Bugs can thrive in the bathroom there because of moisture in the atmosphere and standing water inside the shower drains.
How to Stop Bugs From Coming Up The Shower Drain? You can stop the bugs from coming through the shower drain by sealing the cracked pipes and other openings, using chemical cleaners, unclogging the drain, and applying homemade cleaner to it. Placing the drain covers and plugs, fixing the water leakage, applying the diluted bleach solution, proper ventilation, and cutting off the food sources for these insects can also stop them from entering the bathroom.
Bugs have a large number of species, which can fly and crawl and are capable to reproduce colonies of such insects in the infested place. They can cause different health problems if they bite you because some insects get food from human blood.
Dirty places are more prone to bug infestation. You can control insects and pests from coming up the shower drains using the following techniques and methods.
Seal the cracked pipes and other openings
They can enter the bathroom through the cracked shower drains and other openings, such as the holes or cracks in the windows, doors, and floor.
They come through these cracks and make their way to the drains and hidden places in bathrooms. Therefore, it is better to seal around the cracked windows, doors, and floors using a high-quality sealant to prevent different insects in this place.
The damaged pipes can cause cockroaches to come through these pipes and roam around in the bathroom. You can get a fright if you see a big cockroach while having a bath that comes through the sewage pipes.
Call a plumber to fix the cracked pipes and avoid further cockroaches in your bathroom.
Use chemical cleaners
Different chemical cleaners are available in the market to get rid of bugs, and you can select a mild chemical product for the shower plumbing system to kill the insects coming out of the drains.
These cleaners contain many chemicals that can cause the bugs, such as drain flies, sewer roaches, and other insects to die. Select a less toxic shower drain cleaner, and pour the mentioned quantity into the opening.
Let the cleaner stay for 10-15 minutes, or read the time allowed for it to stay inside the pipes and turn the faucet on to let it flow down the sewage lines.
Harsh chemical products can damage the pipes and are not safe for you because a splash from the bottle can drop on your hand or foot, which causes skin irritation.
Therefore, it is better to use an environment-friendly chemical cleaner to prevent damage and cracks inside the pipes.
Use boiling water
The plumbing pipes can get clogged because of the hair, soap scum, and other foreign particles, which do not allow the water to flow down the sewage properly.
The stagnant water in the pipes causes the bugs to come through them into the bathroom or reproduce there if you do not unclog these sewage pipes soon.
You can use a plunger or plumber’s snake to unclog the blocked pipes and pour boiling water. The hot water can dissolve the clogging particles and allow the water to flow without blockage. This can reduce the risk of getting insects in this place.
Use vinegar and baking soda
You can use different homemade remedies to stop the bugs from entering the bathroom from different sources. For example, a mixture of vinegar and baking soda can help to clean the drains and kill the insects thriving there.
Take a cup of vinegar, and mix one to a half cups of baking soda in it. Put this solution into the drain, and let it sit there for a few hours. Now, take a bowl of boiling water, and pour it into the opening to clean all the debris and small insects.
I used this method to kill the drain flies, water bugs, and psocid mites inside the shower sewage pipes.
Allow proper ventilation
The moisture and humidity inside the shower area are usually high, especially after a hot bath, because of the condensation and steam.
Different bugs and insects can come out through the shower drains because of the high moisture in the atmosphere, such as psocid mites, booklice, flies, and fungus gnats are attracted to water and lay eggs in a humid and damp environment.
Proper ventilation in this area can minimize the chances of these insects in the bathroom. For example, I used a vacuum cleaner to dry the floor or use a dehumidifier to remove the moisture.
It is better to turn the bathroom fans on and open the windows after a hot bath to let the steam and condensation out of this place.
Use drain covers or plugs
Drain covers are available in different styles and hole sizes, such as some have larger holes, while others have small holes to allow water into the sewage.
I have noticed that the tiny bugs in my bathroom are coming from the large holes drain cover, and I replaced it with a small hole cover over the opening.
It is better to always place a cover over the pipe openings because it can cause small insects in the bathroom, as these covers and plug guarantee to stop the bugs.
You can place shower plugs, which are rubber crocks that can completely cover the outer way from the pipes, and allow only water to pass.
Pour diluted bleach down the shower drain
Bleach is a chemical product that can kill many insects, bugs, and spiders and is used frequently to clean stains from different bathroom fixtures.
Take half a cup of bleach and add one cup of water to it to make a diluted form of concentrated solution. Pour the mixture into the opening, and leave it for 220-25 minutes.
Turn on the faucet to let the bleach flow down the sewage pipes and clean the dust and mold inside the pipes.
Professionals recommend avoiding concentrated bleach use in the sewage or plumbing pipes because it can cause cracks and are not safe for the septic system.
Therefore, it is better to use diluted bleach to kill or prevent the bugs in the shower drains without damaging the drainage system.
Fix the water leaks
The water leakage in the shower area, such as around the faucets, valves, and knob, causes insects and bugs to come out into this place.
You can fix the damaged fixtures and components or replace the worn-out parts with high-quality and durable material.
Mold and fungus can cause the fungus gnats to enter this place, as they are attracted to mold and mildew. These bugs can reproduce into hundreds and thousands if you do not fix the leakage problem and remove mold around the drains and plumbing fixtures.
Cut the food sources for bugs
Another way to stop these insects in the bathroom is to cut off their food sources from the drains, such as fungus, dirt, dust, some specific types of plants in the bathroom, and gunk in the pipes.
It is better to clean the bathroom daily with a disinfectant solution and remove the fungus growth around the leaking plumbing fixtures and plumbing pipes.
Fruit flies are attracted to some smells and food sources inside the pipes, and they come out of the pipes at night in search of food.
I found fungus gnats in my bathroom, and they are coming out of the shower drain. I searched for the reason and ended up with mold all around the inner side of the drain cover.
I cleaned the cover and the area around with an all-purpose bathroom cleaner and spray a disinfectant in this area, which really helps me to control the fungus gnats.
Related Articles:
