There is nothing more dreadful than waking up in the morning with some strange strange sensation on your head and finding out in front of a mirror that your face is full of ants. This may seem like a tale from a horror movie but it’s actually quite a possibility.
Ants will crawl up your bed and lodge themselves on your pillow if they find something of interest in there. If you’ve found ants on your pillow, this could have several reasons that can go from a smelly body odor to a dirty pillow full of sebum.
But in this article we are going to explain all of them and what can you do to prevent ants from going to your pillow, so keep reading for more.
Reasons Why There Are Ants on Your Pillow
There are many reasons that can make ants go into your pillow some of them include:
1. Your Head Tastes Nice
With ants, it’s all about food and resources, and one thing we know about ants is that they like dandruff a lot. Ants will go crazy on it, to them dandruff is a just nice source of protein. They will not definitely waste the opportunity to get it.
If you have a dandruff problem, this might be one of the reasons why ants are always going into your pillow. Dandruff can leave traces all around your bed and bed sheets and this may lead them to the source. It may be problematic to get rid of them with that condition but it is possible.
2. Your Pillow Is Dirty
Ants will not only love dandruff, it actually turns out that they love our sebum too. If it’s been a while since you’ve washed your pillow cover, it’s time to wash it again (or buy a new one). Due to the weight of our head and constant pressing against the pillow, some sebum gets encrusted on it.
If your pillow has a darker color that persists in staying even after washing, that is the marking of sebum. Our skin produces sebum in order to keep itself moisturized, and this is also true for our heads and scalp.
If that stays for too long on your pillow it will end up attracting ants. They will invade it to start collecting the precious resource that is sebum. This is why it’s very important to clean your pillow cover every consecutive week.
3. Your Shampoo Is Attractive
It may also happen that your shampoo can be attracting ants with its scent. Some shampoos are made with ingredients that will drive ants crazy for some resources. Of course, this only serves to confuse them, but you end up with ants on your pillow thanks to that.
Consider changing your shampoo for one without any smell, this might help big time in repelling those ants away from your cozy pillow (and from your head).
4. You Have Food on Your Bed
This may be the culprit if you have the (bad) habit of eating on your bed. When you eat food while laying on your bed, crumbs will go everywhere including into your pillow. Even if you clean it well, there will always be some residuals left behind.
This is also applied to sugary foods and other sweets (solids and beverages). One of the best ways to end an ant infestation on your pillow is by ending your bad eating habits (in your bed). As soon as you quit it and clean everything, ants will have no more business to do there.
5. You Need a Good Shower
Sometimes our body odor can be in its prime due to whatever reason, and that is partially ok. But it’s not a good thing if it is attracting ants to your pillow. Ants can go after your sweat odor to collect some sodium and some glucose, when ant season starts they will go wild after everything they can get.
This can be solved by taking a good bath every time you lay down on your bed.
Quickly assuming that you will only go to your bed at night, you should shower every day in the evening to prevent this. Also, put on some fresh sheets on your bed since they tend to absorb your body odor. Taking these measures will probably keep ants away from your pillow.
Pro tip: If your pillow is yellow that might be the reason why it’s attracting ants.
How Do I Stop Ants in My Pillow?
The following tips can have a huge impact in stopping ants from going to your pillow, you should:
- Clean your room regularly and don’t leave any empty food containers in it. Empty any trash can that you may have in your room, use a good vacuum, and don’t forget to mop or steam the floor.
- You should resist the temptation of eating in your room, this can be hard to overcome especially if you have a TV. Food crumbs on your bed are halfway to an ant infestation on your pillow.
- Know the ants’ entrance points and seal them well. This can be from holes on the floor, from windows, or from cracks in the sealing. If you block their entrance, they have no other choice than to go back.
Can ants live in your pillow?
It is very unlikely that ants will be living on your pillow, they will go there to gather resources and they will leave once they took it all. But it is not wise to leave them roaming free on you pillow. You should really do something about it.
Ants roaming on your pillow may attract other ants or even other bugs such as spiders. And it will not be a pretty scenario to have spiders that prey on ants in your bed and consequently into your pillow.
Pro tip: This is the fastest way to get rid of ants in shoes! 👟✔️✔️✔️
How Do I Get Rid of Ants in My Pillow Naturally?
- Start by washing all of your pillowcases, blankets, and sheets. If you keep everything clean they will end up leaving on their own.
- Use a natural solution made with vinegar and spray it on your bed, you can always try to search for some commercial solution that is non-toxic to humans.
- Try to bait the ants with boric acid and sugar mixture, this will kill them in a few hours.
- If nothing works, the natural way is to call an exterminator to help you out in this matter.
Can I Use Pesticide in My Pillow to Get Rid of Ants?
If you are going to use any pesticide on your pillow to get rid of ants, it is recommended that you wash your entire bedding sheets and pillow after you’ve done it. Pesticides are toxic to human health, and sleeping on a bed contaminated by them will cause serious health problems.
Do I Need to Wash My Pillow if Ants Where in It?
Ants can be the carriers of some diseases like E. coli, strep, salmonella, staph, clostridium, shigella, and various fungi. Although this might be rare, there is always a chance of happening so the recommended action is to wash your pillow if ants have been roaming on it.
If I Leave Ants Alone in My Pillow Will They Go Away?
It is very unlikely ants will leave your pillow if you leave them alone. Unless they finished collecting every resource available to your people, chances are they are going to stay there for a while. You may need to take some action and do something about it. Ants are attracted to many stuff, and you should know how to prevent them, or else you are always at risk.
Conclusion
There is always a logical explanation for why ants invade your pillow and your bed. It may seem that they just magically appear but in reality, there is always a reason behind it. Start applying the tips we suggested to you in this article and get rid of the ants in your pillow asap!
