How To Get Rid of Ants in Your Bathroom
Are you scratching your head, wondering how to get rid of ants in your bathroom since they are too disturbing and are too abundant to ignore? Don’t worry, stick with me through, and you will not find another one anywhere near your washroom anymore.
With the hows and whats that I am about to go through in this article, you may be fortunate enough to even eliminate them in other parts of your house. And you can make sure that the house is entirely yours, not a colony to some sweet-toothed, tiny, uninvited guests.
What Makes Your Bathroom So Tempting to Ants?
Apart from your kitchen, bathrooms are the second most favorite place for ants. These creatures are attracted to odors that emanate from the used hygiene products blended with our decaying hair and dead skin.
The environment inside bathrooms is also an ideal place for ants to colonize – dark, moist, and constant in providing water and food sources. So what steps should you take to eradicate these invaders? Are there specialized products in the market? Can you utilize products sitting on your shelves?
Let’s find out!
Common Types of Ants In Your Bathroom
Can you tell different types of ants apart? Me neither. However, like every battle, it is crucial to know who you are fighting against. So stick with me and differentiate the types of ants that you are likely to encounter in your bathroom.
This will not only give you the information of what you are dealing with but also on what their presence signifies.
How to identify different types of ants in your bathroom.
Essential Steps To Get Rid of Ants In Your Bathroom
A lot of people believe that ants only infestate during the summer, which is entirely not true. However, there are potential underlying problems that are occurring year-round. Contacting professionals is one way, but homeowners can also conduct full ant cleansing easily.
There are tutorials that provide you with remedies to get rid of ants, but a step-by-step how-to would serve you best. The steps would not only help you pinpoint the problems or eliminate ants from your bathroom temporarily, but permanently with preventive measures.
So let’s look at the steps and break down what they mean.
Preparation
Before getting rid of ants in your bathroom, you need to identify the causes and prepare so that the elimination process will happen effectively.
Identify The Nest And Trails
Having several ant trails in the bathroom can make it perplexing for a lot of homeowners. However, these trails are in fact very beneficial for us in eradicating the ant nests.
Ants are renowned for being very behavioral animals, and they virtually always follow a track in an organized manner. These tracks may be irritating to look at, but they are actually very helpful. You can simply just follow these trails to find where the ants come from and where they nest.
Finding ant nests is not that difficult!
Close All The Crevices And Cracks
It would be of no use to wipe ants out in your bathroom when your home is full of holes and cracks where ants can infiltrate through. Imagine getting rid of ants under your sink today only to find them crawling on the window the next day. How frustrating it would be!
Make sure there are no entrances for future invaders, and you are on the right path to permanent eradication of ant infestation in your bathroom. Caulking and replacing damaged tiles and frames are critical steps to take.
Caulk the holes and cracks, don’t leave any room for those ants!
Determine The Causing Factors
As I have mentioned above, ants are attracted to various factors in the bathroom, which has a lot of attracting factors. Let’s first elaborate on what those factors are!
Moisture & Water Stagnation
One of the most key factors in ant nesting is the humidity inside the bathroom. Apparently, the washroom is never water-free with the functions that the room is meant to serve – washing your hands, flushing down the toilet, bathing, etc.
However, there are other components that worsen the situation, namely leaks, drips, and water stagnation.
Odor
Bathroom, as the name suggests, is the place for hygiene activities. Such activities as bathing, brushing teeth, combing hair are humans discharging food sources for ants.
Disgusting as it may sound, these fermented hair and dead skin in the drains may signal a favorable location for nesting. The reason is that, surprisingly, these humans’ wastes are consumable by ants as rich nutritious sources.
Eliminate Attractants
With the ants’ attractants identified, it is imperative to implement measures to mitigate the issue. Make sure you try these practical tacks, as they surely help!
Moisture & Water Stagnation
Watery messes can provide ant colonies with food sources, not only for life-sustaining but also for reproduction and extension of nests. So make sure there is no room for condensed water. There are various ways to do this.
Firstly, to prevent water puddles, you should regularly wipe, vacuum, or mop the floor after showering. These actions will prevent visible water puddles on the floor, and they are very easy to conduct.
Secondly, make sure you plug the leaks. One way of making sure that all leaks have been processed and plugged in is by using the water meter. Turn off all your water faucets and take note of the number on the water meter. After several hours, if the water meter shows another number, it is the definitive indication of leaks that needs treating.
Thirdly, maintaining proper water drainage is very vital. You have to make sure there are no wastes or hair that clogs up the sewers.
Odor
Emanated odors from water drainage can allure ants since they are the suggestions for habitable settings. These attractants can root from poor vent systems and/ or clogged water drain pipes.
If you are building a new home, make sure that your bathroom has a functional and proper vent system or a window for air ventilation. This component, combined with frequent unclogging of drain pipes, would eliminate excessive odors and chances of ant infestation.
Check for water leaks to get rid of ants more effectively!
Treatment – Eliminate Ant Colonies
Until now, I have developed detailed step-by-step preventive measures, but the truth is you, and I still have some ants to deal with. Getting rid of those ants is still our number one objective. So let’s take a look at some remedies that can be useful for ant removal!
A lot of these remedies are non-toxic and natural, but some of them can be classified as toxins. You can proceed using these remedies with caution or contact professionals for your own safety if you are not familiar with toxins and chemicals.
Natural Methods
Although you may want to get rid of ants as quickly as possible, it is also worth noting that you should be using safe ways to do so. Using natural products would ensure that you are still keeping yourself and your family healthy.
Option 1 – White Vinegar
Best for: Drains, faucets, toilet bowls
Let’s start getting rid of these ants with something simple, always ready on every household’s shelves – white vinegar. Vinegar is easy to find but surprisingly effective! Follow these steps for the best result.
Step 1: Preparation
You start up by mixing the vinegar with water with a 2:1 ratio.
Step 2: Container for spraying
There are several containers that you can use, but I suggest using a spray bottle for convenience.
Step 3: Mixture application
As you have identified the nest and tracks of the ants, spray the solution around their colonies in a way to isolate them.
Because of the mixture, ants will not wander around your bathroom anymore and will stay inside the sprayed area. Don’t expect to see them drop death instantly, but rather slowly due to starvation.
However, you should only apply this method when the surface is not onyx, limestone, or other types of natural stone!
Option 2 – Citrus Peel Sprays
Best for: Toilet bowls, walls, windows
Another safe technique is by using citrus peels. The peels of lemons and oranges are naturally toxic to ants. A substance known as d-limonene found in the peels of these fruits is a botanical insecticide.
The preparation is really straightforward, but the result is surprisingly impressive.
Step 1: Mixture preparation
Prepare some peels and soak them in vinegar before boiling the mixture.
Step 2: Resting the mixture
Turn off the heat, let the mixture sit there for a few hours.
Step 3: Mixture application
Spray the liquid on the trails and the nests.
This method does not only kill ants on the spot, but it also messes up with the pheromone trails. So the ants that are lucky enough not to die of contact with the mixture will eventually find it troublesome to find the food sources.
Option 3 – Gum Eucalyptus Oil
Best for: Drains, toilet bowls, walls
The oil of gum eucalyptus, which is indigenous to Australia, is another method that you can consider. The oil contains a substance called PMD that is a safe yet very effective ant killer (1). You can just apply it on tracks and around nests to get rid of the ants.
Although not native to the US, you can find it easily in gardening stores or online.
Option 4 – Boiling Water
Best for: Drains, faucets
One method to get rid of ants in your bathroom is by pouring boiling water into their colonies.
A tiny hole with 1-2 ants traveling in and out can be covering for a crowded, huge colony underground. You can just boil the water, pour it slowly down the hole, and the heat would do the job for you.
However, be extra careful when using this method. You would not want to be burnt to try to kill ants!
Option 5 – Diatomaceous Earth
Best for: Toilet bowls, walls, windows, wooden edges
Diatomaceous earth is a type of fossilized earth power. It is known for its long-standing reputation of insects, ants in particular;y, eradication.
Its extra-sharp structure in its microscopic form can act as knives. It would cut through ants’ outer parts, which causes dehydration and death eventually.
You only need to spray it in the ways of ants and around their nests, and ants will not be problematic in your bathroom anymore.
Option 6 – Salt
Best for: Drains, walls, windows
A natural insect killer is salt, which I believe can be found anywhere. For optimum results, you just need to mix salt with hot water. Then, spray the mixture on the nests to kill the ants. On contact with the mixture, the ants will die.
Option 7 – Spices
Best for: Walls, windows, wooden edges
Ants are not fans of spices, which may draw them to leave your bathroom.
Sprinkle spices such as cayenne pepper powder or cinnamon powder along ant trails. These natural repellents would lead the ants straight out of your bathroom.
However, with spices such as cayenne pepper, be wary when using them around your baby or pets.
Using Commercial Products
I have taken you through some natural methods of eliminating ants. However, there are still some commercial products that can be considered. Just utilize them carefully, and your ant problems will go sooner than you expected while keeping your family safe!
Option 8 – Borax
Best for: Drains, faucets, walls
Apart from isolation, poisoning the food source is another way of eradicating ant infestation. One of the substances with an established reputation for ants killing is borax.
To begin with, borax itself is not attractive to ants. However, its ability to wreak havoc after being eaten by ants makes it a very popular method. It only needs to be combined with other ant-attracting food, namely, honey, peanut butter, etc.
In this article, you would use a very common sweetener, sugar.
Step 1: Preparation
Prepare ½ cup of sugar, 1½ tbsp of borax, 1½ cup of warm water, and cotton balls.
Step 2: Soaking
Mix the first 3 ingredients together before soaking the cotton balls in the mixture.
Step 3: Mixture application
Leave them along ant tracks, and they will do wonders.
On a side note, borax can be toxic to both humans and pets, so you need to be very careful with your children or pets when leaving it outside.
Option 9 – Bait Stations & Gels
Best for: Drains, faucets
One of the most effective ways, but rather dangerous to use, is utilizing bait stations or ant gels. This method can be so effective that it would virtually eradicate the whole nest in a couple of days.
After getting the bait stations or gels, you can place them wherever you deem to be near the ant nests. The worker ants will habitually carry the bait back to the queen ant for consumption. The bait or gel and their toxin will kill the queen ant and eventually disfunction the whole nest.
These bait stations and gels can be found anywhere, in-store or online. However, please be extra careful using this method since bait stations and ant gels can be very poisonous to humans and pets.
Option 10 – Boric Acid
Best for: Drains, faucets, toilet bowls, walls
Boric acid is a substance that is naturally fatal to ants (2). If contacted, the ants’ both inner and outer body parts will erode. The whole colony will die out within days of exposure.
Similar to borax, boric acid is not attractive to ants. Mixing the substance with sweet food is necessary to optimize the effect.
Step 1: Mixture preparation
Prepare a mixture of warm water, 8 tbsp of sugar, and 1/2 tbsp of boric acid.
Step 2: Soaking cotton balls
Immerse the cotton balls inside the mixture
Step 3: Mixture application
Put them in places accessible to ants.
Boric acid is somewhat toxic to children and pets, so you might want to place them out of reach to keep your loved ones safe.
Option 11 – Glass Cleaner
Best for: Drains, faucets, walls, windows
A product that can easily be found in your toilet but is surprisingly effective in removing scent trails by ants is glass cleaner.
Just simply by spraying the product on the trails/ around the nest, you basically have destroyed their scent trails. This would effectively confuse them, and there’s a high chance they would die of starvation.
Option 12 – Dish soap
Best for: Drains, faucets, walls, windows
Another household product that can be utilized as an ant killer is dish soap.
The method is simple. You just have to pour it into a spray bottle, add water, and spray it onto ants and their nests. The spray would suffocate the ants and finally kill them.
Option 13 – Aspartame
Best for: Walls, windows
Aspartame is a sugar alternative that is used for beverages. However, unlike sugar, Aspartame is a very effective ant-killer besides being an attractant (3).
You just have to spray it around ant trails and nests to kill the ants that consume it.
Option 14 – Chalk
Best for: Walls, windows, wooden edges
As a kid, I used to draw lines with chalk to confuse them as I thought chalk hurts their sight. However, it is quite different, as chalk hurts their ability to find food with their scent tracks since it has calcium carbonate.
You need to draw lines of chalk around the colonies and on the trails to sabotage their food-finding ability. This way, ants will either leave your bathroom because they cannot find food.
Option 15 – Baby Powder
Best for: Walls, windows
Another family-friendly product that can be used is baby powder. Just sprinkle it where you find the invading ants, the powder will get under their skin and clog up. This way, ants will die out very quickly.
Option 16 – Insecticides
Best for: Drains, faucets
The last method, which I do not recommend, is spraying insecticides. For other methods, it would take days to eradicate ant infestation. But this method would take only several hours to do that.
The reason why I do not recommend this way to eliminate ants is that insecticides are renowned for being very poisonous for people’s respiratory systems and unfriendly to the environment.
Make sure you have a good vent system or stay away from the bathroom for several hours before using it again.
Option 17 – Exterminator
Should you find all of these methods unhelpful, contact an exterminator. Remember to tell them what you expect – a safe, non-toxic method or a quick and effective solution before you hire them!
Prevention Is Better Than Cure
If applied successfully one of the mentioned methods to get rid of the ants in your bathroom, it is now time to stop them from coming back.
Firstly, you will need to work on your bathroom maintenance regularly by repeating steps 2 and 4 from time to time. Then, there are several repellents that you can utilize to keep ants at bay from your bathroom. Apply these substances around the door and on the edges.
- Peppermint – Create a mixture of 10 – 20 drops of peppermint essential oil and water. Be aware that this mixture can be harmful to your pets, especially cats!
- Tea tree oil – Spray a mixture of 5 – 10 drops of this essential oil with water around. This mixture is also not pleasant for your cats!
- Lemon eucalyptus oil – Do not dilute this oil, apply it with cotton balls.
- Powdered cinnamon leaves – Sprinkle them around entrances.
- Neem oil – Use undiluted neem oil.
- Coffee grounds – Sprinkle them around areas with ants, change regularly to ensure they work most effectively.
These repellents will safeguard your bathroom with their ability to mess up ants’ scent trails.
How To Treat Different Kinds of Ants
The methods that are mentioned can be used for almost all types of ants that I listed. However, for carpenter ants, there are several methods that would not work as effectively as others.
Carpenter ants, as the name suggests, are attracted by wood. Although there are several attractants to this species, sugar or sweetener, in general, is not one of them. Therefore, using borax, bait stations, gels, and aspartame would not be very useful in repelling these ants.
Moreover, unlike the other 3, carpenter ants do not have a habit of bringing the food back to their colonies. Therefore, using borax and boric acid would only help kill the worker ants, not the queen, which may cause them to come back or reproduce.
But don’t you worry! The other methods are proven to be effective for carpenter ants. Regarding the other 3 types of ants, they are susceptible to all the methods that I have mentioned.
FAQs
Ants can be very disturbing, and getting rid of them can be quite tricky. Let’s look at some of the most frequently asked questions to know more about what you are dealing with!
Ants Away, Happy Days!
You can turn a blind eye when there are only several ants, but the longer you procrastinate, the more serious ant infestation becomes.
If you are successful in using these steps as I was, you have not only just got rid of ants but also created a better living and hygiene condition for yourself and your loved ones.
I hope that my sharings have been helpful to you, and don’t forget, there are also people out there that need help with this annoying insect. Spread the information out there by sharing this article out there and on your social media!
References
[1] Batish, D., Singh, H., Kohli, R. and Kaur, S., 2008. Eucalyptus essential oil as a natural pesticide.[2] Klotz, J., Greenberg, L. and Venn, E., 1998. Liquid Boric Acid Bait for Control of the Argentine Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
[3] Chen, J. and Oi, D.H., 2020. Naturally Occurring Compounds/Materials as Alternatives to Synthetic Chemical Insecticides for Use in Fire Ant Management.