Stop! Don't recycle this common household item – use it to easily banish silverfish without chemicals for free, experts reveal

With the weather getting colder and wetter, you might notice more silverfish appearing around your home, attracted to the warmth and shelter.

While not harmful to humans, these little pests can be a nuisance in your home, causing damage to books, papers, or wallpaper. So, how can you get rid of them quickly, and without chemicals?

Here, entomologists share a clever and budget-friendly method to deal with these common indoor pests by taking advantage of their unusual feeding habits and reusing your old newspapers.

Why does old newspaper work to banish silverfish?

According to entomologists, a rolled-up newspaper can be used to catch and get rid of silverfish, which are commonly known for damaging books, clothing, and contaminating food sources in the kitchen. So, how does this natural pest control method work?

'Silverfish congregate in damp, warm environments, preferring humidity above 75 per cent and temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit,' advises Dr. Tracy Ellis, an award-winning entomologist at FarmSense. 'Rolled-up, moistened newspaper placed in humid, warm areas provides both shelter and food.

'Silverfish scrape apart the cellulose fibers of the paper with their mouthparts and digest them using specialized gut enzymes capable of breaking down cellulose.'

Then, once the silverfish have moved in, all that's left to do is dispose of the paper.

'It is simple to eliminate them all at once,' agrees Tony King, pest expert and founder of The Pied Piper Pest Control. 'This is a very old-fashioned but really efficient way of their reduction' if you've spotted any signs of silverfish infestation around your home.

Importantly, adds Tracy, silverfish also release aggregation pheromones to signal suitable sites for clustering, meaning that where one goes, more tend to follow.

However, if you're dealing with a significant infestation, you will, of course, need to keep an eye out for any signs that it's time to call pest control, like those at Orkin, who can deal with the issue efficiently and professionally.

How to use the newspaper method for silverfish

'To accomplish this properly, I recommend taking a few pages of newspaper, loosely rolling them into a tube, and then moistening them just enough, so they're damp but not wet,' advises Tony, using a spray bottle, such as the Great Value All Purpose Plastic Spray Bottle available at Walmart.

'Place the roll in areas where you've noticed silverfish activity, such as beside baseboard, under sinks, or in bathrooms,' all of which are common places for hidden pest harborage.

Then, all you need to do is wait for around a week before getting rid of the newspaper. For this, Tony recommends burning, while Tracy suggests placing the roll in a sealed bag and freezing the lot, before disposing in an outdoor trash bin.

This should prevent this common winter pest infestation from recurring later in the season by avoiding reintroducing them to your home.

What are the drawbacks of this method?

Ultimately, says Tony, the biggest drawback of this method is that it's really a trap-and-dispose strategy, rather than a true eradication step, says Tony.

'It won't eliminate a large infestation or eggs, so silverfish can still keep reappearing if the circumstances remain favorable. It also requires you to keep in mind to check and replace the traps on a regular basis, which for some is inconvenient.'

Additionally, advises Daniel Baldwin, board-certified entomologist at Hawx Pest Control, it's best, really, to make sure silverfish don't have a reason to be there in the first place, and, if using this newspaper trick, to ensure it's done alongside other proven methods.

'Newspaper roll traps for silverfish can be paired with glue boards or sticky traps [such as the Catchmaster Max-Catch Mouse & Insect Glue Trap available at Amazon] that are placed along walls, baseboards, and behind furniture for additional monitoring,' suggests Tracy.

And, adds Tony, 'As part of a more comprehensive plan, I typically recommend combining this with products that kill silverfish outright.'

For example, he suggests the Dekko Silverfish Paks available at Walmart as his first choice, 'that work around the clock for several weeks,' or the Safer Home Diatomaceous Earth available at Amazon.

'This can be lightly sprinkled into crevices, behind equipment, and along baseboards to kill silverfish by dehydrating them,' he says. 'Using these products in combination with the newspaper method will give you significantly better long-term control.'

What to shop

All prices were correct at the time of publication.

Meet our experts

Tony King

Tony established The Pied Piper Pest Control back in 1992, which is now a leading pest control service with a legacy spanning over 25 years.

Dr. Tracy Ellis

Dr. Tracy Ellis is an award-winning entomologist at FarmSense, who has worked for the USDA and other government agencies surrounding insect quarantine enforcement and eradication programs.

'Overall, the newspaper method serves as an investigatory aid to help identify primary harborage sites,' says Tracy. 'Once those are known, effective control requires measures such as reducing moisture, sealing entry points, and eliminating paper-based food sources.' For that reason, getting rid of silverfish also presents a surprising use for your dehumidifier.