How to Remove Silverfish From Your Home

Have you spotted a small, silvery, wriggly little critter darting across your bathroom floor or hiding in a stack of old magazines? Chances are you’ve got silverfish. If you’re wondering how to remove silverfish from your home for good, you have come to the right place. Silverfish are one of those pests that seem to appear out of nowhere, and while they look a little unsettling, the good news is they’re harmless to humans. With the right approach, they are pretty easy to get rid of.

Let’s explore why the silverfish have moved into your home, how to remove them naturally, no-fuss methods you can use to send them packing. 

Why Cleaning is the Real Key to Getting Rid of Silverfish

Silverfish are small, wingless insects with a distinctive silvery-blue, teardrop-shaped body that tend to come out at night, which is why you’re more likely to spot one when you flick on the bathroom light after dark. Unlike some other household pests, they don’t bite, sting or spread disease, however, they do feed on dust, paper fibres, glue, and starchy residue, and thrive in the damp, cluttered spots that build up when a home hasn’t been cleaned regularly.

Sprays and traps might temporarily knock down numbers, but if the underlying dust and moisture stick around, so will the silverfish. Learning how to remove silverfish from your home starts with looking at your cleaning routine, not just your pest control cupboard.

A Room-by-Room Cleaning Approach

Bathrooms and laundries.

These are the most common silverfish hotspots due to the humidity. Wipe down tiles, grout and skirting boards regularly to remove the damp film that silverfish are attracted to, and run the exhaust fan during and after showers to cut down on lingering moisture. If your bathroom has a musty smell alongside the silverfish, our guide on removing odours from your bathroom tackles much of the same damp, grimy build-up.

Skirting boards and corners.

Silverfish love the fine dust and fluff that collects in these overlooked areas. A proper deep clean, rather than a quick surface vacuum, is one of the best ways to remove silverfish habitats before they even take hold. Pull furniture out from the walls, vacuum right into the corners, and follow up with a damp microfibre wipe. Our top tips to eliminate dust are a great place to start if dust build-up has gotten away from you.

Bookshelves, cupboards and storage areas.

Cardboard, paper and old books are a silverfish buffet. Regularly dusting and wiping down shelves and giving cupboards a proper clean-out every few months removes both the food source and the hiding spots. While you’re at it, it’s worth checking pantry cupboards too. The same clutter and crumb build-up that attracts silverfish is what draws in other unwanted visitors, as we covered in how to get rid of pantry bugs.

Carpets and Rugs.

A build-up of dust, hair, and debris in carpet fibres gives silverfish plenty to feed on. Vacuuming thoroughly, including under rugs and furniture, at least once a week helps strip away the mess they’re drawn to. If it’s been a while since your carpets had a proper refresh, a professional steam clean can lift out embedded dust and debris far more effectively than a household vacuum alone.

How to Remove Silverfish Naturally

Reduce the humidity.

Since silverfish love moisture, cutting down on humidity is one of the most effective long-term solutions. Run exhaust fans during and after showers, fix any leaking pipes or taps and consider a dehumidifier in particularly damp rooms.

Essential Oils.

Silverfish, like many household pests, dislike strong scents such as lavender, cedar and citrus. Mix a few drops of essential oil with water in a spray bottle and apply it around entry points, skirting boards and dark corners. It won’t necessarily kill silverfish, but it will help discourage them from sticking around.

Set sticky traps.

Simple glue traps (or even a rolled-up piece of tape, sticky side up placed in areas where you’ve spotten silverfish can help you monitor how bad the infestation actually is and catch a few along the way.

Cleaning Habits That Keep Silverfish From Coming Back

Once you’ve worked through the initial deep clean, the trick to keeping silverfish gone for good is consistency. A few habits worth building into your routine:

• Vacuum skirting boards, cupboards, and storage areas weekly, not just the main living spaces.
• Wipe down bathroom and laundry surfaces after use to stop moisture from settling.
• Declutter cardboard boxes and paper piles, and store anything you’re keeping in sealed containers rather than open boxes.
• Air out roof spaces, laundries and bathrooms regularly to keep humidity down.
• Stick to a proper cleaning schedule so dusty, damp corners don’t have the chance to build up again. If you want a simple framework to follow, our home cleaning schedule breaks this down room by room. 

Keep on top of these habits is genuinely one of the most reliable ways to remove silverfish long-term, far more so than relying on sprays alone.

When a Deep Clean Makes the Difference

If you’ve been keeping up with the basics and you’re still noticing silverfish, particularly in larger numbers, it’s often a sign that dust and moisture have built up somewhere out of easy reach, like behind furniture, inside cupboards, or in carpet fibres. This is especially worth addressing if you’re preparing to move out, as pest issues (much like the fleas we cover in our guide to end of lease flea treatment) can sometimes hold up a bond return.

This is exactly where a professional clean earns its keep. Our team knows how to remove silverfish-friendly build-up from the spots most homeowners miss, going well beyond a standard tidy-up to leave your home genuinely fresh, dry and far less appealing to pests.

Ready for a helping hand? Book a home cleaning service or end of lease cleaner and let us take care of the hard work for you.