Keep Silverfish From Making Your Home Their Winter Retreat With One Simple Fix

When cold weather sets in and you're busy making your home warm and cozy, the last thing you want to be worried about is what other critters might be trying to get warm in your home. You can keep spiders away by sealing entry points, but they aren't the only creatures that might be scurrying around your home. Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) are small, wingless insects that live in dark, humid areas. They like to chew on fabric and their shed scales can cause allergy flare ups and attract other pests. Getting rid of silverfish can be quite difficult, so it's better to keep them from getting inside in the first place by finding and repairing their ways in.

Inspect your home carefully and seal up any cracks, crevices, or gaps. Pay particular attention to areas that lead to somewhere dark, damp, and warm; such as a basement, garage, or underneath a shady shrub. Since these areas are more likely to attract silverfish and may already have some living there, it's important to seal those gaps first. If you don't have silverfish in your home already, this may be enough to stop them from entering. If you already have silverfish living in your home, this will prevent more from entering. Be sure to check around windows and doors to make sure they're properly sealed. Caulk can be used to fix smaller gaps and cracks, but if you find larger holes you may need to use expanding foam.

Once you've sealed up all the places they're likely to get in from, clean up the areas around where the gaps were. If there are already silverfish in your home, they may be hiding nearby, especially if there is cardboard, paper, or fabric for them to chew on. There are many things that shouldn't be stored in cardboard boxes, so this is a good opportunity to transfer those items into a better storage container anyway. Silverfish can't eat plastic or metal, so these are good options for protecting your items.

If you're worried you may have missed some of the gaps or there were some you weren't able to seal, the next step is to dry out any damp areas in your home. Pay particular attention to areas which had gaps or where you aren't certain you were able to find and seal everything. You can run a dehumidifier, but there are other methods to dehumidify a room without a dehumidifier. Lowering the temperature in the area can also help. A dry, cold area isn't appealing to silverfish, but it isn't particularly appealing to people, either. If the cracks were concentrated in a room that needs to stay warm or humid, your best options are to focus on closing all the gaps, cleaning the area regularly, and setting out sticky traps to catch any silverfish already inside.