The annoying bug which keeps buzzing around your eyes, nose, and ears, wondering what is it? This one is smaller than flies and mosquitos – if this is so, these are the irritating little gnats.
Fungus gnats are the most common type of gnats you will see around your home – particularly in your bathroom. Having dark bodies and transparent wings, they look very similar to mosquitos. But have you ever wondered why they are present in your bathroom?
This happens because they are attracted to water. Bathrooms are, therefore, the perfect spot for them to breed and multiply in number. You will often find them at the showers, drains, toilet bowls, or any moist place in the bathroom. They do not bite or spread any disease like mosquitos; they are not dangerous at all but are a significant nuisance!
But no need to worry, we have compiled several tips and remedies in this guide on how to get rid of gnats in the bathroom.
Table of Contents
Consider and correct the following in your bathroom:
- Examine the area around the bathtub or under it to find if any stagnating water is present or if the area is damp. If so, gnats are being provided with the ideal conditions to breed and increase their population.
- Check if your shower curtains are wet all day or are not used while bathing for several days, as there is an excellent chance for gnats to grow in these curtains.
- Gnats are often attracted to toothbrush and toothpaste – ensure that both these items are covered and ideally are placed in a Ziploc bag, keeping out any flies or gnats.
Remedies to get rid of gnats in bathroom
Bleach and Hot Water
Gnats do not usually stay around areas that are hygienic, which means their favorite spot is the drains. Pour some bleaching powder in the drain generously and let it settle for a while, so it kills all the gnats and destroys their eggs as well.
When ammonia or bleaching powder is applied, the eggs are unable to hatch. Wait for 30 minutes and pour steaming hot water into the draining, which will kill the remaining eggs and drain flies in the bathroom along with washing the bleach powder.
Baking Soda Paste to kill gnats in bathroom
This is a straightforward remedy to kill these small flies in the bathroom. The only things required are a large bowl, some baking soda, and water. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, ensure there are no lumps.
The paste is ready now. Wear protective gloves and apply this paste in the bathtub generously, to make a thick layer. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, as soon as you see it drying wash it, as usual, using a scrubbing brush.
Pour some hot water in the tub as well to cleanse properly and get rid of any residual. Make sure your kids are away when applying the baking soda paste, as it may cause allergy and severe irritation to children.
Fingernail polish to kill gnats
If the gnat population has grown massively in your bathroom, the homemade remedial traps may not be able to kill them. In this case, the nail polish remover technique is ideal for doing the job.
Take a see-through glass, stick some cotton in it using glue, and put some nail polish remover on the cloth and cover it over the drain. The gnats will be attracted to nail polish remover when they come out of the drain, and once they get in contact with the cotton – they shall die.
Repeat the same for a few nights, and enjoy peace after that!
Kill Gnats with Hairspray
Just using a hairspray is enough to kill these small gnats – spray it over them as soon as you see them arriving from the drains, and you are good to go!
Bug Bombs
Bug bombs are perhaps the easiest way to kill gnats. Any grocery store would have them, and one bug bomb is good enough for a bathroom.
The work astonishingly well as it has been tried and loved by many. Do not use the bathroom for 4-5 hours and turn on the exhaust when you enter – you shall find no bugs in there!
Ammonia and Hot Water Fix
This may not be something new, but it is very useful. To execute the mission, you need steaming hot water and ammonia, a gallon of these.
The doors and windows of the bathroom must be opened when doing this, and your face and eyes must also be appropriately covered because ammonia is toxic.
Pour at least 2-3 cups of ammonia to the bathtub drain directly and wait for five minutes. Now pour steaming hot water over it for further intense cleansing. Any flies or gnats which come in to contact with ammonia will not be able to mate, and most will also die.
Now that the bathtub and drains are cleaned, the toilet shall be cleaned next. Pour at least three cups of ammonia in the toilet and rub the toilet using a toilet brush. Make sure all inner sides are cleaned using the ammonia-water mixture. Let it sit for 5 minutes and flush away.
To ensure clean surface around the toilet base, sprinkle 2-3 spoonful of ammonia around the toilet base and use a scrubber to clean it. Pour hot water after 2-3 minutes, which will kill any remaining gnats and their eggs around the bottom of the toilet.
The essential step is to wipe the toilet now and bathtub with a dry cloth to eliminate any moisture or dampness. Trust us; this works like a charm!
We have compiled the best tips and remedies to help you understand how to get rid of gnats in bathroom, all of which work amazingly well. Follow these, and we are sure that you will make them a routine!