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Pests That May Be Secretly Lurking Inside Your Toilet
By JOANNA MARIE
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes require standing water to lay their eggs. A toilet bowl, especially one that is not frequently used or flushed, can provide a suitable environment for this.
Flush drains frequently and use air conditioners as often as possible. Install weather-stripping and fine-mesh screens on your doors and windows to keep them out.
Cockroaches
These beasties like pooled water and damp areas such as toilets, damaged pipes, and additional moisture spots near the toilet.
Caulk gaps around your toilet and sink, and clean your bathroom. Remove existing cockroaches with chemical roach baits and traps or natural options like boric acid.
Silverfish
These insects crawl into your house through pipes and crevices around window frames. The bathroom is their perfect habitat due to the moisture and darkness.
Create a cedar oil and water repellent, and spray it wherever you suspect they're entering your house. You can also get silverfish-specific insecticides to eliminate them.
Drain Flies
These pests are attracted to the slimy film that naturally forms inside toilet pipes, which creates an excellent environment for them to lay their eggs.
To get rid of them, mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1/2 cup of baking soda and salt and pour it down the drain. Leave it for 24 hours, then chase it with a kettle of boiling water.
Centipedes
These bugs get into your bathroom through cracks in your walls or gaps around doors. They crave damp environments and feed on other household insects.
Eradicate them with a homemade repellant of 6 ounces of water and 25 drops of peppermint or tea tree oil. Spray this everywhere they might enter.