How to Get Rid of Silverfish in the Bathroom

Have you ever encountered mysterious, fast-moving insects in your bathroom?

These silver-colored creatures, known as silverfish, are common household pests that thrive in humid environments.

While they may not pose a direct threat, their presence is unpleasant and can damage books, wallpaper, and other belongings.

Don’t let silverfish take over your bathroom!

This expert guide will delve into the effective strategies you can use to get rid of silverfish from your bathroom, restoring peace of mind and protecting your home from their unwanted presence.

What Should You Know about Silverfish?

Silverfish are bluish silver or white to brown-gray, wiggly insects that can infest your bathroom.

They have a shiny, teardrop-shaped body with two antennae and three long bristles at the tail end.

This six-legged insect is often mistaken for a centipede and can grow between 12 to 19 millimeters.

You might get horrified seeing these wriggly bugs in your bathroom, but they are pretty harmless.

Silverfish aren’t known to pose threatening diseases, and they don’t bite either.

Still, they are pests and can cause damage to your bathroom.

Silverfish feed off of sugars and starches, and some of your bathroom essentials contain these ingredients.

For instance, toilet paper contains starch, and you might be using sugar scrubs in the bath too.

So they can start feeding off of the outer edges of your toilet paper, sugar-container products, your bathroom wallpaper, and even carpets and clothing.

Silverfish are active at night, and you may see them scurrying around the bathroom floor or climbing the bathroom walls in the middle of the night.

So, you’ll not likely see them in the daytime.

In favorable conditions, like a highly humid bathroom, silverfish can reproduce quickly as the female insects produce eggs all year.

In addition, because they are secretive and can go unnoticed for an extended period, it allows silverfish for exponential growth all year-round.

How Do Silverfish Get into Your Bathroom?

These wiggly insects will enter your bathroom through torn screens, gaps in the window, and through wall and foundation cracks.

If you have gaps and holes in water pipes, silverfish will likely go through these entryways and end up in your drains and sink.

Unfortunately, silverfish infestation can also happen in your bathroom because of unintentional transmission.

These insects love paper products, and they can take refuge in any paper or boxes you bring inside your bathroom.

For instance, you brought an old journal already infested with silverfish eggs in the toilet or a box of toilet paper stored improperly in the bathroom.

If you spot some silverfish in your bathroom, the reason can be one or a couple of these things.

• Damp conditions in the bathroom
• Dark and warm spaces
• Lack of cleanliness

Silverfish love moisture, dampness, darkness, and quiet.

These conditions make bathrooms the most favorable for silverfish, making it their best place to hide, sleep, and breed.

You can usually spot them in high-humidity areas in your bathroom, like the shower.

If you love taking hot showers, the steam can significantly increase your bathroom’s humidity levels.

If your toilet has many warm and moist spaces, an attractive breeding ground for silverfish, they can start invading your space.

The lack of strict cleanliness in the bathroom can also attract silverfish inside your space.

Dirt and crumbs in your bathroom are like inviting silverfish to feast on your area and take their refuge there.

Where Can You Find Silverfish in Your Bathroom?

Since they are nocturnal insects, silverfish will be sleeping and hiding during the day, and you can find them in their usual hiding places like the:

• Bathroom Drains

Most people believe that they live in drains, but that is far from the truth.

Contrary to common belief, silverfish don’t live in drains.

But they do love the moisture, warmth, and darkness of toilet drains.

You can see silverfish that climb bathroom walls, but they can’t climb smooth vertical spaces, like the bathtub or the sink.

So, you can frequently find them trapped in drains.

• Wall Cracks and Crevices

Besides the bathroom and shower drains, their favorite hiding places include the tight cracks and crevices in your bathroom.

Any dark opening where they can enter freely would be an ideal place for silverfish to hide inside.

• Under the Carpet

If you have an old and dirty carpet in your bathroom, you can sometimes find silverfish taking refuge underneath.

• Pipes

Bathroom pipes that have condensation on them are also attractive hiding spaces for silverfish.

If you have a leaky pipe in the bathroom, perhaps under the sink, you might find silverfish hanging in there.

• Under Clothes and Fabrics

Silverfish love clutter and they also feed on starches. It’s why any layer of clothing or fabric on the floor will be inviting to them.

How to Get Rid of Silverfish in Your Bathroom

Here, you can find a couple of steps to minimize and eliminate silverfish infestation, whether you want to do it the natural way or using chemicals to take them out for good.

The Natural Way

The first thing that you have to do to get rid of silverfish in the bathroom the natural way is finding the source.

Examine their typical hiding places and keep an eye on where they could originate from.

Once you’ve done that, there are two methods to trap them, both efficient and natural ways of getting rid of silverfish.

1. The Jar Method

What you need for this method is a jar and a bait, which can be food that attracts silverfish, like bread.

Step 1: Put small bread pieces inside the jar and tape the outside part of the jar with paper tape. The jar can be slippery, and the tape will help them crawl through the jar and get inside it.

Step 2: Place the jar where you spot the silverfish hiding in your bathroom.

The idea behind this silverfish trap is for the pests to climb on the jar looking for food.

But once they fall inside the jar, they will get trapped because the inside is slippery, preventing them from getting out.

2. The Newspaper Method

Another efficient way to get rid of silverfish is using an old newspaper that this pest love. 

Step 1: Roll a piece of old newspaper and use rubber bands to hold both ends so they don’t unfold. 

Step 2: Moisten the newspaper roll a bit and leave it where the silverfish frequent in your bathroom. 

Step 3: Wait for the silverfish to feed on the newspaper and hide inside it. Eventually, they will get trapped in the rolled paper.

Step 4: Leave it for at least 24 hours, and don’t forget to throw it away afterward.

You can do this trick for several days until you’re confident that there are no silverfish in your bathroom anymore.

Using Chemicals 

If the natural methods of getting rid of silverfish in your bathroom are not enough, you can use chemical products against them.

The advantage of using chemicals is that they contain powerful ingredients to eradicate most pests and insects like silverfish for good.

However, the downside is the health risks involved, so it’s essential to handle any chemical you use with utmost care.

Among the chemicals you can use to get rid of silverfish in the bathroom includes:

• Bleach

This method helps stop silverfish from breeding.

Step 1: Pour a good amount of bleach where silverfish may likely be hiding, like in drains and sinks.

Step 2: Leave it throughout the night before flushing the drain and sink with water.

• Boric Acid

Use boric acid to eliminate silverfish effectively, but handle it with care.

Pour a boric acid solution around sinks, drains, and under your bathtub.

Sprinkle it on cracks and crevices where you spotted any silverfish in your bathroom.

• Pyrethrin

Insecticides that contain pyrethrin liquid are also effective against silverfish. Follow these steps to use it against those wiggly pests.

Step 1: Spray the insecticide wherever you think the silverfish are hiding around your bathroom.

Step 2: Make sure you cover and spray their common hiding spots.

When using this insecticide, keep your pets or little kids out of the bathroom for a few hours, as it can be highly poisonous.

• Diatomaceous Earth Insecticide

This substance is also effective against many types of insects. To use it against silverfish:

Step 1: Sprinkle the powder in your bathroom around the usual hiding spots of silverfish. Include the corners and the carpets if you have them in your bath.

Step 2: Leave the powder overnight before you vacuum it the next day.

How to Prevent Silverfish From Coming Back

If you want to prevent silverfish from re-entering your bathroom and house after successful elimination, use products that create protective barriers in the form of long-lasting pet-safe residue.

Of all the insect infestations that can happen in your bathroom, silverfish can be one of the most skin-crawling.

They are a nuisance pest, besides being super creepy, and can destroy your things like clothes, carpets, and books.

Fortunately, you can get rid of silverfish for good, preventing them from coming back and causing chaos in your bathroom.

This simple but effective pest-control plan can prevent silverfish from coming back to your bathroom.

• Keep Your Bathroom Well Ventilated

Moist and humid environments are what attract silverfish into your bathroom.

Take out these conditions by keeping your bathroom well ventilated, especially during or after showering.

You can keep the windows and door opened or use a bathroom fan to help take out the extra moisture in the bathroom.

• Seal Up Leaky Pipes and Cracks

Sealing up leaky pipes and caulking exterior cracks where silverfish may likely hide can also keep them away.

That way, no dampness in your bathroom can attract these pests.

• Clear the Clutter

Taking out their hiding spots like clutters of used clothing, books, or old papers in the bathroom makes your bathroom less attractive for silverfish.

Silverfish love damp, warm, and dark places in your bathroom.

Taking away their favorite conditions can eliminate silverfish and prevent them from coming back into your home.