’ exoskeleton, absorbing fats and moisture, leading to their demise.

So, sprinkle any of these on and underneath the carpet. After a few hours, vacuum clean to remove the material and dead ants.

Use Ant Baits To Lure And Kill Ants In The Carpet

Ant baits are an ingenious tool to kill ants. These baits draw ants, but the baits contain poison that is lethal for ants.

The ants think of these baits as food and they take the baits back to their colonies.

All the ants in the colonies feed on the bait. But the bait is poisonous. So, the ants that consumed the bait die.

However, the trick lies in strategically placing the ant baits.

If you place them on the carpet, it might not work because the baits can get squashed by human footfalls.

So, it’s always best to place the baits at the corner of the room near the carpet.

There are many types of ant baits available. The three most common ones are liquid baits, granules, and gel baits.

Granule baits are specifically meant for outdoor use. But I highly recommend gel baits because of their potency and ease of use.

Gel baits come in a syringe, making them easy to use in the holes and crevices where ants build their colonies.

You can also prepare your own ant bait stations by using gel ant baits.

Put a few drops of gel ant baits on index cards and place the cards near the carpet.

When the ants detect the baits, they’ll carry it to their colonies to share it with their fellow ants.

However, keep in mind that while using gel baits, or any other type of ant baits, you shouldn’t use any other ant killer products such as an ant spray.

Be patient while using gel baits because the baits take time to work. But they’re highly effective in removing the entire ant colony.

Caution: Gel ant baits are poisonous, and you must ensure that they’re out of reach of pets and kids.

Repeat The Process

The thing with DIY steps to get rid of home-invading pests like ants is that they take time.

And they require multiple iterations and a bit of patience.

You might notice a sudden decline in ant activity on your carpet after the first treatment.

Therefore, you’ll need to repeat the steps laid out at least twice a week.

However, if it’s not working out despite your best efforts, then it’s a clear sign that there’s a severe infestation in your home.

In that case, it’ll be best to hire a professional exterminator to do the job.

Ant Prevention Strategies – Long-Term Solution To Ants In Carpet

Prevention is always better than cure. Basic home hygiene and a regular cleaning routine can go a long way to prevent ants in carpets and homes.

Maintain A Clean Carpet

Regularly vacuum clean your carpet. This will remove any food spills and other waste that draw ants.

If you have a steam cleaner, then it’ll be best to use it on your carpet.

Steam cleaners produce heat, which kills most insects, such as bed bugs and carpet beetles, that can hide in your carpet.

Wipe The Floor Around The Carpet

Keeping the floor clean around the carpet area is not enough.

You’d also need to ensure that you remove the pheromone trails that are might be present on the floor.

Wiping the floor around the carpet with a white vinegar solution removes the scent trails that ants pick up to reach the carpet.

So, regularly mop your floor with a white vinegar solution.

Use Ant Repellants On The Carpet

There are many products that emit scents which ants dislike.

Some of them include essential oils such as peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, and eucalyptus oil.

You can add a few drops of any of these oils in a bottle of water. Then pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

Spray the mixture on and around the carpet.

The carpet will smell fresh, and it’ll also keep the ants away.

Block Ant Entry Points

Check your home for cracks or crevices where ants may enter and seal these points.

Ants can squeeze through surprisingly small spaces, so be thorough in your inspection.

The most common cracks that ants exploit to get inside the house are cracks in the windowsills and walls.

Regularly Inspect The Carpet Area For Any Ant Activity

Regularly inspect your carpet and the area beneath it for signs of ant colonies.

This proactive measure can help detect and deal with an infestation in its early stages.

Upon finding any ants, you can straight away use an ant spray on the ants to kill them.

Dry Clean Your Carpet At Least Once In A Year

Over time, carpets and rugs get dirty. Carpets get stains from food droppings that can be hard to remove with regular cleaning.

So, it’s always a good idea to have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year.

Doing this not only prolongs the carpet’s life, but it also helps in repelling bugs and insects such as ants.

Conclusion

Ants in the carpet are a sign of an active ant infestation in your house.

However, sources such as food waste on the carpet and ant nests in the floor are the primary reasons for ants in the carpet.

This guide revealed how a mix of cleaning, baiting, and insecticide treatment can remove ants from carpets.

There are also basic hygiene and cleanliness guidelines in this post that can prevent future ant infestations in the carpet.

If you have tried any of these methods or have other tricks to deal with ants on your carpet, share your experience in the comments.

And please don’t forget to share this post with someone who is suffering from an ant menace on their carpet.