how to get rid of slugs in the house

Enda is an avid gardener and also a builder who loves creative landscaping. He loves to share his tips with those who enjoy their gardening

Keep Slugs and Snails Out of the House

Slugs are slimy creatures that eat plants, and they love dampness and darkness. They can ruin a garden, especially a vegetable garden, in only a few nights if left to their own devices. They seem particularly fond of bedding plants, which are low to the soil. Not only can you find them in the garden, but you can also find them inside your house—which is a really horrible thought.

It is nonetheless true, and when it happens, it can be quite a serious problem. There are many home remedies to get rid of slugs in your house; some of these work and some don't, and we shall cover that as well. I'll share some good tips for getting rid of slugs in your home and keeping them out of your yard and walls.

6 Quick and Easy Ways to Eliminate Slugs

The best and quickest way is just to kill them. This is a viable option if you are not squeamish. A sharp stick will do the trick. Simply poke a stick into them and drop them into a bucket of water. That pretty much takes care of them. If you are squeamish, then ask someone who isn't to help you.
Throw salt on them, and they will be dead in a few minutes. Then, you can get rid of them. Sea salt works better because it is more coarse.
A bird table is a great idea, as it attracts birds that will eat slugs.
Don't waste time with beer traps—they are a hit-or-miss method.
Make the ground unappealing to slugs. Add some tree bark around bushes or better still some gravel or fine grit.
Avoid any type of ground-covering plants, as slugs are experts at hiding under them. Try planting flowers that don't trail along the ground, and keep the soil well aerated as you go.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind:

Slugs come out at night, so any of these options will require a nighttime walk around the garden.
The time of year is important. Winter is a good time to deal with slugs. You may notice that around this season, slugs tend to disappear. If you are doing your last grass cut for the year and preparing the ground, this is a good time to make the ground rough and unappealing to slugs.
If you keep plant pots around the doors of your house, know that slugs enjoy staying underneath them. This really goes for anything that sits on the ground. I am not quite sure how they manage to actually get under these, but they do. It does no harm every now and then to do a quick check, especially if the pot is sitting close to any of the entrances to your home.
If you have a leafy garden, moss, or any type of slimy surface close to your house, slugs can get in through vents and under or through skirting boards. They do leave that telltale silver slimy trail behind them. They can also get in through any gaps in old doors or windows.
You will find them lurking behind items you may have sitting around in back halls, such as washing machines or under buckets. This especially happens in utility rooms when they manage to get in there. A simple way to cure that is to fill the gaps up as best you can.
Slugs feed on plants and weeds, so if you have any outside your door, slugs will like the environment.

Try using copper tape to prevent slugs from entering your home.

By Mosborne01 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

How to Use Copper Tape

If you found a slug in your house, the best step is to prevent them from getting inside. A great way to do this is to use copper tape.

There are a number of them on the market, and as an avid gardener, I have tried a number of them. I like using the tape because I found it worked best.

The tape is just slightly wider than an inch, flexible enough to bend and adjust to shapes and corners, and is easy to attach. It works great for wrapping around flower pots and tubs.
It uses an organic solution that doesn't actually kill the slugs. It simply stops them in their tracks and sends them off in a different direction.
It is also harmless to wildlife, family pets, and children. That makes it different from slug killers such as pellets.

I've used this tape a lot around the back and front doors as well as certain areas of my garden. It works really well, is easy to fix, and lasts for around three years before it needs replacing. Always wear gloves when putting this on, as the metal edging is very sharp and will cut you.

The tape is a cheap and easy method to end your problem. The main drawback of using this is that you do need something to attach it to, and in certain circumstances, it can be very difficult to keep it on.

How to Use Slug Killers

Slug killers work quickly. They make slugs disappear and stop breeding, which really is the biggest issue with slugs. I have used these in my garden and other people's gardens, and they have all reported great results.

They are especially good for vegetable gardens or lawns that have plants that are low to the ground.

A great tip is to use slug-killer granules really early in the spring when slugs start to breed a lot. This will stop them from making a home in your garden or lawn, and it will also help reduce their population throughout the year.

How Do Slugs Get in the House?

Slugs can get into your house a lot more easily than you may think. All slugs like three conditions that will allow them to breed and thrive:

Darkness
Dampness
Smooth surfaces

I usually see slugs in basements, hallways, kitchens, and even inside living rooms. This is especially true in older houses and any house that has dampness. Many people believe that it may be that their house is dirty and that is what attracts the slugs in the first place. I can assure you that this is not true—it is simply the environmental conditions of where you live.

Get Rid of the Ones That Are Inside Your House

There is nothing worse than waking up on a beautiful morning, only to find slugs in your house. They look horrible and leave a slime trail everywhere they go. My kids are also frightened of them, and my wife hates them with a passion.

For a long time, I had a problem with these slugs both in my house and in my garden. I tried all the usual off-the-shelf products, including various types of pellets, sprays, and beer traps. Some of them worked for a while, but the slugs returned. My other concern was that I have kids and a dog that could get into poisonous pellets or sprays. I had to be careful using these as well.

The frustrating thing about battling slugs is that you feel you made some progress, but the slugs just come back year after year. I remember going on a real crusade to get rid of them one year by picking them off every time I saw one. The only thing I can say about that is that there are more slugs than I had time to get rid of, both in my garden and just outside my house.

I asked my neighbor if he was having similar problems, and he said that he had been tortured with slugs at one time. He still had the problem but greatly diminished it by putting a bird feeder into the garden. It attracted quite a few wild birds that apparently helped eat the slugs.

The good news is that slugs are not actually that clever, but boy, can they breed quickly! The only appeal your house has for them is darkness and dampness.

We all have darkness in our houses, and they will have some moisture inside. We like to make our houses look nice with flowers and planters, but don't leave them right outside your door. That makes a very short path for them, and slugs move a lot faster than you might imagine. Trust me, I had a personal vendetta against slugs for many years because they destroyed my flowers for years.

I hope you have found this helpful and that you are able to get rid of slugs from your home quickly and, hopefully, permanently.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Please Leave Any Ideas You Have for Getting Rid of Slugs

Dan on January 09, 2020:

"Keep Slugs and Snails Out of the House... A bird table is a great idea"

A bird table? In the kitchen? I don't think so.

Kathy Hamel on September 14, 2019:

My hostas were riddled with holes from slugs. I spread wood ash (free from a friend with a fireplace) on the ground under the plants.

No more holes. The slugs won't crawl over the ash to get to the plant.

Might work in the vegetable garden too.

Blanca on June 15, 2019:

What if they are still babies, the ones I have in my home are about 1inch in size but they do look like they would turn into a full grown slug. They have been crawling up walls in my daughters corner where she kept her laundry and now just found one crawling on my blanket in bedroom. This is now making me crazy , I don't know what to do because they are so small. Please Help It would be appreciated...Thank you.

Scotty Word on February 11, 2019:

Well my problem is that it is not in a garden there under my house and I don't know how to get rid of them and it's winter time also I thought they didn't come around in the winter time but they do anyway they're coming up under the house through the baseboard getting in the living room in the kitchen any ideas

Manjunath on September 24, 2018:

Thank You So much

Enda McLarnon (author) from Belfast, Ireland on April 07, 2014:

@GrammieOlivia: Thanks very much for your very kind comments and I am so pleased that you found the information so helpful.

GrammieOlivia on April 06, 2014:

Great information here and lots of options. I'm going to make sure this get on the Weekend Gardeners page here on FB. We only have so much time in the garden so have to make use of all the ways available as help for us!

Enda McLarnon (author) from Belfast, Ireland on December 06, 2013:

@Stephanie36: They are rather ugly things for sure and come out mainly at night. I have hear though I am no expert that a good citrus spray will take care of them pretty quickly and is a good natural option

Stephanie from Canada on December 06, 2013:

I've never had a slug problem, but when I moved into my apartment I found silverfish. My cat loves catching them, but will sometimes just sit and watch them. *sigh*