Here is How To Get Rid Of Slugs in The Bathroom!

A lot of people are pretty sensitive about their bathroom hygiene. So seeing the slimy trail slugs identified in their bathroom will unnerve them.

However, you should note that finding slugs in your bathroom is not because it is not tidy.

It may be correct to say the bathroom is not their natural habitat, but slugs love humid and dark places. So how do you get rid of this unpleasant sight? 

Getting rid of the slugs in your bathroom would help seal off their means of the entrance—regular disinfection of the bathroom and drain with vinegar. In addition, there are trusted slug repellents you can make use of.

Why Are There Slugs in My Bathroom?

How to Get Rid of Slugs in Bathroom

Your bathroom provides an ideal environment for slugs. It may not be their natural habitat, but it fits for a habitat they can thrive in.

Slugs get drawn to moist environments, and your bathroom is moist 95% of the time. Slugs are nocturnal animals and usually have to hide from predators during the day.

Therefore, they usually seek a dark and moist environment to shelter themselves. If your drain pipe has a hole, it can easily crawl through.

In addition, the drain provides warmth and zero ventilation, which suits their body type.

The drain is a suitable environment for them to rest during the day, comfortable and undisturbed from predators.

So they’ll crawl through the drain and slip into your bathroom in search of food. Slugs are known to feed on mold, certain plants, food debris, pet food, and fungi.

Therefore, if there’s any presence of the items mentioned above in your bathroom, they’ll be drawn.

Slugs don’t have bones, so it’s relatively easy for them to crawl into your bathroom through the minor cracks in the wall.

So if you notice their trademark slime in your bathroom or the shower, start searching for their point of entry.

They can squeeze in through tiny cracks or climb in through the window. Slugs are known for their high sense of smell.

When the slug doesn’t find food to feed on in your bathroom, it will migrate to other rooms in the house to search. Slug trail all over your house is not a sight you want to deal with.

How Do I Permanently Get Rid Of Slugs in My Bathroom?

Getting rid of slugs is a continuous process, not permanent. You can successfully get rid of all the slugs in your house.

However, there’s little guarantee that new ones won’t appear. Nonetheless, there are extreme measures to ensure slugs stay away for a long time.

In addition, you can take some preventive precautions to keep slugs away. You can’t have your bathroom free from moisture that draws slugs.

Except you don’t use that bathroom. It would help to keep your bathroom exceptionally clean.

Daily disinfecting of your bathroom will go a long way in keeping slugs away. When you use bleach or vinegar, these harsh chemicals make slugs uncomfortable in your bathroom.

In cases where you have confirmed the drain pipe as the slug’s entry point, you can occasionally pour vinegar down the drain.

Additionally, you can pour hot water to accompany the vinegar. The vinegar and hot water will kill the slugs in the drain.

Please note that vinegar doubles as a slug repellent. Therefore, sprinkling it at their suspected entry points will keep them away.

If the slugs perceive the vinegar, they’ll most likely stay away from the drain. Vinegar is dangerous to them because it causes dehydration and dissolves their fragile bodies.

Another possible method is using slug pellets; these are bait for slugs to ingest. The pellets are metaldehyde which is poisonous to the slugs.

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The pellets will slowly stop their ability to produce mucus, which in turn stops their digestion and movement.

As a result, the slugs will experience dehydration, become completely inactive after some days and die.

Most people don’t opt for the pellets because it is harmful to pets that may unknowingly eat them. If you intend to use the pellets, you must place them where only the slugs can reach them.

For example, you can pour some down the drain. Note that selling pellets is against the law in some countries like the UK.

You can purchase other available slug bait, such as Sluggo. Sluggo is an organic pesticide made of iron phosphate; these two elements harm the slug’s system.

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The slugs will die after a few days of eating Sluggo. However, it would help to place Sluggo away from the reach of your pets and children. 

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is another trustworthy product for eliminating slugs. DE is a type of silica that absorbs fat and oil from the slug’s system, rendering it inactive and leading to death.

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Furthermore, DE is useless if wet; therefore, you must always keep it dry. 

Pros And Cons Of Slug Extermination Methods

What Kills Slugs Naturally?

There are various available chemicals and natural substances to kill slugs. Most people opt for natural substances; they are easier to get and have no adverse effects on humans.

Using chemicals, however, tends to have a harmful outcome if not used cautiously.

Sea salt is the most common natural product used to kill slugs. Salt is known to be a good absorber of moisture.

Slugs stay away from salt as it is harmful to them. Once they get in contact with salt, they undergo dehydration because the salt absorbs the water in their body through osmosis.

Epsom salt is another trusted substance in killing slugs. The salt is a natural insecticide, and slugs go through dehydration when in contact with it.

Generally, salt will draw out water from a slug’s body. Slugs become inactive when dehydrated and eventually die.

Another effective natural way of killing slugs is to pour baking soda into the drain pipe; once the slugs ingest it, they will die.

Cornmeal is effective because slugs love eating them; however, it kills them after eating. Another natural substance to use is ground coffee beans.

If slugs perceive the coffee beans, they will automatically stay away because it is harmful to them. 

Most people love using vinegar; it is natural and doubles as a slug deterrent and killer. When a slug comes in contact with vinegar, its body dissolves in a short time; instant death.

So you’ll be free from slug problems if you use vinegar in your bathroom and sprinkle it at the slug’s entrances.

Although slugs feed on certain plants, they can not stand some specific plants. Planting or placing these plants at places where slugs gain entrance to your bathroom will keep slugs away.

For example, slugs detest the smell of garlic and will avoid any area that has it. Other slugs repelling plants are rosemary, rue, anise, astrantia, and wormwood.

Beer is the most natural slug bait; it is effective because all slugs love sweet things. All you have to do is put a bowl or low container of beer at the point of entry of slugs.

Once they perceive the beer, they’ll crawl to drink, fall inside, and drown. However, it’s not always sure that the slugs will fall inside the beer trap.

Do Slugs Come Up the Drain?

Yes! Slugs can crawl up the drain once they find a point of entry. The drain pipe is suitable for slugs because it is moist and dark.

If your drain has a crack, a slug can easily squeeze itself in and enter your bathroom. It would help to use foam or other materials to seal off any holes in your drain pipe.

You can plant wormwood or astrantia near the drain pipe to ward off slugs. In addition, a sprinkling of vinegar or salt down the drain effectively keeps slugs out.

Are Slugs in the House Dangerous?

Some people argue that slugs aren’t dangerous. However, they are not so harmless; on the contrary, some slugs carry parasites that may transfer if you contact them.

Therefore, before directly contacting a slug, you must wear protective gear like hand gloves.

In addition, it is not advisable to touch slugs directly because you have no idea what parasite they host.

Slugs may be host to some parasites or carriers of diseases that may transfer to you if you directly handle them.

Your pets are also at risk of getting these diseases from slugs. The most typical slug parasite is the rat lungworm, which is very harmful to humans. 

If you mistakenly eat a slug, it will cause a type of meningitis. Therefore, it would be best to seek medical help if you mistakenly ingest a slug.

Especially if you notice strange symptoms, it can lead to death if not treated. However, not all slugs are carriers of parasites, but it’s best to be careful.

Can You Flush Slugs Down the Toilet?

Practically, you can flush slugs down the toilet, but it isn’t proper to do so unless they’re dead because they’ll be permanently disposed of if you flush a dead slug down the toilet.

In contrast, if you flush a living slug, it will just absorb water and crawl back up.

Final Thoughts

When you notice the tell-tale slime of slugs, the first thing to do is trace their point of entry and seal it. It’s easier to prevent slugs from getting in; however, there are ways of getting rid of them.

It would be best to get professionals to handle the extermination of slugs if there’s an infestation you can’t handle.

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