So you have fleas in your bathroom, and you’re confused as to how they got there. Getting these fleas out is very important to avoid potential harm to you and your family, but first you need to figure out the main cause of why it’s happening. Luckily for you, we spoke to pest expert Matt Smith of Green Pest Management, and he gave us some good insights about this problem. Here’s the short answer as to why there are fleas in your bathroom, then we will elaborate further:
Fleas find there way to your bathroom for a few reasons including your pets, a constantly cluttered bathroom (rugs and laundry), traveling through pipes and electrical cords, and last but not least fleas like humid/warm areas, which most bathrooms are.
Main Causes Of Fleas In Your Bathroom
Fleas attracted to pets’ presence in the bathroom (e.g. litter box, pet bed)
The first reason Matt brought up, which is the most common is your pets presence in the bathroom. If your dog has a dog bed, or cat has a litter box sitting in the bathroom there’s a good chance the fleas are hiding out in your bathroom because of this reason.
Fleas attracted to clutter and hiding spots (e.g. laundry, rugs)
The next reason Matt brought up was that fleas like to feel safe and hidden. If you constantly have laundry laying around within your bathroom, there’s a good chance fleas could find it. They could also make a home within your rugs, so be aware of that as well.
Fleas coming from outside or other areas of the house through pipes and electrical cords
Lastly, Matt stated that “Insects like to use pipes and electrical cords like we use sidewalks. It is easy to get from one area to another.”, this means that they could be coming from outside or another room and finding their way into your bathroom through the pipes or cords.
Consequences Of Fleas In The Bathroom
Matt let us know that fleas aren’t harmless. It’s important to get rid of them because they reproduce at a high level, and they can quickly become an infestation. Not only can they double in numbers quickly, but they also could harm you, your kids, or your pets. They feed on dried skin, and blood which can cause you or your family to get infections.
Now that you know the reasoning behind fleas in your bathroom are no good, it’s time to discuss the methods to get rid of them.
DIY solutions for fleas in the bathroom
In order to treat this problem in a do it yourself fashion, you need to be able to spot the source of where it’s coming from and then target it. Below are a few ways you could do this.
Treating pets with flea control products
There are several steps you can take to control fleas on your pet. First, it’s important to choose a flea control product that is appropriate and safe for your pet. Here’s a good list of products you could possibly use.
Another thing that could do the trick is giving your pets a shower, specifically above 95 degrees. Fleas die at this temperature, and it’s perfectly safe to give your pet a bath or shower at this temperature.
It’s important to brush your pets hair to make sure you don’t see any more fleas after the bath, and make sure you stay on top of this in the future.
Washing rugs and linens, using the dryer to kill fleas
Washing rugs and linens is another good method when it comes to killing fleas. We already mentioned that fleas don’t react well to high temperatures, so the hot water from the wash and the dryer should definitely do the trick.
You shouldn’t stop at the stuff in your bathroom. You should also wash all the things that could have possibly been in contact with fleas, just to be safe. The more things you could wash, the more significantly you could cut down the survival rate of these fleas.
These things could include curtains, bedding, dog toys, and more. The more you could think of the better.
Sealing off pipes and cords to prevent fleas from coming from outside
As we stated above, Matt thinks of pipes and cords like side walks for certain pests. Sealing off pipes and cords could be an efficient way to keep those annoying fleas from getting into your home from outside. Fleas are extremely tiny and they could get in from almost anywhere.
You have to really pay attention to detail when it comes to closing off these openings. Other areas to pay attention to are the foundation and walls. It’s important to note if there are any cracks in either, and if there are you need to get those sealed ASAP, because that could be the location the fleas are entering.
Last but not least, after looking inside, make sure to go outside and look for things like piles of leaves or debris. These types of areas are where fleas could potentially breed, making your problem even worse.
When You Should Get an Expert To Take Care Of The Fleas For You
If you’ve done every single thing we’ve mentioned, and the fleas are still a huge problem, it’s important to call an expert. Pest control experts could do a way more extensive search for the problem and also provide a much better solution for you.
The possible methods that could be used include insecticides, heat treatments, vacuuming, steam cleaning, non-toxic methods, and more. A mixture of these methods could be used in order to solve the problem.
Conclusion
Having fleas in your bathroom could be extremely overwhelming. But if you use the methods above, there is a good chance you could get rid of them before even having to get professional help. Just be sure to stay patient, as you may not figure out the exact solution over night, and it may take a couple days in order to get it right.
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