Control Cockroach Infestations in Your Home

Roaches can be a problem in any area of the country and in any season. A professional exterminator can rid you of the pests but you have to keep them from returning. Here are home steps you can take to eliminate roaches from your home.

Cockroaches are one of those pests that cause people to shudder. Once they are entrenched, they seem to be everywhere. Sometimes you don't even realize you have cockroaches until you tum on a light at night and see the dreaded pests scatter. Probably the worst consequence of a roach invasion is that it makes your house feel dirty. You are afraid they'll come out when you have company. You leave the lights on at night because it seems to keep them away, but they are still there, and you know it.

Roaches are one of the most common pests in the United States, and although different species of cockroaches are prevalent in different regions, they exist in every area of the country. You have to learn how to keep them at bay.

Eliminate Food Sources

Cockroaches feed on an amazing array of substances. Their most common food source, of course, is your food scraps. Start your campaign to eliminate your cockroaches by giving your house a good scrubbing. Once clean, you can take steps to limit where the roaches will go by making a few changes in your lifestyle. Try these tips and watch your roach population decline.

Crumbs and Food

This may seem obvious, but it doesn't simply refer to the food crumbs left on your plate after dinner. Crumbs and food sources exist in places that would never occur to you. Clean under and around your kitchen appliances, including refrigerators, microwaves, toasters, stoves and dishwashers. Years of grease and food scraps are hiding there and are a great source of food for roaches.

Food Storage

Roaches can get into boxes of dry food like cereals and pasta. If you can, transfer food in boxes to sealed plastic containers. If it must stay in the box put the box in the refrigerator. Clean out your kitchen cabinets to rid yourself of crumbs or food spills that may never have been cleaned up properly.

Trash

Make sure your trash is in a trash can with a lid that keeps them out by day. Take the trash out each night.

Clean, Clean, Clean

Wipe down your countertops each night with disinfectant spray. You can use simple vinegar and water in a spray bottle since vinegar has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. vacuum the kitchen each night to remove food sources. Every few days, vacuum areas you don't eat in to rid yourself of roach bodies and feces. These attract other roaches.

Pet Food

Put pet food in a sealed container. Don't leave the food out for the animal all night, feed them at specific times and only give them what they will consume in one sitting.

Remove Water Sources

Like all living things, roaches need water. Removing their Sources of water will cause them to self-evacuate.

Pipes - Your pipes can be a source of water for roaches. Fix leaks and loose connections. You should also fix pipes that sweat. Just a small amount of water is enough to sustain a whole colony of roaches.

Drains - Clean and dry your kitchen and bathroom sink each night. Stop up the drains; this is an entry point for some varieties of roaches. A wet sink or bathtub can be a bonus water source for the pests.

Eradicate Safe Harbor

Roaches also need somewhere to hide when the lights are on or the sun is out. Removing their safe harbor makes your home inhospitable.

• Cardboard boxes - Roaches love cardboard. It is easy cardboard and attracts other roaches.
• Cracks and Crevices - Check your home for gaps near the floorboards that can help roaches gain entry. Caulk the gaps to seal them. Put weather stripping on the windows, doors, and other entryways.
• Clutter - Roaches need a place to hide during the day since they are nocturnal pests. Clutter gives them a variety of places to hide. Get rid of as much clutter as possible, this includes stacks of magazines, paper, and even books that can provide safe harbor.