How to get rid of silverfish

One of the most common household pests that any homeowner should attend to is the silverfish. Silverfish are small insects, usually about half an inch long which choose cool and damp places to breed in. They feed on items that are organic, mostly the starchy kind like cereals and grains, food crumbs, even paper, books and cardboard boxes. When looking for solutions on how to get rid of silverfish, consider safer methods such as home remedies, rather than using chemical based insecticides.

Silverfish usually avoid well lit areas and frequently thrive on moist surfaces. If you are trying to get rid of silverfish in your household, remember to check even the smallest cracks on walls, floors, closets and behind your furniture. Be especially vigilant in areas of your home where there are water pipes, especially in the basement.

Here are six simple home remedies you could use to get rid of silverfish in your home:

a) Spices

Aromatic spices like sage, bay leaves and cloves are easy repellants for silverfish, because of their strong smells. You can put these spices inside porous sachets and use hooks to attach them inside your closets or behind your washing machine. You may also fill some decorative baskets with these sachets and lay these baskets near your baseboards.

b) Mothballs

Another home remedy for how to get red of silverfish is mothballs. Silverfish cannot stand the smell of mothballs, so place these on areas where you find these insects are seen frequently.

c) Cucumbers

The smell of cucumbers acts as a good repellent for silverfish. Cut thick strips of a cucumber and put these strips inside your cabinet, cupboard or other slots where you think silverfish may be hiding. Replace the strips with new once every time they dry up.

d) Dehumidify

Since silverfish love damp and wet places, make sure that there are no broken water pipes or stagnant water where these insects can breed. It is also important to minimize the moisture in the air by using a dehumidifier or simply making sure that all areas in your house are properly ventilated.

e) Boric Acid

You can also try pouring a small amount of boric acid power in the areas where you think silverfish flock. It has been proven that large populations of silverfish have been killed using boric acid as a home remedy to get rid of silverfish.

f) Wet Newspapers

Silverfish can also be trapped using wet newspapers left out overnight. Make sure to collect the wet papers before the insects scatter around and dump these papers into a sealed trash can.