Vacuum cleaner infested with dirty maggots!

[SiliconWizard]

your finances are truly hermetic

Ahah, I like this one!

[SiliconWizard]

Yeah, seriously though, that's what I would personally do, dump the whole thing.

I usually hate trashing stuff that could still work perfectly, but something that infested - eek. Even the motor could be full of larvae and other pests. Unless you're willing to completely disassemble and clean it, it's probably never going to be clean...

[Mr. Scram]

It's only a few grubs. Just remove what you can and one or two may be left. No need to be squeamish. You've eaten worse and don't even know it.

[ogden]

I'm hesitant to use poisons because they will be sprayed out of the vacuum cleaner's vent, when switched on. Is there anything I can use which won't leave any residue? I'd also rather remove the larvae, rather than simply kill them because they'll rot, which won't be pleasant either.

You either have vacuum cleaner with bag or you clean container and filter. Dry-clean filter with brush and compressor. Petrol station air pump when no-one is around can be useful as well. Wash container with some WC or generic cleaner. Honestly I would clean such filthy filter *only* when vacuum needs to be used right now and there's no other way. Otherwise just look for replacement filter or new vacuum.

[Electro Detective]

Take it outdoors and hit it with some low odour crawling insect spray, and game over..   

The next lot of invaders won't even think about sqwatting, much less visiting your vac 

I wouldn't spray poison in there, remember when you turn on the vacuum it's gonna blow that vapor out all over the place.

Not really, it dries quickly and a better deal that flying maggots and their by-products hanging around forever.

If crawling insect spray is a concern then use the insect room spray, or even personal insect spray will do ok too.

White cleaning vinegar sprayed and allowed to dry may finish them off too, and any mold lurking in there.

Personally I like to dissassemble, clean and vac a vac with another vac    (and vice-versa) and spray any suss parts and filters with Glen 20 (original scent please) and allow to dry.

No smells, no crawlies, no allergic reactions, no nothing
and awesome 'day one purchased' suction for months (and years..)

i.e. either maintain vacs properly, or buy another, or just sweep up and let sleeping maggots lie 

Even hardcore OCD freaks don't realize it's their filthy vac causing most of the repeat 'seasonal' health/allergy issues, not from the idle dust, hairs, and crawlies they suck up

Besides, unless you have a maintained Kirby style upright vac with foot adjustable rotating brush head,
you're only doing a half baked job of it anyway, merely shifting vintage dust around with any regular or overpriced tech hyped vac 

[james_s]

Yeah, seriously though, that's what I would personally do, dump the whole thing.

I usually hate trashing stuff that could still work perfectly, but something that infested - eek. Even the motor could be full of larvae and other pests. Unless you're willing to completely disassemble and clean it, it's probably never going to be clean...

It's a shop vac, not a food mixer. Who cares if it's perfectly clean as long as it's not crawling with bugs or full of nasty toxic substances.

[Gyro]

It's probably a good idea to keep the hose attached (if it wasn't already). Moths probably don't want to have to walk that far! 

[Zero999]

Gyro,
I can't find the vacuum cleaner you're talking about on the Aldi website.

coppercone2,
I've not watched The Simpsons for years. I think it went downhill in the early 2000s. Maybe the newer episodes are better.

SiliconWizard,
I'll see what the motor and wiring look like, but it's not mine, so I can't make the decision whether to dump it or not.

ogden,
I don't think it's worth cleaning the filter, which costs under £8 and is the only option, if he wants to keep the vacuum: I'm certainly not going to clean it! Of course I'll have to take the thing to pieces and remove any remaining grubs from the motor and pipes, but that shouldn't be too difficult.
https://www.filtamagic.com/acatalog/Parkside_Canister_Vacuum_Cleaner_Filter_1256.html

Mr. Scram,
There are a lot more grubs tucked away in the filter and other parts for the vacuum than the photographs show. I'm not being squeamish. The problem is they'll turn into moths which lay eggs in furnishings and hatch into more fabric eating larvae.

Electro Detective,
You lost me when you mentioned cleaning it with another vacuum, which would just move the pests from one to the other. If the other vacuum had a bag this might work, but there's still the risk some of the grubs would end up in the pipes

james_s
Yes, it doesn't have to be squeaky clean, but the grubs must go!

[Monkeh]

https://www.aldi.co.uk/wet-and-dry-workshop-vacuum/p/018746287808400

[ogden]

I don't think it's worth cleaning the filter, which costs under £8 and is the only option, if he wants to keep the vacuum: I'm certainly not going to clean it!

Yes. *If* you don't want to clean filter - buy new one. Why do we even have this discussion? You did not want to harm maggots or what?

[edy]

You've got a nice snack there.... Have a look at what they are selling for human consumption:

https://www.edibleinsects.com/?s=Mealworms&post_type=product

[KL27x]

I would think one sunny summer day would send them all crawling away into the grass. If you're in a rush, hair dryer?

[Electro Detective]

Electro Detective,
You lost me when you mentioned cleaning it with another vacuum, which would just move the pests from one to the other.
If the other vacuum had a bag this might work, but there's still the risk some of the grubs would end up in the pipes

   I should have been better specific re using two vacs.

The second vac is to clean up the mess in a normal non-maggot situation when servicing a bad news vac, especially indoors on a rainy or windy day
(and so the neighbors don't cop the fallout  ) 

In a scary maggot or mystery odour situation    both vacs will get fully nuked and serviced either way anyway, to be sure..

As I mentioned before, zapping the vac bag (preferably when new) and or plastic collection cylinder with low odour insect spray and allowed to dry,
will/should/works for me/ymmv/  to keep things under control and avoid internal infestations   

or if concerned about that, spray white undiluted vinegar and allow to dry.

I've been playing with vacs for years, this is what works,
especially for slackers and OCDers that don't empty their vacs, especially after a big spring clean
and just 'hide the obese vac away' as it competes with the room decor.. 

FWIW: if I come across a maggot filled vac, it will get zapped with insect death spray first, and wrapped in a plastic bag and let it sit for a day or two outside
Then I'll sort it out and put it back into service   

FYI to everyone: if your vac emits any smell or odour when using it, even slight and you've sorta become 'used to it' 
it's not doing you any favors and vice versa 

Read the manual and chuck on some disposable gloves, eye-wear, breathing mask, roll up those sleeves and clean it.
Also a good time to inspect and check cable/s, chargers and whatever powers it for safety and function 

[Electro Detective]

The vacuum should be cleaned only with fresh water. If you will use chemicals like bleach, then it will be spread all over your house. The bleach contains chlorine, the substance which cause cancer. I believe you don’t want to live in a health hazardous environment. Other chemicals, which don’t contain chlorine, won’t kill the larvae. In case you will decide to vacuum with larvae in it, then there is a high risk these larvae to fall on carpets or floor. I advise you not to use this vacuum at all or throw it away.

Great advice    and yes, water is good, but better with a mild dishwashing detergent

I've been doing rooted neglected vacs for years, from Kirbys, Hoovers, Electrolux, to mod con Dysons and other boutiques,
and generic cheapies which many do ok when in top shape   
in the simple ways described in my previous comments above = no problem

White Vinegar, IPA spray, Glen20, and dried insect spray, does not bring about lung disorders, put users on life support machinery, promote early funerals,
or allow corona to get a foot in to your cleaned vac system,
that if done properly, should create no smells or odors whilst in use,
and advise maggots and moths your maintained vac is now officially a NO GO zone  or else..

Again, if people think big money buys a good vacuum cleaner that miraculously cleans and services itself without user support,
buy yourself a set of stainless lungs too, and demand a killa discount for buying both   

[not1xor1]

The vacuum should be cleaned only with fresh water. If you will use chemicals like bleach, then it will be spread all over your house. The bleach contains chlorine, the substance which cause cancer. I believe you don’t want to live in a health hazardous environment. Other chemicals, which don’t contain chlorine, won’t kill the larvae. In case you will decide to vacuum with larvae in it, then there is a high risk these larvae to fall on carpets or floor. I advise you not to use this vacuum at all and throw it away. Especially that on https://readyresearch.com/best-leaf-vacuums/ you can find good deals on new vacuums.

bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is corrosive as is pure chlorine, but they are not carcinogenic (unlikely many other chlorine compounds).

[not1xor1]

Let's not forget that any bag of flour will develop weevils if left for long enough, it's impossible to filter out the eggs. Use until the black bits get too large. 

A quick and safe (no chemicals involved) way to deal with that problem is to put the flour bag in a plastic bag and then in a freezer at -20°C for several days. You can also get rid of other kind of parasites (e.g. med flies larvae in fruit) at milder temperatures like 4°C.

[paulca]

I have to confess I get infested once.

Started to notice tiny dead bugs on the window sills.  Then I spotted them walking across the kitchen ceiling.  Eventually they were climbing across the TV, so I went looking.

Box of cereal on top of the fridge.  Caked in them.  It had sat there unused for about 2 years.

Took me ages.  To get rid of them.

They were just larder beetles though.

[KaneTW]

The vacuum should be cleaned only with fresh water. If you will use chemicals like bleach, then it will be spread all over your house.

Bleach is in many household disinfectants and in many municipal water supplies. The residual concentrations won't do anything to you.

The bleach contains chlorine, the substance which cause cancer.

No, it does not. Some organochlorides are carcinogenic, but they are not produced in significant quantities by disinfectant action of bleach. Also, bleach contains sodium hypochlorite, not dissolved chlorine.

Other chemicals, which don’t contain chlorine, won’t kill the larvae.

Hydrogen peroxide will kill the larvae. If you don't want to go the chemical route, heat will kill the larvae. Lots of other things will, too.

I advise you not to use this vacuum at all and throw it away.

Clean the filter, clean the insides, and you're good.

[Zero999]

It was left in the garden over winter and with the lockdown I'd forgotten about it, since I've not been there. I'll ask my parents about it. Hopefully the filthy buggers froze to death (unlikely as we had a mild winter, with hardly any frost) or pupated and flew away.

[Wojciech Krolopp]

I would attack it with compressed air. But only if an air dryer follows the compressor. You don't want to humidify the filter and cause all of the dust to stick to it.

Or if you don't have an air dryer after the compressor, you could wash the filter and then hit it with compressed air.

You can also put it on welding table and burn some 6010 welding rods.   UV will kill everything.

[Zero999]

Or use a germicidal lamp maybe? Preferably an undoped one which produces ozone.

Seriously though, I want to remove the grubs, not just kill them, as they'll rot and smell really bad.

It's in my parent's garden, which I can access, without going through their house, so I'll have a look some time over the weekend. I expect they will have gone by now. It's well protected from rain, so I hope it's not gone rusty. If I go and look at it, I'll post some more pictures.

[Monkeh]

Throw the filter in the bin and wash the waste container with hot water and a bit of bleach. Hose the remains down the drain. Buy a new filter.

[amyk]

I wouldn't spray poison in there, remember when you turn on the vacuum it's gonna blow that vapor out all over the place.

Do it outside and then run it for a while to let it dissipate. A lot of chemicals are highly toxic to insects but not much concern to bigger animals or humans.

[Rerouter]

Those larva do not die easily, I've caught them recovering from direct hits of insect spray before, and 2 swings of bug bombs did not remove them

Now that you know some are in your house. prepare to see them in cycles of 4 weeks, you need to hunt them like an infestation, they love laying below any wooden skirtings, once they spin the coocoon, they seem much more immune to most insecticides, so In the past when I have faced off against them, the best method was squishing them, and cleaning all walls down with a diluted bleach,

It is redicuosly hard to get rid of them, they came in to our house from a small general store, found them crawling out of a box of cereal on the shelves of the same place when I started figuring out the why.

sadly my mother prefers that general store and keeps reintroducing them, despite my many, many! protests.

[james_s]

I wouldn't spray poison in there, remember when you turn on the vacuum it's gonna blow that vapor out all over the place.

Do it outside and then run it for a while to let it dissipate. A lot of chemicals are highly toxic to insects but not much concern to bigger animals or humans.

Fair enough, just make sure you know what you're doing.

Personally I'd just throw the filter in the garbage and then hose out the canister and give it a good scrub with detergent and let it dry out in the sun and reassemble with a new filter. A spray with disinfectant works nicely to eliminate the smell if stuff has sat in there damp.