If you have recently seen flashes of scuttling legs and a quickly vanishing silvery body, you are probably looking for a way to get rid of silverfish in your home.
Many people find these slippery little insects very unpleasant to deal with, although it should be noted that they are harmless to people and pets, and do not bite.
Lysol does kill silverfish but it might not be your only option.
If you need to get rid of them, spraying some of this on them will result in a quick and assured death. You can also spray it into gaps and cracks where silverfish may be hiding, which makes it effective for killing them off.
We’re going to look at:
- Whether Lysol kills silverfish and how it works
- What other brands will kill silverfish
- Whether you need more than just Lysol
- How Lysol compares in terms of costs
Does Lysol Kill Silverfish?
Yes, Lysol will kill silverfish.
It is very effective against them, and if you spray a silverfish with a good squirt of this, it will almost certainly die. They have no resistance against the spray, and it is a good way of controlling a silverfish population once they have entered your home.
It is important to note, however, that Lysol probably won’t kill silverfish eggs, as the insects tend to lay these deep in crevices, far out of reach of the spray. While you can attempt to reach them by spraying heavily into any cracks that you find, it is unlikely that you will manage to get them.
The spray usually will not go far enough to reach the eggs, and they will remain unharmed. That means that even if you manage to get rid of the adults, you may find that you have other silverfish in your home before long because the eggs will hatch.
If this happens, you will need to spray the young silverfish as soon as they emerge to try and prevent further breeding.
Some silverfish take about two years to mature, but some can reach adulthood and start breeding within four months. The local climate makes a big difference to their growth speeds.
Once laid, eggs can take between sixteen days and two months to hatch, so you need to be on the lookout for some time even if you have got rid of the adult silverfish.
How Does Lysol Kill Silverfish?
Lysol is a degreaser agent, and it works by clogging up the spiracles on the backs of insects. Insects breathe through their skins, and if you clog their breathing holes up, they will suffocate.
The Lysol coats the silverfish’s body, ensuring that it cannot get any oxygen in, and it will therefore die quite quickly. You can then sweep it up and dispose of it.
Remember, however, that silverfish are harmless and you may not need to kill them unless you are having problems with an infestation.
One or two of these little insects will probably not pose a problem, but an infestation needs to be dealt with promptly before they start destroying your possessions.
Will Other Brands Work Just As Well?
Lysol can be a bit pricey, so you might be wondering whether other cleaning brands will work against silverfish. The answer is that they will, as long as they have the active ingredients that make the cleaner an effective bug spray.
These ingredients are isopropyl alcohol and ethanol, but you also need to make sure that the spray contains benzalkonium chloride as this is what causes the alcohol to stick to the insect’s body and ensures that it is effective.
Ideally, a brand should be over 70% alcohol in order to work well.
Brands that don’t contain benzalkonium will probably still work against silverfish, but they may not prove as effective, because they won’t cling to its body in the same way.
If you don’t have Lysol to hand, it is worth trying other brands, but Lysol may prove the most effective. If possible, get some of this to deal with serious silverfish issues.
Will Lysol Solve All My Silverfish-Related Problems?
You might be wondering whether you can just spray a bit of Lysol around and be done with it. Unfortunately, probably not.
We have already mentioned that this is unlikely to kill silverfish eggs, so you will have to repeat the treatment at least once in order to properly tackle an infestation.
However, this isn’t the only problem. Another issue is that Lysol can only get silverfish when they are in direct line with it. If your silverfish are hiding behind a wall, in the tiles, or under the floor, you won’t be able to effectively deal with them using this spray.
Other Methods For Dealing With Silverfish
In this case, you may have to try making a trap with a glass jar. This involves putting tape or fabric around the outside of a jar so that the silverfish can climb the outside.
Bait the inside with food, and the silverfish will climb up and drop into the jar. They cannot climb the glass on the inside, so they will be stuck.
You can also put down damp newspaper, which the silverfish will crawl into to nest in. This can then be thrown away.
Dried bay leaves and cedar oil will also repel silverfish without killing them, or you can put out sticky traps or silverfish poison.
If you choose to poison them, be careful about where you put the poison, especially if you have pets or small children. It isn’t a very safe method, but it can work.
Lysol will work on silverfish that you can see, but since silverfish hide quickly when humans approach, it is possible that you will need to combine it with other methods to actually deal with a silverfish infestation.
How To Stop Silverfish Coming Back
Once you have effectively got rid of your silverfish infestation, how do you stop them from returning? Lysol won’t help you here, although keeping your home clean, fresh, and tidy is a good way to prevent insects from taking over.
You need to make it as inhospitable to silverfish as you can, and the way to do this is to minimize the damp spots.
These insects need moisture to survive, and if you have leaky taps, dripping pipes, or lots of condensation, they are much more likely to come into the home.
Invest in a dehumidifier for your home, and run it regularly, particularly in damp rooms like a shower room or bathroom. Don’t leave wet towels lying around, and regularly check pipework for leaks or damp spots.
If there is no moisture, there will be no silverfish.
As long as you can keep your home dry, these insects should disappear. You should also minimize the access that they have to food, although this can be a challenge because they eat a lot of different things.
Keeping the damp rooms of your house clean may be sufficient. That means regularly sweeping and mopping floors in the bathroom because silverfish will eat any crumbs that they find, including human hair and shed skin.
Avoid keeping magazines or other papers in your bathroom, as they also love paper. Hopefully, if you remove these things, store toilet rolls out of reach, and keep the room dry, you won’t see a recurrence of these insects.
Is Using Lysol More Cost-Effective Than Standard Silverfish Treatments?
It depends on the treatment that you are comparing it to.
If you use a glass jar wrapped in fabric or tape to trap silverfish, then no, it won’t be more cost-effective. The jar and fabric can be made from recycling and scraps and will cost you next to nothing.
However, if you are going to go out and buy a specific silverfish poison, Lysol may work out as a cheaper option.
You can just use boric acid, but you may find that this is comparable with Lysol in cost, and Lysol has more varied uses for cleaning and disinfecting around your home – so you may feel its cost is most justifiable.
Lysol is just one option for getting rid of silverfish, but it tends to be an effective one, and it does not cost a fortune.
However, if you need more cost-effective options, consider things like damp newspaper, the jar trap, or just drying your home out as thoroughly as possible.
A dehumidifier might cost more upfront than Lysol, but it has a lasting impact on the home and will help to deal with other critters too – because almost all insects need moisture to survive in the home, and making the air drier and warmer will reduce the number of bugs you see.
So Lysol or not?
Lysol is an effective silverfish killer, so if you are struggling with an infestation and you have some in the cupboard, it makes a great start.
Simply grab some and spray any bugs you can see, and spray into cracks and crevices. This should kill any silverfish in range.
You can then couple this with other control methods, getting on top of the infestation and ensuring your home is pest-free!
Alright, that’s it for this article, here are a few hand-selected articles that you might also find interesting reads:
How to Get Rid of Silverfish in Bathroom – In 3 EASY Steps
Top 10 fastest moving insects in the world
Pest Control or Exterminator: Seven Key Things You Need to Know Before Choosing
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