What Kills Earwigs In The House? | Fast Fixes

Earwigs turn up in bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms when nights get dry or hot outside. The good news: they are nuisance pests, not biters, and the ones you see can be cleared fast while you cut off the source. Here’s how to kill earwigs in the house, plus the simple steps that stop new ones from wandering in.

You will see two tracks in the plan. First, use quick knockdown tools to remove the bugs you spot today. Second, fix the damp, leaky, and unsealed spots that keep drawing them indoors. Do both and the trickle of earwigs stops.

Killing Earwigs In Your House: Quick Options

Here is a snapshot of what actually works inside a home. Each method has a best place and a best moment. Pick two or three that match your rooms and run them together for faster relief.

Method	How It Works	Best Use
Vacuum or Sweep	Removes and kills on contact; bag can be discarded.	Along baseboards, under sinks, around doors.
Insecticidal Soap or Pyrethrin Spray	Contact kill; spray directly on earwigs you see.	Spot treatments in bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements.
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) or Silica Dust	Desiccant dust dries the cuticle after contact.	Paper-thin lines along cracks, behind appliances, under cabinets.
Sticky Traps/Glue Boards	Catches night crawlers as they roam.	Under sinks, near floor vents, behind toilets, along walls.
Rolled Newspaper/Cardboard Trap	Provides a shelter; empty into soapy water in the morning.	In corners where you notice night activity.

Contact Kill Sprays

In rooms where you can see the bugs, a labeled insecticidal soap or a pyrethrin aerosol gives instant knockdown. Aim for direct hits; these products work on contact and leave little residue. Avoid broad wall treatments indoors. After spraying, wipe the area and ventilate the room. Keep kids and pets out until it dries.

If earwigs keep slipping from a drain or a gap near a pipe, treat the source lightly, then switch to sealing and drying steps below. Over-spraying inside a home adds risk without better control.

Where To Use

Target splash zones and seams where earwigs hide during the day: the back edge of a vanity, the lip under a tub panel, the junction where a pipe meets a wall, and the bottom edges of baseboards. Treat only when you spot live insects. Wipe stray droplets so surfaces stay clean.

Products To Look For

Choose an insecticidal soap or a pyrethrin can that lists earwigs or general crawling insects on the label and is approved for indoor crack-and-crevice use. Read the directions from start to finish and stick to the indoor rate.

Desiccant Dusts

Food-grade diatomaceous earth and silica aerogel scratch the waxy outside of crawling insects. Apply a whisper-thin layer with a hand duster into cracks, wall-void edges, and dark seams where earwigs travel. Dust that clumps is too thick; a light, even film works better and keeps working while the area stays dry.

Avoid breathing dust. Wear a mask. Do not dust open countertops, dishes, or vents. Vacuum the residue once traffic stops and reapply only if you later see fresh activity.

Placement Tips

Good spots include the toe-kick recess under kitchen and bath cabinets, the narrow seam behind a washer, the gap under a basement door threshold, and the crack at the bottom inside edge of a closet wall. A tiny puff goes a long way.

Mechanical Control

A vacuum is quick, clean, and safe for living spaces. Run it along moldings, under sinks, and around laundry machines at night when earwigs roam. Glue boards add coverage in tight spots you cannot reach. Place them flat, flush with a wall, and replace when dusty or full.

Homemade shelters help in corners. Roll a damp newspaper or fold a piece of corrugated cardboard into a tube. Leave it out overnight. In the morning, drop the bundle into a bucket of soapy water or a trash bag.

Trap Placement

Slide glue boards inside vanity bases, behind toilets, beside the water heater, and along basement walls. Keep them away from pets and away from vents. Date each trap with a marker so you can track catch trends week to week.

What Kills Earwigs Inside The House Fast

Speed depends on matching the method to the room. In a small bathroom, two tools shine: a pyrethrin spot spray for the bugs you see and a thin dust line under the vanity toe kick for the ones you miss. In a damp basement, dry the air first, seal gaps, then back that up with glue boards set along the wall edges.

No single product fixes a moisture problem. Kill what you can see today, then starve the rest by removing the damp and the shelter they need.

Moisture Control And Sanitation

Earwigs slip inside when nights turn dry or hot and they search for damp, cool zones. Fix those zones and the flow slows to near zero. Start with leaks at traps, valves, and hose bibs. Run a dehumidifier to keep basements and laundry rooms near 45–50% RH. Pull wet cardboard and stacked paper from floors. Swap thick mulch at the foundation for rock or a thin, dry layer.

University extensions echo this plan: reduce moisture, seal gaps, and remove shelter. See the UC IPM earwig page and the UMN Extension earwigs page for step-by-step tactics that match these steps.

Seal Entry Points

Use caulk at foundation gaps, utility pass-throughs, and sill plates. Install door sweeps on exterior doors, and weatherstrip where light shows. Screen crawlspace vents and repair torn window screens. At night, switch bright white bulbs near doors to yellow “bug” LEDs; fewer insects gather, so fewer wander inside.

Lighting Tweaks

Earwigs often follow other night insects. Softer outdoor bulbs draw smaller crowds, which means less traffic near thresholds. Pair this with tight-fitting sweeps and you cut entry routes on two fronts.

Outdoor Perimeter Steps

Move firewood, boards, and leaf piles off the foundation. Clear clogged gutters and direct downspouts away from the house. If garden beds touch the siding, pull mulch back a foot. Where earwig pressure is high, a labeled residual spray along the exterior foundation can help as a shield. Follow the label and keep treatments outside living spaces.

Indoor Earwig Kill Methods Compared

Use this quick compare to choose the mix that fits your rooms and your comfort level. Pair a fast knockdown with a low-risk, steady tool and you will see fewer bugs each night.

Tool	Speed	Notes
Vacuum	Instant	Safe in kitchens and bedrooms; repeat at night for best catch.
Insecticidal Soap/Pyrethrin	Instant	Direct hits only; ventilate and keep people and pets out until dry.
Diatomaceous Earth/Silica	Hours–days	Needs dry surfaces; use a thin layer in cracks; avoid inhalation.
Sticky Traps	Hours–days	Great for monitoring; place flush with walls and under sinks.
Rolled Newspaper Trap	Overnight	Drop collected earwigs into soapy water each morning.

Step-By-Step Plan For A Typical Home

Evening, Day 1: Vacuum baseboards in the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room. Set two glue boards under each sink and one behind each toilet. Lay a dusting of DE under the kitchen and vanity toe kicks and along the wall behind the washer.

Night, Day 1: Lights off, flashlight on. Spot spray earwigs you see with a pyrethrin aerosol or a labeled insecticidal soap. Leave the traps in place.

Morning, Day 2: Empty any newspaper or cardboard shelters into soapy water. Swap full glue boards for fresh ones. Wipe and dry any wet spots you found during the night hunt. Start a dehumidifier if the basement feels damp.

Day 2 and Day 3: Caulk gaps at plumbing penetrations under sinks. Add a door sweep to the back door. Pull mulch away from the foundation and clear leaf piles by the steps. Check downspouts for leaks.

End of Week 1: Vacuum dust and reapply only if you see fresh droppings or catches. Most homes see the nightly count drop fast once moisture is under control.

Mistakes To Avoid

• Spraying entire rooms indoors. Contact sprays work when you see the bug. Broad indoor treatments add exposure without better results.
• Skipping the dehumidifier. Earwigs chase damp air. Dry rooms cut traffic.
• Dusting like snow. Thick layers clog and do not improve kill. Use the lightest pass that still leaves a visible film.
• Leaving traps in walkways. Glue boards near cribs, pet beds, or vents are a bad match. Tuck them inside cabinets or behind fixtures.
• Ignoring outside clues. A soggy downspout or a mulch berm touching the wall can feed a steady stream of insects.

When To Call A Pro

If you are catching dozens every night after a week of drying, sealing, and trapping, bring in a licensed pest manager. Ask them to start with inspection and exclusion, then limit products to the exterior. Indoors, the safer play remains vacuum, traps, and spot treatments only when you must.

Safety Notes

Always read and follow the label on any product. Store sprays and dusts out of reach. If anyone in the home has asthma or dust sensitivity, skip desiccant dusts and lean on vacuuming, sealing, and traps. Wash hands after handling traps or insects.