Domakihub How to Get Rid of Geckos Indoors — for Good
Practical steps to deter, trap, and exclude house geckos from your home, rental, or hotel.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Geckos are a fact of life in Greece — warm summers, stone walls, and abundant insects make every home, holiday villa, and hotel an attractive hunting ground for these small reptiles. The video above walks through the core removal method; the steps below translate that approach to the specific conditions of Greek properties, whether you are dealing with a single gecko behind a mirror or a whole colony working its way through a coastal rental. You do not need chemicals or a specialist for most cases — consistent exclusion and habitat removal solve the problem 90 percent of the time.
Why Geckos Move Indoors
Mediterranean house geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) are the species you will almost certainly be dealing with in Greece. They follow light and warmth: a bright terrace lamp attracts moths, moths attract geckos, and geckos slip through the nearest gap to hunt. Air-conditioning units, unsealed pipe penetrations, and ill-fitting roller shutters are the three most common entry points in Greek buildings.
Geckos are harmless to people and genuinely useful as insect control. The problem is their droppings — small, dark cylinders with a white tip — which stain walls, contaminate food-prep surfaces, and unsettle guests in accommodation. That is the real reason to manage their numbers indoors.
What Attracts Them (and What You Can Remove)
The three core attractants are light, insects, and moisture. A single unscreened window left lit at night can draw dozens of insects per hour, which in turn draw geckos to the facade and then inside. Dripping taps and condensation under fridges provide the water geckos need, and cluttered storage — cardboard boxes, stacked firewood indoors, loose insulation — gives them daytime hiding spots.
Removing these attractants is not optional prep work before the steps below; it is the step that makes everything else work. A property that is treated but still has unscreened lights and damp corners will be re-colonised within weeks.
5 Steps to Get Rid of Geckos Indoors
- 1
Switch or shield your exterior lights
Replace white incandescent or cool-LED bulbs at entry points with warm-yellow LED bulbs (2700 K or lower) or sodium-vapour lamps. These emit less UV and attract far fewer insects. Where you cannot change the fixture, fit a directional shield so the beam points away from walls and windows. This single change often reduces gecko sightings by half within a fortnight.
- 2
Seal every gap larger than 6 mm
Walk the perimeter at dusk with a torch and mark every opening: gaps around conduit, the tops of roller-shutter boxes (a notorious entry point in Greek construction), worn door sweeps, and cracked render around window frames. Fill small gaps with silicone sealant; fit brush-strip door seals and stainless-steel mesh over ventilation openings. Pay special attention to the junction between the external wall and the ceiling slab, where shrinkage cracks are common.
- 3
Remove food sources and moisture
Fix any dripping taps or slow drains, and check the drip tray under refrigerators and air-conditioning units — empty and dry it monthly. Store dry food in sealed containers and remove insect-attracting clutter (cardboard, old newspapers, stacked firewood) from inside the property. If you have a persistent insect problem independently of geckos, address it with screens on windows and doors rather than pesticide sprays, which do not affect geckos and can contaminate surfaces.
- 4
Place glue boards in active areas
Commercial glue boards (sticky traps) placed flat along skirting boards, behind appliances, and in corners where you have spotted droppings will catch geckos that are already inside. Check boards every 48 hours; a live gecko on a board should be released by applying a small amount of vegetable oil to loosen the adhesive, then relocated at least 200 m from the building. Replace boards every two weeks or sooner if they collect dust, which kills their effectiveness. Do not place boards where pets or small children can reach them.
- 5
Apply a deterrent perimeter and maintain it
Once the indoor population is cleared, treat the exterior perimeter with a residual insecticide labelled for crawling insects — this reduces the insect draw that attracts geckos, rather than targeting the geckos directly. Natural alternatives include spraying a diluted solution of peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil along door frames and window sills (reapply after rain). Mothballs are sometimes suggested online but are toxic if ingested by pets or children and should not be used. Inspect and repeat the perimeter treatment every 4-6 weeks through the warm season (April to October in Greece).
Rather have a pro handle it?
Get a vetted pest control pro in your city — one number, booked in EN/EL/DE.
FAQ
- Are geckos in Greece dangerous to humans or pets?
- No. Mediterranean house geckos do not bite unless handled roughly, are not venomous, and carry no diseases transmissible to humans under normal household contact. Their droppings are the main hygiene concern. Small cats or dogs may catch and eat them occasionally — this is generally harmless, though it is worth discouraging the habit.
- Is it legal to kill geckos in Greece?
- Mediterranean house geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) are not a protected species under Greek or EU law, so there is no legal prohibition on controlling them. However, the most effective long-term approach — exclusion and habitat modification — does not require killing any animals. Glue-board catches should ideally result in live release away from the property.
- How long does it take to get rid of geckos completely?
- With consistent application of all five steps, most properties see a significant reduction within 2-4 weeks and effective clearance within 6-8 weeks. Properties with structural gaps that are difficult to seal or with heavy surrounding insect populations may take a full season (spring to autumn) to fully resolve. The key variable is how completely entry points are sealed — partial sealing produces partial results.