The Best Silverfish Repellent Sprays

Silverfish are small, wingless insects that are considered a major household pest – due to their liking for paper materials, including that contained in books as well as the wallpaper covering our plasterboards. They also feed on cotton and rayon. Left unchecked, they have the potential to cause great damage to our belongings – and they are extremely ugly as well! Other pests you may have a problem within your home include cockroaches, poisonous spiders, ants, mites, bed bugs, ticks, lice, and lady beetles. Like silverfish, they are unsightly to look at, and damage your property – but some of this creepy crawlies are also dangerous to humans as well, being carriers of disease and infection and (in the case of spiders) the risk of poisonous bites.

When it comes to tackling any of these blighters, the best solution is still a good insect repellent. Silverfish repellents are pesticide-containing solutions held within an aerosol can which you spray onto those areas of your house affected by pest problems. The bugs that come into contact with the pesticide – either directly or via the residue it leaves – are generally killed outright, as are their eggs and larvae. As well as killing insects immediately, silverfish repellents also deliver residual protection to your home, preventing most pests from making a re-appearance. In most cases, you will not have to spray your home with repellent again for at least 6 weeks to two months. Most repellents are also ready to go straight out of the can, requiring no further dilution.

Sounds like a simple concept, right? Not so fast! There are a vast array of silverfish repellents now out there on the market, and they vary greatly when it comes to their quality and different features. Here are some of the things you need to take into account, to ensure you purchase the best silverfish repellent for your particular needs.

First of all, you need to look at the active ingredients used in your repellent – ie. the chemicals that are actually responsible for killing the pests. Pesticides are not benign materials! Chemicals like DEET – a staple of mosquito repellents for many years – are now known to be toxic to humans and the environment. If you have children and pets running around at home, you don’t want them being exposed to harmful chemical residues when you spray your home with insect repellent! Luckily, there are now many ‘gentler’, eco-friendly silverfish repellents out there on the market that make use of organic, natural ingredients that are harmless to humans and most animals. Repellents that make use of materials like cedar and peppermint oil, permethrin, and pyrethrin-based repellents – these are the products you should be looking for.

If you have a bed bug problem in your home, then you will want a repellent that can be applied to your bedding and other home fittings – these are the areas where these pests like to dwell. Similarly, if you are out camping, you may feel that treating your tent, sleeping bag, mosquito netting, and other equipment with repellent is the best means of preventing pets from ruining your holiday. If you don’t want to bring pest back into your home via your suitcase when you go on holiday, then you want to be able to spray the inside of your luggage! In all of these cases and others, you want a silverfish repellent that doesn’t leave offensive odors or stains, and which can thus be applied to clothing, bedding, and other fabrics without damaging them. You want an insect repellent that is specified as odor-, and stain- or residue-free. Another thing to look for is whether your repellent of choice can be used both indoors and outside your house, or is specified for one domain only. Depending on where pests are situated on your property, you will want to choose a product that is suitable for that domain.

Otherwise, you will waste a lot of money purchasing replacement cans of insect repellent, and spray your home again and again. Again, check the product specifications of your repellent to see if it delivers residual protection against pests, and what the length is – six weeks to two months is the type of figure that is normal here.

Having taken a look at what silverfish repellents are, their many benefits compared to other pest control methods, and what things you need to consider in purchasing a repellent that is suitable for you, the time has come to take a look at some tips for using these repellent sprays.

Regardless of which silverfish repellent you choose to use, even the best product can end up being useless if you don’t handle it correctly. What’s worse, heavy insecticides and pesticides can be outright dangerous and harmful for you, your family, and your pets when mishandled, as many organizations such as the National Pesticide Information Center, point out.

So, here’s a quick list of some basic tips and guidelines to follow:

• Don’t just spray the items that you want to protect but the access points that lead to them. The sad reality is that silverfish can consume a great deal of different things in an average household. And while, sure, you can specifically spray your favorite book or photo album to make sure that no silverfish will get close to it, a much more effective and efficient tactic would be to spray the nooks and crevices where silverfish crawl out of, as well as the direct pathways they use to get to their targets. Spraying around an area is another efficient use of a spray – it’s impractical to spray the hundred or so books you have on your bookshelf but you can easily spray around the bookshelf itself.
• Don’t spray too much. Especially if the spray is heavy-duty and includes a strong insecticide, overdoing it will be both pointless and unpleasant. Follow the instructions on the product to the letter for the best results.
• If you have pets or small kids in the household, beware that they may touch or lick the spray so use it accordingly. More natural, non-toxic options are better in these scenarios but even then you should exercise extra caution as to where exactly you’re spraying.
• Use protective gear while spraying. Both stronger chemical insecticide sprays and basic, non-toxic repellents aren’t really something you want to inhale or get in your eyes. In large doses, basic essential oils spray can be harmful as well. So, it’s best to protect yourself when spraying with goggles, a face mask, and a pair of rubber gloves.

Is your home assailed by silverfish, cockroaches, bed bugs – or other annoying household pests? Then you may want to hit them with a good insect repellent. In this article, we’ve taken a look at silverfish repellents, including what they are all about, their many benefits – and then went on to review what in our view are the best repellent products on the market today. Hopefully, you find a product among this selection that’s suitable for your needs – so you can transform your home into a pest-free zone as well.