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Bed Bugs In Your Bathroom: Why and How To Get Rid Of Them

We all know bed bugs love mattresses, but finding them in the bathroom can be shocking.

While less common than bedroom infestations, bed bugs can seek refuge in the cracks and crevices of your bathroom, creating a unique challenge.

This comprehensive guide explores the reasons behind bathroom bed bug infestations and outlines the specific steps needed to eliminate them.

We’ll delve into treatment methods best suited for the bathroom environment, ensuring you have the knowledge and tools to conquer this unusual infestation.

bed bug

What Should You Know about Bed Bugs?

  • A bed bug is a brown, flat, and wingless insect. Fortunately, they cannot fly or jump and only can crawl.

  • Bed bugs are most active between midnight and early hours of the day, around 5 am. They usually wait for humans to go to sleep before feeding.

  • Most bed bugs leave visible bite marks. However, some bites may not show up for about two weeks.

  • Bed bugs need blood to reproduce. They cannot lay eggs without regular blood feedings.

  • Usually, bed bugs invade your home via your clothing, your luggage, or your furniture.

You should check for bed bugs if you:

  • Find red, itchy, big bites on your body when you wake up.
  • Notice brown bed bug droppings or stains on your clothes, bed covers, or mattress.
  • Start smelling coriander around the house.

Check your bed linen, along the seam of your mattress, and under your bed to see if there are any bed bugs.

Newborns are usually tiny; they look like poppy seeds.

The adults are slightly larger, about 0.25 inches in length, and flat.

Well-fed bugs are usually about twice as big as regular adults.

Why Are There Bed Bugs in My Bathroom?

While they are not big fans of water, bed bugs can live in the bathroom.

They can hide in your pipes and the dark corners around your bathroom.

It’s also not impossible to find bed bugs in bathtubs.

There are a few reasons why bed bugs can infest your bathroom.

One of the most common reasons is that you brought them there yourself.

Bed bugs love to attach themselves to clothing, mainly soft fabrics like towels.

Once you go in for a bath, the bed bug may fall off and crawl off into a safer hiding spot.

Once it has settled in, the bed bug is only concerned with how it can reproduce.

Even though bed bugs prefer human blood, they can survive on any type of blood.

If reproduction is successful, you may soon have a bathroom infestation on your hands.

Rapid population growth is another reason why bed bugs may appear in your bathroom.

If the infestation in your room grows too large, some bugs may be forced to find better living areas.

Your bathroom may just be one of these better spaces.

Once the bugs find a dark corner to hide in, they are good to go.

They will soon resume reproduction, and before you know it, you have a severe infestation.

Keep in mind that bed bugs like to stay near their food.

Therefore, you are more likely to find bed bugs under your bed than in your shower or bathroom.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Your Bathroom

So you’re dealing with a bed bug infestation in your bathroom. How do you get rid of them?

Well, the best way to get rid of bed bugs is to bring in a professional.

While this might be costly, it’s usually the best way to make sure you get rid of all the bugs.

Some pest control services will have you move out all your furniture before they come in.

Others prefer to leave the moving till after they are done checking.

If you don’t feel like calling in a professional, then here are a few tricks to getting rid of bed bugs in the bathroom.

  • Bed bugs cannot swim. If you find some in your pipes, simply pouring some warm or hot water down the drain can help you eliminate them.

  • Bed bugs like to hide in dark corners. Make sure to check potential hiding places thoroughly and carefully.

  • Bed bugs cannot survive without a food source. Cleaning out other insects from the bathroom can also help you get rid of bed bugs.

  • Clean your bathroom regularly to avoid infestations.

If you find bed bugs in your bathroom, make sure to check your bedroom for infestations too.

Once you find an infestation, you can:

  • Wrap infested clothes or bedding in plastic bags to suffocate the bugs.

  • Try washing the clothes in hot water to kill off the pests. Dryers are also capable of killing insects.

With these few simple tricks, you can slow the spread of the bugs.

If you are lucky, you can get rid of them all in one go.

However, calling in experts is the best way to ensure they are all gone.

The Ultimate Guide to Bugs in the Bathroom

Interested in discovering what kind of bugs might be making a home in your bathroom? Our specialist guide gives a comprehensive briefing on these bathroom bugs, along with effective strategies for tackling them.

FAQ

Do bed bugs stay on your skin after a shower?

No. Bed bugs can barely cling to your skin; taking a shower washes them off your skin completely. They are only fond of dark crevices around the home and not human skin.

Do bed bugs crawl on the floor?

Yes. Bed Bugs are wingless insects. They are only capable of crawling and cannot fly or jump.

Can bed bugs survive in water?

No. Bed bugs drown in water, especially in hot water. They suffocate quickly if their oxygen supply is cut off.

Do bed bugs transmit diseases?

No. There is no evidence of bed bugs transmitting any diseases. The most dangerous thing about bed bugs is that they leave itchy bites behind.

Dustin Carter

Dustin is the founder of Alpine Pest Control Solutions, the #1 best-reviewed pest control company in Austin, TX. He has been dealing with household pests for more than 15 years.

Dustin enjoys the opportunity to share with homeowners safe pest control practices that they can apply and unique tricks he has learned throughout his career as a pest control expert.

About Loo Academy

At Loo Academy, our mission is to offer trusted advice for everything related to bathrooms (design ideas, plumbing advice, showering & bathing tips, remodeling guides, and more) — a place where we all spend a great deal of time.

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Published content is regularly fact-checked and revised so that the information we provide is accurate and up-to-date.

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