Ants can infest any part of your home. Even though they are more likely to infest your dining room and kitchen, it’s not unlikely to see ants in your bathroom. So, how do you get rid of ants in the bathroom?
Here are 4 easy steps you can do.
Why are there ants in the bathroom?
First, you should know why there are ants in the bathroom. Ants are very industrious and resourceful. They will do anything to get the food and water they need for their colony. This is the reason why ants are more likely to infest your dining room and kitchen. These places are simply full of the resources they need.
There are ants in the bathroom because they can find resources there too, especially water.
1. Get rid of their food and water sources
To get rid of ants in the bathroom, the first step you need to take is to identify the problem. Why are these pests in the bathroom? Now, we already know why they are in the bathroom, and that is because of water.
Make bathroom water inaccessible to ants, so they don’t find the bathroom as a reliable source of water anymore. This realization will prevent them from coming back. Here are some things you can do:
- Make sure you don’t have stagnant water. Ants are attracted to stagnant water. Give particular attention to your shower area, the sink, and the area below the toilet, because these are the spots that commonly have stagnant water.
- Dry everything, from the sink to the wall. Keep everything dry in the bathroom. Even a slight dampness can attract ants. Dry the edges of your bathtub, the sink, the toilet, the walls, and even the doors and windows.
- Fix leaks and drainage issues. Make sure that your bathtub, shower area, sink, and toilet actually drain properly to prevent dampness and stagnant water. Pipe and roof leaks should also be fixed, if there are any.
The bathroom can also provide food sources for ants, especially the trash bins. Make sure to keep the trash bins in the bathroom closed.
2. Close their entry points
Ants don’t just magically appear in the bathroom. They come from somewhere. They have ways to enter and exit the bathroom. Get rid of ants in the bathroom by finding and closing these points. Here are the most common entrances and exits for ants in the bathroom and what you can do about them:
- Seal cracks and holes. Cracks and holes are great passageways for ants. They may come from various parts of the bathroom, but the most common ones can be found in the walls and the edges of doors and windows. Seal them properly with caulk.
- Close gaps between pipes and wires. Pipes and wires usually have gaps between them and the walls where they are placed. These serve as passageways for ants too. Close them tightly with the right sealants.
- Keep doors and windows closed. You will be surprised how these obvious passageways are overlooked. Keep doors and windows closed to prevent ants from getting into the bathroom. Also look if there are tree branches and shrubberies near the doors and windows. You may want to cut them, because these too can be used by ants as passageways.
Ants can also nest in the bathroom itself. Aside from these passageways, also examine water-damaged wood around the bathroom. Ants can thrive there.
3. Get rid of ants in the bathroom
Now, it’s time to kill the ants and make the bathroom free of these pests for good. There are a lot of ant control methods to choose from, and these are the most common among them:
- Use ant baits. Ant baits are poisonous foods. Scatter them to areas with the most ant activity. When these are near the food and water sources, they are more likely to be picked up by the ants.
- Use ant sprays. Get rid of ants in the bathroom by spraying them directly with pesticides. Sprays attack the nervous system of the ants and kill them.
- Use ant repellents. if you think killing ants is too barbaric, you can choose to repel them instead. Use chalks and essential oils, such as those that have peppermint, to repel these pests. Scatter them to areas with the most ant activity.
- Use home remedies for ants. There are also easily accessible ingredients that get rid of ants, such as lemon. Do you know that vinegar is also effective against ants? Spread them across ant trails.
Remember that some of these may contain harmful ingredients, especially the ant baits and sprays. Make extra precautions if you have children or pets in your home. Repellents and home remedies are indeed safer, but remember that they may become ineffective for more severe infestations.
4. Prevent ants from coming back to the bathroom
Getting rid of ants in the bathroom can be a big hassle. You don’t want to experience it again. Prevents ants from coming back to the bathroom with these simple tips:
- Keep the bathroom clean and dry. Debris, stagnant water, and even hairs in the drainage can attract ants into the bathroom. If you keep the bathroom free of these factors, you will also keep the bathroom free of ants.
- Repair or replace structural damage. Structural damage, such as broken tiles, cracks in the walls, and rotting wooden doors, can become nests or passageways for ants. Make sure to fix or replace them.
- Cover gaps and edges. The gaps between pipes and wires and the edges of doors and windows can still be big enough for ants to go through. Cover them properly to prevent ants from getting into the bathroom.
Don’t give ants a reason to go to the bathroom. If there is nothing attractive for them in the bathroom, they will not disturb it.
Get rid of ants in the bathroom with these easy steps
Ants can infest the bathroom as they look for food and water. Get rid of ants in the bathroom by taking away their food and water sources, closing their passageways, and using ant control methods such as ant sprays. Prevent the ants from coming back to the bathroom by keeping your bathroom clean and making it unattractive for these pests.