Kitchen sinks and bathrooms are two of the most common places where bugs are found. Bugs can embarrass you to visitors. Also, they can easily creep out people. Some bugs carry diseases that they can transmit through bites or consuming foods they have contaminated.
Common Bugs in the kitchen sink
Several types of bugs can be found on your kitchen sink. They include:
1. Drain Flies
Also known as moth flies, these bugs are a nuisance because your kitchen sink does not have to be clean or dirty for these bugs to fly out.
These flies live and breed inside plumbing pipes where they feed on decomposing material. They lay eggs along the interior walls on the gelatinous slime.
Unlike other bugs, these flies do not bite or cause infections but they cause discomfort by flying out in numbers through your clean sink.
2. Cockroaches
These bugs sneak into your kitchen through tiny holes and gaps and hide in places that you will not easily notice until they are too many.
They are mostly found in dirty kitchen sinks because they like being around foods and also love moisture.
They can go up to a month without water but can only survive for seven days without food.
Therefore, you are likely to see them in your kitchen sink as they search for water.
If you have been seeing cockroaches around your kitchen sink during the day take a trip to your kitchen during the night and switch on the lights to an intrusion of cockroaches.
Cockroaches can also be found in the kitchen sink drains because they like moist environments
3. Gnats
Sometimes running water through the disposal drain can disturbed gnats making them flying out. T
hey mostly live in decaying organic matter that is moist and shaded. Therefore, leaky pipes under the sink provide a moist breeding ground for them.
Gnats can smell fermenting goodness from far and in no time they are on that food or fruit in your kitchen. Once they are in your house, it is easy for them to find a way to the leaky pipes where they breed and multiply.
Also, when dishes and cups used to serve fermented foods and beverages are left on the sink, they can easily attract gnats. Additionally, when you do not clean your sink drain properly it will attract gnats. They love the mucus and fungus that exist in uncleaned drains.
4. Fruit flies
These are common household bugs. They are tiny insects that commonly find their way to rotting vegetables and fruits. They are also found in drains.
The dark and humid area in the drains is full of slime and organic fungus that they can feed and make a good breeding place. These bugs also easily find their way up the sink especially if there are aging variables and fruits left there or on the counters.
Though they have a short life span they rarely sleep but breed rapidly. They can contaminate your foods and drinks easily and therefore it is important to get rid of them with every chance you get.
5. Phorid flies
They are easily confused with fruit flies but are rarely found on aging fruits and vegetables. They crawl before flying. Therefore, you can find them flying or crawling around your sink depending on their stage of development.
The sewage build-up in your drain is one of the habitats of these flies. Food waste in your drain provides everything they need to burrow, eat, lay eggs, and grow. You will never know about them until they start crawling out of their dark habitats to your kitchen sink.
How to prevent bugs in the kitchen sink?
1. Always do the dishes after meals
Cleanliness is a turn-off to bugs. Leaving dirty dishes in the sink provides an opportunity for them to invade your kitchen. Always use soap and detergents when doing the dishes because the two are bugs’ mortal enemies.
2. Clean the sink
After doing the dishes always clean the sink. Doing the dishes and leaving the sink dirty does not help because the dirt washed is still on the sink and can easily attract bugs.
Therefore, wash the sink using detergents and rinse it completely to leave it clean after doing the dishes. Also, the kitchen counters should be cleaned thoroughly.
In case food get stuck in your sink, remove it soon.
3. Emptying the kitchen dustbins
Kitchen dustbins also attract bugs through the leftovers placed in them. Sometimes when you forget to empty and clean the dustbin, the waste may start to rot and produce an odor that attracts bugs.
Kitchen dustbins should be frequently emptied and cleaned using detergents before they are used again.
4. Preserving fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables should not be left in the open if they are not being used.
Once they stay for long they are likely to attract bugs such as fruit flies. Therefore, they should be cleaned and stored in refrigerators if they are not being used.
Read on how pantry moths get into your house.
5. Make sure your drains remain unclogged
Drains attract bugs and are the main breading place for most of them found in kitchen sinks. Therefore, clean your drains using salt and vinegar.
After pouring these two let them sit in for an hour and then pour hot water to clear out substances from the drain. Repeat the process for the best result. Clean the drain at least twice a month to prevent the build-up of debris.
Causes of bugs in the bathroom
1. Moisture
Bugs are attracted to moisture and are mostly found in wet places such as bathrooms. They need water to survive. Wet conditions are also their best breeding places making bathrooms a perfect place for them to be.
2. Insect food
There is no shortage of food for the bugs in the bathroom. Molds and organic matter commonly found in the bathrooms are foods that sustain bugs. Predator bugs can also be feeding on other bugs in your bathroom
3. Faulty bathroom drainage
Damaged drainage pipes can create an access point for bugs that can make way to your bathroom.
Also, clogged drainage pipes are a perfect habitat for food and the breeding of many types of bugs.
4. Hiding spot
Most bathrooms are dark places and therefore attract bugs that are not friendly to light. Cracks, cupboards, and crevices attract bugs. They are not only hiding spots but also entry points for the bugs.
Best solutions for bugs in the kitchen or bathroom
1. Vinegar
Vinegar is a tried and tested true kitchen cleaning agent that can get rid of bugs. Apple cider or white distilled vinegar combined with drops of detergent is a good solution remedy for bugs.
Putting this solution in a container that you then cover with a plastic wrap or foil that have poked holes can be a perfect trap for bugs
2. Bay leaves
These leaves have the power to repel bugs. Bugs despise the smell of these leaves in both their fresh and dried form. Toping food containers with a bay leaf can protect the food from bugs. Also, you place the leaves in the kitchen and bathroom to keep bugs off.
3. Keeping kitchens and bathrooms clean
Bugs do not associate with clean surfaces. Ensuring that your kitchen and bathroom are clean always is the simplest of all solutions to keep bugs off your premises.
Dishes should be done immediately after meals, counters washed daily, and dustbins emptied. Bathrooms should be washed after use making sure that all the soap drains. Also, wet towels and dirty clothes should not be left on the bathroom floors.
4. Sealing cracks and crevices
Sealing holes in pipes, cracks in walls, and repairing cracked window panes can help reduce the access and entry point of bugs in your kitchen and bathroom.
As a homeowner, I am specifically keen on home improvement. I am passionate about homes, yards, and home improvement. I blog on home ideas and reviews on solutions that make homes better.
