Have you noticed the holes and dirty stains on your clothes?
Are you wondering if washing clothes really kill silverfish eggs? In this article, I will tell you everything about getting rid of silverfish eggs, so next time you don’t have to worry about the damage caused by Silverfish and its eggs.
Does washing clothes kill silverfish eggs?
Washing machines at high temperature will kill any eggs and silverfish that might be hidden away in your clothes. So if you want to get rid of the silverfish eggs, wash your clothes.
Silverfish is the most common culprit responsible for ruining linen, silk, rayon, cotton, viscose and other fabrics.
How to identify silverfish eggs?
Silverfish eggs are close to oval in shape and measure approximately 1 mm in length. The eggs look soft and white just after laying but turn yellow and tough over time. Just after hatching, Silverfish appears white but gradually develops into grey or silver near adulthood.
Female Silverfish can produce one or in the cluster up to 20 eggs at a time. Its eggs rest in tiny cracks or cervices inside the house, clothes, or cupboards.
Dark areas and cracks are usually the appropriate locations for reproduction for silverfish to protect its eggs from any kind of damage through pest control spray or vacuum.
Silverfish’s eggs may take around 19 to 60 days to hatch. The hatching process occurs more feasibly in humid conditions, but the eggs can even survive harsh environmental conditions.
Due to their small size, they are barely visible to the naked eye. Any holes and dirty stains on your clothes will serve as a clue about the presence of silverfishes and their growing population.
Can silverfish eggs survive washing machines?
Any silverfish that made it into your washing machine will eventually die during the laundry process.
The eggs cannot tolerate the high speed of your washing machine and end up getting destroyed. After laundry, properly dry your clothes to make 100% sure that no silverfish or its eggs remain on your clothes.
Also, you can wipe out the washing appliances if you’re concerned about the remains of pests and eggs. A quick vacuum of your machine will take care of any stragglers remaining in it.
Do Silverfish lay eggs in clothes?
Silverfish prefer damp areas with high humidity to lay eggs. They need a relative humidity of between 75% and 95%, which generally only occurs in Summer in cooler climates.
That’s the reason you’ll most often find silverfish nests in basements, kitchens, laundry rooms and near to water pipes.
They nest and lay eggs in cracks and crevices in these locations where they can get the most little human interaction.
Silverfish also frequently infest attics and closets, feeding on books, clothing, paper and other carbohydrate sources. You can accidentally bring the insect’s eggs into your home in old cardboard boxes, unclean clothes and old books.
What naturally kills silverfish eggs?
There are several different ways to kill the silverfish eggs. A few of them are listed below,
- Sprinkle boric acid along the corners of the floor. Boric acid will not only kill the silverfishes, and it will help kill their eggs as well, preventing any further infestation.
- Spread the diatomaceous earth in dark storage spaces. Diatomaceous earth has sharp edges that will attract the silverfishes, destroy their exoskeleton and thus prevent it from reproducing.
- You can use a dehumidifier to reduce the unnecessary moisture in your house. Low humidity will prevent the proper hatching, and the eggs will be damaged if the conditions are not appropriate.
- Throw away the old newspaper and unused paper materials. By discarding old papers, you can prevent the further development of eggs.
- Vacuuming your house will reduce the food for Silverfish and also suck their eggs from the carpet and any other place where they might be hiding, thus denying them a good environment to flourish.
- Bleach is a great way to get rid of Silverfish because it will kill both the eggs and the adults. Spray bleach to the dark, humid areas near crack crevices where most probably eggs are resting.
- The regular cleaning itself will act as a natural silverfish repellant and thus prevent the growth of silverfish and eggs.
- If the clothes and belongings are not susceptible to heat, place them in a plastic bag and leave them in the sun for 1-2 hours to kill any silverfish and eggs on the clothes.
- Lower the temperature to below 60 F to slow reproduction.
How do you get rid of silverfish eggs on clothes?
The easiest way to protect your clothes from the silverfish eggs is through proper cleaning.
Washing your clothes regularly with appropriate detergent and in a washing machine kills most of the eggs.
After laundry, try to dry your clothes in the sunlight for few hours as the sunlight will disinfect your clothes from any pests. Washing machines are perfect to kill the Silverfish and its eggs hiding in the clothes.
They create holes in the clothes because their mouths are only capable of taking small bites and scratching edible material from various surfaces.
Silverfish create holes in clothes and yellowish stains. These cracks and spots look horrible on our clothes, and we need tight control to stop the growing population of silverfishes in our houses.
Although Silverfishes are not dangerous to humans but can cause harm to various things, Silverfish feed on polysaccharides found in books, clothes, bindings, carpets and other carbohydrate sources. They can destroy our furniture, home decoration and different beautiful artworks.
Getting rid of Silverfishes and its eggs is not that difficult. Just follow few habits to get rid of it and some preventive measures to stop it from coming back.
By killing silverfish eggs, we will directly reduce the population of the silverfishes as they are capable of laying multiple eggs at a time.