If a spider bites
For a redback bite, healthdirect says to wash the bite, put on a cold pack for 15 minutes, see a doctor if symptoms are bad, and go to hospital if the pain is very bad. healthdirect says white-tailed spiders aren't considered dangerous to humans. For first aid advice on any bite, call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
Silverfish and booklice
The Australian Museum says silverfish favour humid indoor spots such as bathrooms, and the Western Australian Museum notes they like dark, quiet, secluded places, which is why you rarely see one until you lift a towel or a stack of old magazines.
Booklice, the same museum says, favour warm, humid, quiet, undisturbed places. CSIRO adds that psocids, the group booklice belong to, prefer moist surroundings. A laundry shelf of old boxes and damp paper suits both.
Cockroaches by the drain
Three kinds turn up here, each for its own reason. Oriental cockroaches prefer cool, damp places at or below ground level, including drains, says Victoria's Department of Health. American cockroaches live around sewers and grease traps. And the laundry sink is German cockroach country: most of their infestations are under sinks and in cupboards, the department says, so see the German cockroach page if they're small and brown.
Spiders in the corner
White-tailed spiders are often found in bathrooms and laundries, says the Australian Museum. healthdirect says current evidence suggests their bites don't cause skin ulcers, so one on the shower wall is no reason to call anyone; leave it be or shut the door and open the window.
Redbacks like dry, sheltered spots, and the Australian Museum includes toilets in its list, so glance under the seat of an outside toilet before you sit.
Termites and the leak you've been ignoring
WA Building and Energy says plumbing and drainage leaks should be fixed quickly, because damp conditions attract termites. A shower base that has leaked for years, or a laundry pipe dripping into the wall, keeps the timber around it damp. If skirting or architraves near a wet area feel soft or the paint has bubbled, leave them be and have it inspected.
Dry it out first
You can
- Run the exhaust fan or open a window during and after showers.
- Fix dripping taps, leaking traps and the hose behind the washing machine.
- Hang towels and bath mats to dry instead of leaving them in a heap.
- Clear old cardboard, magazines and paper out of the laundry.
- Pull the washing machine out now and then and wipe behind it.
Leave to a pest business
- Cockroaches coming up from the drains night after night.
- Silverfish that keep turning up once the room is dry.
- Soft timber or bubbled paint near a long-term leak: that's a termite inspection.
Our take on pests in the bathroom
We'd fix the damp before paying anyone: the exhaust fan, the drip, the soggy bath mat. Silverfish and booklice want humid, undisturbed corners, so drying the room takes away what they came for. Cockroaches from the drains, or soft timber by a leak, we'd hand to a pest business.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
