How to get rid of silverfish in a Perth home

What silverfish are and why they're in your house

Silverfish are small, wingless insects about 10 to 15 mm long, with a flattened, carrot-shaped body that tapers to three long bristles at the tail. They're covered in fine silvery or grey scales and move with a quick, fish-like wriggle, which is where the name comes from. In Australian homes you'll mostly see the common silverfish (Lepisma saccharinum) and the larger grey or long-tailed silverfish (Ctenolepisma species), which copes with drier conditions.

A silverfish seen from above on a white wall: long tapered grey-brown body, two long antennae and three bristle tails — A silverfish on a painted wall: the tapered body, long antennae and three tail bristles are the giveaway. Photo: Mirko Schoenitz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

They're after three things: moisture, starch and somewhere dark to hide. Starch means paper, book bindings, wallpaper paste, cardboard, cereal, flour, dried pet food and even the sizing in some fabrics. A Perth home usually gives them all three in the bathroom, the laundry, the kitchen pantry, the linen cupboard and the roof void.

Silverfish live a long time for an insect (often two years or more) and can survive weeks without food. That's why a few leftovers in a cupboard can quietly keep a population going, and why a single spray rarely finishes the job.

Signs you have a silverfish problem

A silverfish on a white dinner plate in a kitchen cupboard, next to a blue and green patterned bowl — A silverfish on the crockery in a kitchen cupboard, photographed by DJ Pest on a job in North Beach. Plates and bowls stacked in a dim cupboard are a common place to find them.

Because they're nocturnal, the first sign is often a silverfish in the bath or sink in the morning. They fall in chasing moisture and can't climb the smooth sides back out. Other clues:

Irregular holes or scraped patches on paper, book spines, photos, cardboard boxes or wallpaper
Yellowish stains or tiny pepper-like droppings on shelves and paper
Shed skins (they keep moulting as adults) in cupboards and drawers
Small holes along the folds of stored clothes, linen or curtains
Silverfish darting away when you move boxes in the garage, shed or storeroom

Not sure it's a silverfish at all? Slaters, earwigs and young cockroaches all get mistaken for them. Our what's my pest guide will help you check before you buy anything.

How to get rid of silverfish: the step-by-step

Silverfish management is mostly about taking away what they need. Do these in order and give it three to four weeks before judging the result.

Dry the place out. Run the bathroom and laundry exhaust fans during and after every shower and wash, fix dripping taps and leaking traps under sinks, and keep wet towels off the floor. A cheap hygrometer will tell you whether a room sits above about 60% humidity, which is where silverfish thrive. A dehumidifier in a stuffy wardrobe or storeroom makes a real difference.
Clear out the paper. Old newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes and junk mail are food and shelter in one. Recycle what you don't need and move keepers into sealed plastic tubs.
Seal the pantry. Put flour, cereal, rice, pasta and pet food into airtight containers. Wipe up crumbs on shelves and vacuum the corners.
Vacuum hiding spots. Skirting boards, the backs of cupboards, under the bed, bookshelves and wardrobe floors. Vacuuming picks up eggs, droppings and scales. Empty the bag or canister outside.
Close the gaps. Fill cracks along skirting boards, around pipes under sinks and where bench tops meet walls with a flexible sealant. This removes the daytime hiding places they rely on.
Trap and monitor. Sticky traps placed along skirting boards and inside cupboards show you where the activity is and whether numbers are falling. Check and replace them weekly.
Use a registered product where needed. If numbers stay high, a household insect product that lists silverfish on its label can be used in cracks and crevices. Only use APVMA-registered products, applied to the label, and keep them out of reach of kids and pets.

Old leather-bound books on a wooden bookshelf in a dim room — Old books, paper and cardboard in dim, still rooms are exactly what silverfish look for. Photo: Eneida Nieves, Pexels.

Natural options: what helps and what doesn't

There's a lot of folk advice about silverfish. Some of it helps a little, and some of it only makes the house smell nice.

Remedy	Does it help?	Notes
Reducing humidity	Yes, the most important step	Nothing else lasts if the room stays damp
Sealed storage	Yes	Takes away food and shelter at the same time
Sticky traps	Partly	Great for monitoring, rarely enough on their own
Diatomaceous earth	Partly	Needs to stay dry to work; a light dusting in dry voids only
Cedar, lavender, cloves, bay leaves	Weak	May discourage a few; won't fix an established population
Cucumber peel, citrus peel	No good evidence	Popular online, but it's just more food waste in a cupboard

Boric acid dusts also appear in a lot of overseas advice. In Australia, use only a product that is APVMA-registered for silverfish and follow its label; don't make up homemade baits that pets or children could get into.

Why silverfish keep coming back

If you've cleaned up and they're still turning up, look for one of these:

A hidden moisture source. A slow leak behind the shower wall, a damp subfloor, a blocked gutter feeding water into a wall cavity or poor roof ventilation.
A reservoir in the roof void or wall cavities. Insulation, stored boxes and dust in the roof can hold a large population that drops into rooms through cornices, light fittings and exhaust fans.
Stored items in the garage or shed. Cardboard boxes of old paperwork or clothes can keep feeding them and reinfest the house.
Gaps around the home's edge. Grey silverfish often live outside under mulch, pavers and leaf litter, then move in through weep holes and gaps under doors.

Silverfish share a lot of habits with cockroaches: dark, damp, food nearby. If you're seeing both, our guide on how to get rid of cockroaches covers the same kitchen and bathroom hot spots.

DIY or call a technician?

DIY is usually enough when you see the odd silverfish in the bathroom and the damage is minor. It's worth getting a licensed technician in when:

You're seeing them every night in several rooms, even after a month of drying out and decluttering
There's damage to things you can't replace: books, documents, photos, artwork or clothing
You suspect they're living in the roof void, which isn't a job for a ladder and a spray can
You have other pests at the same time (cockroaches, spiders, ants) and want one visit to cover them

A professional treatment focuses on the places silverfish actually live: a dust into the roof void and wall voids where it's accessible, a crack-and-crevice treatment in wet areas and cupboards, and an external band around the home's perimeter. Indoors, DJ Pest uses non-staining, low-odour, APVMA-registered products applied to the label, and the technician will point out moisture problems worth fixing so the result lasts.

What silverfish treatment costs in Perth

Silverfish are covered by a standard general pest treatment rather than a separate service. For a typical three-bedroom Perth home, a general pest treatment is an investment of about $250 to $350 including GST, covering cockroaches, spiders, silverfish and internal ants inside and out. See our Perth pest control prices page for the full list, or book a general pest treatment and we'll quote before we start.

Frequently asked

Are silverfish harmful to people?

No. Silverfish don't bite or sting and aren't known to spread disease. Their scales and droppings can add to household dust, which may bother people with dust allergies, but the main problem is damage to paper, fabric and stored food.

What attracts silverfish to a house?

Humidity, starchy food and dark hiding places. Bathrooms, laundries, pantries, bookshelves, linen cupboards and roof voids are the usual spots.

Does one silverfish mean an infestation?

Not necessarily. One in the bath now and then is common in Perth homes, especially near bathrooms. Several a week, in several rooms, or fresh damage to paper and fabric suggests an established population.

How long does it take to get rid of silverfish?

With moisture fixed and food removed, most homes see numbers drop within three to six weeks. Because silverfish are long-lived and eggs hatch over several weeks, it takes patience and ongoing monitoring with sticky traps.

Can silverfish live in the roof?

Yes. Roof voids with insulation, dust and stored boxes can hold large numbers, especially where ventilation is poor. If they keep appearing near cornices, downlights or exhaust fans, the roof is a likely source.

Do silverfish eat clothes?

They can. They go for starch and sizing in fabrics and for food or sweat stains, so stored clothing, linen and curtains can end up with small holes or yellow marks.

Will a general pest treatment cover silverfish?

Yes. At DJ Pest, a general pest treatment covers silverfish along with cockroaches, spiders and internal ants, using APVMA-registered products applied to their labels.

Do silverfish mean I have a moisture problem?

Often, yes. A steady silverfish population is a good prompt to check for leaks, poor ventilation and damp spots, which are worth fixing for the house's sake anyway.

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