Whether you like it or not, homes and business properties are ideal breeding grounds for certain species of cockroaches. With plenty of food, warmth, water and nesting sites, these formidable pests can remain active all year round. It is much easier to prevent roaches than to get rid of them. Preventing them all comes down to proper sanitation. Clean homes and businesses can become infested if small sanitation steps are missed.
Eliminating food sources is a constant battle in roach control. While this effort involves a great deal of work and vigilance, the results are well worth the effort. Clean Kitchen Appliances. The greatest problem spots usually include the refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, toaster, microwave, and underneath the kitchen sink. Empty Cabinets and Clean them out. Another common food source for Roaches are the crumbs and food spills inside kitchen cabinets. Limit food consumption to one room of the house. Allowing food to be consumed in all areas of the home leads to crumbs and food spills that often go unnoticed and make tasty temptations for Roaches. This practice contributes to the spread of an infestation to other areas of the home other than the kitchen.
Vacuum the kitchen floor thoroughly each night before bed. Roaches come out to feed at night. If you will practice your most rigorous cleaning rituals in the kitchen just before bed each night, there will be nothing or very little left for foraging roaches to feast on. Vacuum all other non-food areas of the home every 2 to 3 days. This practice contributes to overall sanitation and also helps to eliminate roach feces, skins, body parts, and egg casings, all of which contain pheromones that attract other roaches to the same areas.
Wipe off kitchen countertops and spray disinfectant every night before going to bed. Empty pet food containers at night, or place them on the back porch or in a plastic bag. Store Food in Sealed Containers. Roaches are small enough to slip into the cardboard packaging that many foods are stored in. Use a trash can with a tight fitting lid, and take out the trash each night before bed. Keep outside trash cans clean and moved away from the structure. Fix leaky faucets and pipes and repair sweating pipes. Before bed, stop up sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms and dry them completely with a paper towel. Dry out the bathtub and shower completely and stop up the drain before bed.
Place wet dish rags and sponges in an airtight plastic storage bag overnight, or place them directly in the washing machine. Wet toothbrushes should be dried as best they can and sealed in plastic bags. Roaches prefer a tight crack or crevice, or a dark wall void in which to hide out of sight during daylight areas. So, eliminating as many harborages as you can will set roaches on the run. Seal off cracks and crevices with a caulking gun and seal off holes surrounding pipes or other light and wall fixtures with a material such as copper mesh. Windows and doors should fit tightly and squarely within their frames to prevent both harborage and entry from outside.
Keep mulch turned and raked at least 6 inches away from structure to create a “dry zone” which will discourage insects from crossing over the area and also to create an ideal area to apply insecticides. Keep shrubs, bushes, plants and trees trimmed back so they do not touch your home. Eliminate as much yard debris as possible. Keep stacked firewood away from structures. Make sure window screens, door sweeps and weather stripping are fully intact to stop roaches from squeezing in. Caulk small crevices around door and window frames. Apply long lasting insecticide dusts to your wall voids to eliminate insects that may be harboring in these areas and spray the exterior of your home with a residual insecticide every 60-90 days to keep roaches out for good.
