Silverfish in university halls - help please!

[nnnwnw]

DS is a first year in halls - ground floor room on the corner of a building.

He had mould problems after only being there about 10 days (tiny room, bed forced up against outside wall), but this was easily solved by using a dehumidifier. It's a good one and keeps the humidity well under control as shown on a digital readout, so no more mould.

But now, he has silverfish. I don't really know what to do. The main thing to eliminate is moisture to get control of silverfish, but the dehumidifier is already controlling moisture 24/7. He has an ensuite and now doesn't shower in there, uses gym shower to avoid the moisture/silverfish.

has anyone got any suggestions as to what can be done? The room is quite poorly ventilated - fire door always closed and window that only opens a bit because it's ground floor.

He doesn't particularly want the uni to come and spray something noxious because it literally is such a small room that he will be inhaling it all the time.

Has anyone dealt with this? It's so annoying as the room is ££££ and a really disgraceful standard. There are little gaps all around the skirting/fitted furniture and the building is maintained to the minimum possible standard. He has a lot of books and we don't want them eaten/infested. And don't want his clothing eaten either!

any suggestions welcome x

And the good news, along with woodlice, they are edible, tasting somewhat like prawn - good protein source, so if the student budget runs out a nice pasta and silverfish dish😂

It sure is!

The smooth thing is interesting.

We already have nothing stored on the floor or under the bed as we tried to get air circulating to cure the mould issue (which is gone).

Wet room en-suite was a pain for damp when I was at uni at what is now Cardiff Met, we found window open and propping wet room door wide open all day whilst out resolved the mould issues, and making sure fully dry before stepping onto the carpet in the room, which was supercord, the worlds most shit carpet.

It's honestly so clean already as he hates mess and germs. The only part I can think that he may not have tackled is behind the sink as you look from underneath. The rest has had the absolute shit bleached out of it as when he moved in, it was obvious there had been mould before.

Not very substantial, though. They're made of dust and nothingness, like moths.

I am so looking forward to him coming out of these manky halls. The irony is that the uni have stuck a sticker up saying that they signed up to the student accommodation code!

Another question if anyone is still reading:

How will I avoid these bugs coming home with me when he moves out? I can do without my house being infested!

Has he reported the silverfish issue to the uni/ halls team. They’ll send pest control out with a couple of traps of investigate and the offer to treat. Surely he can ask whilst the treatment is going on for a temporary room move as most students would if there is a big maintenance issue or is unsafe whilst work is going on. Or ask the occupancy team for a managed move to a different room as it’s affecting his mental health.

When dd moved home for the summer from halls we put absolutely everything into the garage and placed everything into a chest freezer for at least 3 days before it was allowed into the house. They had had a persistent moth issue (as well as scabies).

😱 I'd take the silverfish over spiders

in my experience halls were better. When he rents a place in the town it will be the most basic, disgusting, mouldy places that you will be charged the earth for and they will take things off your deposit for ‘dust in the drawers’

Don’t they scatter of you make a noise or have the lights on? I can’t see tgat they’d want to be around when you are packing up?

And as character building as Uni Halls are, they are a mere stepping stone to next year in a shared house…

Cedar oil!!

i spent a couple years and lots of money trying things to get rid of silverfish in my house. Eventually stumbled on they hate the cedar oil. I got it in a spray form. Sprayed all along the skirting boards and edge of the bath and furniture left it 3 days then did it again (hadn’t seen any since first spray). I’ve never seen them again. Probably every few months I give it another spray to keep them away.

i recommend doing it just before he comes home for a weekend. It proper smells

Personally I'd probably sneak in a sealant and just seal all the gaps, and deny I'd ever done it.

"The smooth thing is interesting.

We already have nothing stored on the floor or under the bed as we tried to get air circulating to cure the mould issue (which is gone)."

This is why you will often find them stuck in sinks - they crawl in but can't get out.

Ikea furniture like Hemnes and kallax is great as I found they can't climb it, but unfinished pine like the ivar range seems to attract them.

I've never been able to completely get rid of them - but decluttering, becoming a minimalist and storing the things I love carefully off the ground has saved my sanity.

Make sure to store all food in airtight containers - this has kept them out of my kitchen cupboards.

I also hoover daily and run a dehumidifier.