How to Get Rid of Pill Bugs in Your Bathroom

Pill bugs absolutely love moisture, so it’s no shock that they will love hiding out in your bathroom. Getting rid of pill bugs is easy and requires you to find the moisture source, seal any spaces they can come in through, and remove food sources! 

The rest of this article will explain how to get rid of pill bugs from your bathroom step by step. 

What are pill bugs?

You may have heard a pill bug referred to by a couple of different names. Also referred to as a roly-poly, woodlouse, woodlice, and potato bug, these tiny crustaceans get their name from their tendency to find homes in old wood. 

These tiny critters are harmless outdoor bugs many kids love to play with most of the time.

Sometimes, however, they become indoor pests and take over your house, living in moist areas and feeding on decaying plant material. 

What do Pill Bugs Look Like?

Pill bugs generally all look the same. Sitting at about 1/4th to ½ inches long, these critters have seven pairs of legs, two antennae, and appear to be dark gray-colored, with round bodies. 

Where are Pill Bugs Found?

Pill bugs are usually found around old wood, especially when wet. Occasionally, pill bugs are found indoors, especially during the colder months, as the inside of homes, especially bathrooms, become more warm and moist than outdoors. 

How Did Pill Bugs Find Their Way Into My Bathroom?

Pill bugs will find their way into your bathroom through different voids, cracks, and entryways. This can be through vents, crawl spaces, and your foundation!

Sometimes, pill bugs will even find their way into your home through your plumbing system or other humid areas.

What Attracts Pill Bugs

The bathroom can be one of the moistest places in your house, so it’s no shock that pill bugs can flock there, quickly taking it over. 

It’s first essential to understand what attracts pill bugs, as you must get rid of the cause, or they will find their way back in. 

Decaying material

Pill bugs seek out dead, decaying plant-based material like wood, cardboard, or paper. If you have a pile of cardboard in your home that may have gotten wet, pill bugs will likely flock to it.

Moisture

Being drawn to moisture, pill bugs will flock to any room and any place in your home that will allow them to thrive. Since bathrooms are typically moist areas of our homes, many will find them there.

How to Get Rid of Pill Bugs in Your Bathroom

Now that you know what causes a pill bug infestation let’s go over how to get rid of them. 

Pill bugs will typically leave on their own as long as you ensure that there are no areas in your home they can hide.

Take a Look at Your Home

One of the first steps to figuring out how to get rid of pill bugs is to inspect your home.

Pill bugs were able to get into your home somehow, and they have stayed for a specific reason. You should inspect your home to figure out why they wanted in in the first place! 

If you don’t know where to start, there are a couple of places you should look. 

• Check for seal or caulk cracks in your foundation. These can lead to pill bugs finding their way in, especially during the winter months when they seek warmer, more humid environments. 
• Seal gaps in windows or doors. Pill bugs will find their way in through gaps in windows and doors. If you see any openings that they could be crawling through, seal them up using weatherstripping or other products. 
• Seal gaps in pipes. Another place that pill bugs may be coming through is your pipes. If you have any that lead to the outside, make sure that all the openings around the pipes are sealed so that no little bugs can get in. 
• Repair damaged windows or doors. Another way they find their way in are through damaged screens. If you have screens on windows or doors that may be damaged, make sure they are repaired, or more small bugs will likely come through. 

Clean Up Your Backyard

If you have fewer pill bugs outside, there will be fewer coming inside. If you have a lot of pill bugs hiding out in decaying objects in your backyard, they will likely find a new home when it gets colder.

Try to take a look around the outside of your home and clean up what you can, such as leaf litter, grass clippings, decaying plants, and wood that you don’t need.

This will significantly reduce the number of pill bugs around your home and keep pill bugs from ending up in your bathroom.

Find the Moisture Source

The pill bugs have likely chosen your bathroom because it is a good source of moisture for them. Take a look at where they are usually hiding, and see if there is an excess of moisture there.

See if there is anything you can do to get rid of it, since getting rid of the reason they are there is one of the most essential steps to keeping them out.

Take Away Their Food Source

Make sure that you remove their food source- anything that is soft and decaying. If you have old toilet paper rolls that may have gotten wet, or anything going bad, make sure it is cleaned up.

If they do not have a food source, they have no way of surviving.

How To Kill Pill Bugs And Keep Them Out of Your Bathroom

One of the best ways to make sure that pill bugs stay out of your bathroom is to simply make sure that your bathroom is clean.

As long as your bathroom does not have excess moisture, pill bugs should stay away. 

Here are some other ways to kill pill bugs and keep them away.

Use Essential Oils

Essential oils are good for many things, including killing pill bugs and keeping them away. The plus side? It’ll smell good, too!

The best oils for the job are eucalyptus, pennyroyal, cinnamon, citrus, and peppermint, which can be found at most stores that sell essential oils.

All you have to do is add some to a spray bottle of water. After that, you can spray it around your bathroom, and within a day or two, the existing pill bugs should die off.

Keep spraying if you want your bathroom to smell great and for pill bugs to stay away.

Use Spices

Diced jalapeno, cayenne pepper, garlic, and chili pepper are great ways to keep pill bugs away. Just add them to water, and spray around your bathroom.

Although this will get rid of pill bugs, if you need a more long-term option, essential oils may be a better way to go.

Use Diatomaceous Earth

Find diatomaceous earth at most department stores, and sprinkle it around the edges of your walls, doors, and counters.

This will dehydrate the bugs, and over time, kill them. Although this is not a long-term option for many, it’s a valid option for those who are having issues with pill bugs.

It’s important to note that although this is a great option, it can be harmful to kids and pets, as well as those with some sensitivities. It can be vacuumed up easily and replaced every month.

Use Borax

Borax, or boric acid, can be a barrier for pill bugs. It is much like the diatomaceous earth and will keep them out of bathrooms if used in the same way.

Additionally, you can use this acid around your foundation, basement, doorways, and throughout your home to keep them away.

Use Dehumidifiers

To keep your bathroom dry, use a dehumidifier to keep the air from being too moist. This will keep pill bugs from wanting to make a home out of your bathroom!

Keep Windows Open During Showers

We’ve all taken long showers that make mirrors fog up. If you are guilty of doing this all the time, consider keeping the window open.

This will keep the moisture in your bathroom to a minimum, which will, over time, ensure that pill bugs do not make a home there.

Use a Fan

Much like the open window and dehumidifier options, using fans in your bathroom will keep the environment dryer, which will therefore keep pill bugs from making a home in your bathroom.

Final Thoughts 

Although pill bugs are harmless creatures often found outside, they can become hard to deal with once they find their way inside your home. 

By eliminating the reasons they come indoors, you will be able to keep these critters out for good. 

Since bathrooms are one of the warmest, most moist areas of our home, it is not uncommon to find that it has been infested with pill bugs, especially during the winter months. 

Make sure that they do not have any direct ways to crawl into your bathroom, and keep your bathroom clean from decaying materials, and take action to ensure that they stay out! 

Alright, that’s it for this article, here are a few hand-selected articles that you might also find interesting reads:

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