Ugh, I know – who wants to talk about those nasty little critters, right? But we keep it real here at Life in a House, and unfortunately, these fall under the category of keeping it real when it comes to your home and household pests.
No one likes having cockroaches in their home. Besides their distinctive odor and unhygienic habits, cockroaches can also play a role as carriers of diseases such as salmonellosis, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. Unfortunately, cockroaches are a common household pest as they are highly attracted to the food, warmth, moisture, and shelter that can easily be found in our houses.
These tips should help you get rid of cockroaches in your home and help you control things to keep them from returning to your home.
1. Declutter Your House
Want to know why you see so many cockroach infestations on Hoarders? Think about it. If you have many items just lying around, that is a clear invitation for them to make their home in the mess. Having a home that is clean and organized is the first step in your strategy to get rid of the cockroaches and give them fewer places to hide. Keep your house as free of clutter as possible, make sure there is a home for everything, and everything in it’s home each evening. This will also make it easier for you to detect when you have a problem in the first place.
2. Clean Up After Yourself
Cockroaches crave food and water, so the best way to keep them out of your home is to not invite them in in the first place with crumbs on the counter from breakfast three days ago. Wipe down the surfaces of your dining tables, kitchen tables, countertops, etc. so that they are free of crumbs and any traces of food or drink. Seal all the leftover food you have in secure containers, don’t leave dirty dishes lying around. If you have a pet, make it a habit to clear away any food that they leave behind so the cockroaches cannot get access to it.
3. Empty the Trash Frequently
When it comes to battling cockroaches, there is no point in diligently cleaning up food and wiping down counters if you are not going to empty your rubbish bin frequently. Your rubbish bin acts as a safe haven for cockroaches where they can get easy access to food scraps. You should empty it out regularly to avoid creating an environment where cockroach breeding could occur.
4. Take Care of Plumbing Leaks Immediately
Cockroaches love moisture – like any other living creature, they need water to survive. If you have a plumbing problem, the resulting moisture leaks in your piping system could be attracting cockroaches to hang out there. Therefore, you should make it a habit to regularly check your plumbing and get any leaks fixed as quickly as possible. Moreover, get rid of any stagnant liquids around your home to further deter the presence of cockroaches.
5. Seal Up the Cracks
Cockroaches can breed extremely quickly. A female cockroach has an egg sac that can carry up to 50 eggs, and once hatched a cockroach can reach reproductive age in a matter of 50 days. This is why you need to be on the lookout for spaces where cockroaches like to breed, which include cracks and crevices within the structures of your home. If you can fill up the gaps and holes in the walls and openings around your home, it will be harder for cockroaches to hide out there and reproduce.
6. Use a Cockroach Trap or Bait
One way to tackle cockroaches head-on is by using a cockroach trap or bait. A cockroach trap is a store-bought device that uses some form of scent to attract roaches. It will then trap the cockroaches in a sticky substance so that you can get rid of them easily. Meanwhile, a cockroach bait disguises insecticide as a food source. The cockroach is meant to ingest the insecticide and return to the nest to die, spreading the poison to the rest of the nest. Cockroach traps and baits should be placed in areas where cockroaches frequently roam, such as near the bin or under a sink.
7. Call Pest Control Services In
If your cockroach problem is well underway, sometimes these preventative steps and measures are not enough to make them go away. The most effective method of dealing with a full-blown roach infestation will be to engage the services of professional pest control in Glen Waverley. As cockroaches are not just annoying pests but also pose a legitimate health concern, hiring a professional to properly get rid of them for you is a smart move.
If you’re tired of sharing your home with cockroaches, remember to keep these tips in mind to enjoy a clean, hygienic and cockroach-free home for many years to come.
