Bathroom silverfish — how to effectively get this uninvited guest out of your bathroom for good?

Even the most beautifully appointed, spotlessly kept bathroom can become home to a visitor no one really wants in their bathroom – the bathroom silverfish. This insect is completely harmless, entirely unwelcome, and easy to get rid of effectively. How do you banish it from your own bathroom? Just a few simple steps will make sure it doesn’t come back!

Bathroom silverfish – how to recognise it?

Let’s start by saying: don’t panic if you spot one in the bathroom. It’s completely harmless, not dangerous (to humans – it doesn’t bite or spread disease; not to your books or clothes – it eats them!), but it is… well, an insect. Nobody needs insects in the bathroom; they can alarm, frighten, put you off, and completely ruin the lovely aesthetic of an otherwise immaculately kept bathroom.

How do you eradicate silverfish (another common name for sugar silverfish)? First you need to recognise them, which isn’t too hard. Besides their long antennae (as long as the abdomen) and slightly shorter, lighter-coloured legs, you’ll notice the darker, silvery body of this insect is shaped like a small fish. It moves in a quick, zigzag manner too. It’s also called a silverfish because it shimmers in the light, which it actively avoids. Rarely seen by day, it comes out at night and… usually gives you a fright.

Many people wonder: “silverfish – where do they come from, and why my bathroom in particular?”. They love darkness, warmth and damp, so almost any bathroom becomes an ideal habitat, especially around baths and shower trays. They’re also found in bakeries, confectioneries, and in kitchen cupboards, because they feed mainly on complex sugars, such as potato starch, but they’ll eat almost anything. From dried meat, through glues (including those used to bind books!), paper, right up to natural materials used for clothing – linen, wool, cotton, silk.

How to get rid of silverfish from a room or bathroom?

Many people wonder how to get rid of silverfish from the bathroom and prevent them from coming back. Showing silverfish the door is relatively simple. It’s also worth preventing their return (or appearance in the first place!) by doing a few simple things that effectively deter silverfish in your bathroom or in any room they’ve moved into.

First: air the bathroom thoroughly and often. Not only to dry it out properly (silverfish love moisture!), but also to maintain proper air circulation throughout the house/apartment and its other rooms. Especially after a bath or shower, it’s worth opening the bathroom door if there’s no window. It’s also a good idea to install a fan in the bathroom or set out moisture absorbers.

Second: clean the bathroom regularly, paying special attention to hard-to-reach spots. Not only silverfish may live there, but also less noticeable and more dangerous to humans microorganisms such as moulds or bacteria. Thorough cleaning effectively reduces the risk of silverfish appearing. It’s also worth filling small gaps that appear in various places in the bathroom with silicone. Silverfish can make their home in those gaps.

That’s prevention covered. How do you tackle and drive silverfish out of your bathroom or other rooms? Lemon juice or the scent of lavender, which many insects, including silverfish, can’t stand, may prove useful. Simply rub the bathroom tiles with a cut, slightly squeezed lemon, or leave mothballs in the bathroom. Silverfish also don’t like the strong smell of rosemary, cloves, or the aroma of cinnamon – but it’s better to keep these methods for places other than the bathroom.

A very effective remedy available over the counter from the chemist is boric acid. Mix it with icing sugar and wipe it over the bathroom tiles. The sugar will lure the silverfish, while the boric acid, once ingested, causes poisoning and death. On contact with the silverfish’s exoskeleton it dissolves and damages it, often fatally for the insect.

Finally, you can make traps for silverfish using large jars wrapped in a rough material so the insects can climb inside. Put a tablespoon of sugar (brown or white) in the jar, leave it in a corner of the bathroom and you’re done. Drawn by the smell of sugar, the silverfish will climb up the rough surface into the jar. They won’t be able to get out, because the inside surface of the jar will be too smooth for their antennae! You can later release the silverfish outdoors into the fresh air, or carry out extermination by burning them or pouring boiling water over them.