Diatomaceous Earth: The White Powder That Kills Vacuums
Using DE for fleas or roaches? Stop. You might be applying it wrong. Learn how to use Diatomaceous Earth safely without destroying your vacuum cleaner.
Go to any online forum about fleas or roaches, and someone will scream: "USE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH!"
It's great stuff. It's natural (fossilized algae). It kills bugs mechanically by slicing their exoskeleton so they dehydrate. No chemicals.
But you are probably using it wrong.
The "Cake" Mistake
I see people dumping thick lines of it along baseboards. It looks like Scarface visited the kitchen.
Bugs aren't going to walk through a mountain of sharp glass shards. They walk around it.
The Trick: It needs to be a fine dust. Almost invisible. Put it in a puffer bottle and shake it so it floats into the air and settles as a microscopic film. That is how you kill bugs.
RIP Your Vacuum
This is the big warning. Do not vacuum DE with a regular Dyson or Shark.
The powder is so fine it flows right through the filter and grinds up the motor bearings. I have destroyed a $400 vacuum doing this. Use a Shop-Vac with a drywall bag if you need to clean it up.
Food Grade Only
Make sure you buy "Food Grade." The stuff they sell for pool filters has been heat-treated and contains crystalline silica, which scar lung tissue. Do not breathe the pool stuff. Food grade is safe for pets (they can literally eat it), but don't inhale the dust cloud.