How do you keep geckos out of the house?

How to get rid of geckos in Singapore: why they come in

If you keep finding lizards at home, on a wall beside a light or on the ceiling near a window, the light is the clue. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that house geckos are commonly seen near lights at night, waiting to eat insects such as moths and cockroaches. The same factsheet says they get indoors through cracks and crevices or around doorways.

So a gecko inside your home needs two things: a way in and something to eat. Take away both and there is little reason for it to come in or stay. That is why the steps on this page work together:

• sealing gaps closes the way in
• cutting insects removes the food
• cleaning droppings deals with the mess they leave behind
• a gentle catch-and-release deals with the odd one already inside

Before you start, note where you see geckos most often. The doors, windows and vents nearest to those spots are the first places to check for gaps, and the lights nearest to them are the first to look at when you cut down insects.

Seal the gaps

Closing the way in does most of the work. University of California Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) says to seal all small openings 1/4 inch and larger, and to check the corners of doors and windows and the areas around pipes and ventilation screens. It calls threshold sweeps and tight-fitting door seals important, and lists caulking, foam, flashing and steel wool among the materials.

Walk around your home and look for daylight showing around closed doors and windows. Places worth checking:

• the gap under the main door and any kitchen or back door
• the corners of window frames, including sliding windows
• holes where pipes, including aircon pipes, pass through a wall
• vents and the screens over them

To seal gaps around doors, a threshold sweep closes the space under the door and a door seal closes the sides. Texas A&M AgriLife says to check and replace weather stripping around doors and windows, and for windows our guide to replacing a window rubber seal walks through that job. On windows you like to keep open, an insect screen lets air in while keeping insects and geckos out.

Cut the insects they feed on

Geckos come indoors for food. Texas A&M AgriLife describes them waiting near lights at night for insects such as moths and cockroaches, so fewer insects means fewer reasons to visit.

Two practical changes help:

• Lights. Keep lights off near open windows and doors in the evening, or close those windows once the lights go on. Drawing the curtains also means less light near the glass.
• Cockroaches. Cockroaches are food too. Clear crumbs after meals, keep food in sealed containers, take the rubbish out often and wipe down the kitchen at night. Our guide on how to get rid of cockroaches by cleaning sets out a fuller routine.

Once the food runs short, a home with sealed gaps gives geckos little reason to keep trying.

Why there is no gecko spray

You may have looked for a gecko spray and found nothing useful. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that no pesticides are registered for gecko control. That is why this guide focuses on gaps and insects rather than a product.

Instead of searching for something to spray, put the effort into the two things that bring geckos in. Sealed gaps keep them outside, and fewer insects give them no reason to wait by your lights. The same habits, sealed gaps and fewer crumbs, also make your home less inviting to the insects geckos hunt.

If you are dealing with other household pests as well, our pest control questions page answers common questions about them.

Cleaning up droppings

Gecko droppings are easy to recognise. Texas A&M AgriLife describes them as elongated and brownish, often tipped with white, and notes that they can stain carpets, walls and curtains. Check below lights, along curtain rails, on window ledges and behind furniture near windows.

Because they can stain, wipe them up soon after you spot them:

• put on gloves
• pick up the dropping with a damp paper towel and bin it
• wipe the spot with mild detergent and warm water
• rinse with a clean damp cloth and let it dry

On curtains and other fabrics, follow the care label.

If droppings keep turning up in one place, a gecko is spending time there, so check that area for gaps and insects too. For a whole-home routine, work through our deep cleaning checklist.

Getting one out

For the odd gecko already inside, a gentle catch-and-release is enough. Open the nearest door or window, switch off the lights in that room and give it a few minutes, as it may find its own way out. If it does not, place a container over it, slide a piece of card underneath and carry it outside. Move slowly, do not grab it by the tail and do not try to hurt it. Then check the room for the gap it used.

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