It is often said cockroaches are women’s worst nightmare. Cockroaches are not terrible looking or a deadly kind of insect to fear, but the cringe-worthy insect can invade every corner of your living spaces from kitchen to bathroom. The fact that they multiply faster that intensifies the problem. Cockroaches eat a wider variety of foods and are believed to spread different types of diseases. A recent study claims that cockroaches also cause gastroenteritis and salmonella.
The following are some useful suggestions about getting rid of cockroaches if they have already made your home a safe refuge.
Clean Your Home Thoroughly
Cockroaches always look for new food sources; hence uncovered foods, dirt, and filth always attract them. The best way to insulate your home from their intrusion and invasion is to keep it clean always. Make sure to stick to the following instructions:
- Clean your dishes properly and put them away into the closed cabinet
- Clean spills and crumbs immediately
- Put all the garbage into a covered garbage bin
- Clean the grease from your stovetop
- Keep food in sealed containers
- Mop your home regularly
Use Store-Bought Baits
Another effective way to eliminate roaches is to utilize store-bought baits. Chemical baits lure roaches in the disguise of food sources. Cockroaches ingest those, get back to their nests, and soon succumb to death. When several cockroaches eat these baits, they spread the poison to their nest. Plant these baits near garbage and underneath cabinets and sinks in the kitchen and bathroom.
Use Store-Bought Traps
Another effective way to eliminate roaches is to use traps. These are easily found in supermarkets and even home improvement stores. The roaches are attracted to the scent or other baits used by these traps. Once they start investigating the sticky and scented baits, they easily get trapped inside. It can take a fortnight or so to get results and hence, you should use the traps periodically.
Apply Boric Acid
If you are looking for home remedies to get rid of roaches, boric acid is a powdered substance you can rely on. Make dough with a 1:1 amount of sugar and boric acid flour. Make small balls from the dough and plant them in places where roaches are usually found and also under stoves, fridge, and the backs of drawers and cabinets. The roaches, attracted to the foods, will feed on the dough. Boric acid will kill the cockroaches, and these will become food for other cockroaches. Keep in mind that boric acid is very useful in eliminating roaches but harmful for your pets. Therefore, you should try other methods if you have a pet at your home.
Liquid Concentration
A liquid spray made to deter and eliminate roaches is easily available at local stores. You can spray the diluted solution into cracks, crevices, and other areas where roaches usually hide during the daytime. You can also spray the solution to wipe counters and mop the floor. It’s the best bet if you prefer an overnight solution to drive out roaches.
Prevention is better than elimination. Hence, you should adopt some effective measures to ward them off. There are several successful strategies that will make your home less hospitable for these harmful insects.
Throw out Cardboard Boxes and Nix Newspapers
Roaches love newspapers and cardboard boxes. If these things are lying around the house, you are unknowingly inviting the roaches into your peaceful abode. Therefore, make sure to clear all these kinds of stuff and keep your home clean.
De-Clutter Your House
Keeping your home in tip-top condition is the best way to make sure that you don’t have to share your living space with any cringe-worthy creature. If your house is always in a messy state, it will always be inviting for roaches, bugs and rats and many more insects. De-clutter your house as much as possible. With less places for midday shelters, they will find it hard to hide their presence during daytime.
A yearly inspection by a professional is the best way to find out the cracks and holes through which roaches come into your house. Use caulk for tiny gaps and foam and wool for larger openings, particularly around pipes. You should also use a fine wire mesh to build up a barrier for bigger gaps around attic vents or chimneys.
Moisture is a huge draw for roaches as they need water for their survival. Make it a point to inspect your house regularly for leaks or other plumbing issues. Fix as soon as you find any. A good idea is to regularly inspect the sinks, fridges, faucets and appliances to make sure that these are not producing excessive moisture.
In Nutshell
Sometimes, DIY approaches are not sufficient to deal with the issues if the problem comes to a head. In such cases, taking the help of a professional exterminator is a sensible decision to eliminate persisting roaches.