In the middle of the night, when I popped to the bathroom, I saw a fright – a silverfish!
These silver insects look like they belong in a horror movie, not living in my bathroom.
What’s worse, the flooring in the bathroom is grey, so I cringed with the thought of how long they could have gone unnoticed for.
Feeling a shiver up my spine, I knew I had to get rid of the pests as soon as possible – and, preferably, for ever.
According to new data from Victorian Plumbing, silverfish are most commonly seen in the home around August – so they’ve come right on time!
Not into torture, the use of diatomaceous earth – which would dry out their exoskeleton and kill them from dehydration – wasn’t on my to-do list.
Instead, I looked into more humane ways to deter the pests from wiggling their way into my bathroom. First, I placed my peace lily houseplant in the bathroom – peace lilies love humidity.
My line of thought was, silverfish thrive in humid environments, hence their preference for the bathroom, but so do peace lilies.
With a peace lily soaking up the humidity in the bathroom, surely this would reduce humidity levels and make the place seem less habitable for silverfish… it didn’t work.
Then I tried cinnamon sticks in the bathroom, as silverfish don’t like the smell… but that didn’t work so I chucked the cinnamon sticks in the bin.
I would purposely go into the bathroom at night (silverfish are nocturnal) and switch on the light, only to be dismayed when I’d see one or two silverfish slither across the floor.
Next was the addition of a lavender oil diffuser – silverfish hate the scent of lavender, but I like the scent.
For a few days, I really thought this worked… then a silverfish returned and I felt angry.
Next on my list was a dehumidifier – now there was a triple threat: a peace lily plant, lavender oil, and a dehumidifier.
Much to my relief, the dehumidifier did the job – although it was shocking how much water it collects of a night.
Perhaps my daily showers aren’t the only reason for the high humidity (and no bathroom window).
Now I’m concerned there could be a plumbing issue with the building… but that issue is for another day.
