One of the most frequent pests to invade the home are cockroaches, insects that slip in through the pipes and tubes and can live in areas such as walls. Although they are hard to kill and control, the truth is that there are some ways to stop them from sneaking into your home and end up in the most unwanted areas. Cleanliness, tidiness and the use of some scents will help us to avoid them. If you want a more complete guide on this, we invite you to read our article on how to prevent cockroaches from entering the house. Here you will find some tips that are worth knowing.
First of all you should know that cockroaches often nest in very specific household areas that are dark and damp. Spaces to be more aware of are:
- In the cracks of your home: walls, furniture or under appliances.
- Wooden furniture also often harbour cockroaches.
- Usually they sneak in through external accesses, for example, windows or doors. So, make sure they are properly sealed and closed when you leave home. Another option is to place mosquito netting to prevent them and other insects from entering the home.
- Wetter areas of the the house are another favourite place for these pests, e.g. pipes, laundry, air conditioning and so on.
- Rubbish and leftovers also attract cockroaches and may invade areas where the rubbish is left, or spaces where dirt has accumulated.
For all this, to be able to prevent cockroaches from entering house it is important that you are responsible with the cleaning and keep you home in optimal condition. Of particular importance are areas like the kitchen or bathroom because food crumbs and moisture draw them into the home. A thorough cleaning should include:
- Clean the underside of appliances: refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, etc., as these are perfect spaces for them to live, given the heat that they give off.
- Use ammonia: it is important to use this product because it helps to deeply clean and disinfect any space. If any cockroaches are present, they will die as a result of the chemicals in the ammonia.
- Dry all wet spaces: the shower and the kitchen or bathroom sink where you wash your hands should always be dry. You should remove all moisture from your home if you want to remove cockroaches.
- Wash the dishes: dirty dishes should be cleaned frequently to prevent cockroaches or, at least, clean food debris and leave them rinsed in the sink to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
- Reduce waste: you must throw away the rubbish every day, especially organic waste, to prevent cockroaches from entering your home. If you leave many days to pass before disposing of it, it is more likely that these pests will enter your house.
- Turn on the water: after cleaning is important that you turn on the taps to remove any cockroach that may be hiding in the pipes. Add bleach or strong cleaning product to the water to kill them.
In addition to this, it is essential to keep your home in good hygienic conditions, i.e. hoover the house, mop the floor, clean all rooms and dust from all surfaces. This way, nothing that draws in these pesky pets will be left.
Another way to keep cockroaches at bay is by placing some aromatic plants in your home, which act as a natural insect repellents. Note that, just as certain smells are attractive, others act in just the opposite way: as repellents. One of the most popular is laurel. If you put one of these plants in areas such as windows or doors, it will repel the cockroaches. You can also place a leaf in areas where more of these insects are found (cracks, kitchen, etc.) to scare them away.
Lavender and citronella are other plants that are effective for keeping cockroaches out of the home. In fact, many of the insect repellents sold in shops contain a citronella aroma to drive away these pesky pests.
To avoid any nasty surprises on your return, when you go traveling or are away from home, you should plug the sinks in the bathroom and kitchen and close the doors and windows. Even if you live in a penthouse, note that cockroaches can climb quite effortlessly through the pipes and appear in the drain. Therefore, whenever you leave, plug in the sinks. When you get home, pour in some water to remove any that may be nearby.
You can also prevent cockroaches from entering home using insecticides or traps that kill any that manage to sneak in. If you live in an area where there are lots of this type of pest we recommend that you fumigate the place from time to time, put different traps in the darkest and most moisture-prone areas because these are the most common places for the to nest in.
You can choose to create a homemade trap with baking soda and sugar. The smell of sugar will attract cockroaches and baking soda is a toxic product that will kill them immediately. To do so mix the two products in equal quantities and place them in areas that we have previously specified. Doing so will put an end to those who slip in.
See our other OneHowTo article for other tricks to get rid of cockroaches fast that you may find useful.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Prevent Cockroaches from Entering Your House, we recommend you visit our Maintenance and home security category.