How to Prevent Cockroaches from Coming Into Your Home
Best practices dictate that preventing a problem is better than having to cure it. Keep roaches out by following these tips:
Clean Clean Clean
Roaches that come into your home are searching for food. And they’ll eat just about anything. In order to be sure that you aren’t leaving them tasty meals as an invitation to infest, your home should be clean and tidy. Pay extra attention to wiping up spills and clearing crumbs.
Control Your Trash
One man’s trash is…a roach’s treasure! Be sure your garbage is stored in sealed containers inside and outside your home. Keep your outside garbage cans away from the house so that roaches don’t find your trash and then wander inside.
Read More: Identifying Asian vs German Cockroaches
Store Food Properly
Cardboard boxes and paper bags that food often comes in simply isn’t enough to keep pests at bay. Many foods such as cereals and baking ingredients need to be decanted into reseal-able glass or plastic containers to keep roaches, rodents, and various other critters out.
Eliminate Moisture
Roaches need just a small amount of water in order to survive. Dripping faucets and leaky bathtubs should be repaired, and pet water bowls should be carefully controlled to keep from providing a source of water to roaches and other pests.
Seal Entry Points
Check the outside of your home and seal or repair any cracks, crevices, holes, loose roof tiles, and any other ways that critters could get in.
See Also: 7 Facts About Asian Cockroaches
Remove Clutter
Roaches enjoy having places to hide. De-cluttering the inside and outside of your home will help to keep roaches and other bugs from setting up shop and finding a place to live right under your nose.
Keep It Cool
Since roaches enjoy the heat, keeping your air conditioning on and your house cool to keep the critters out.
Run Your Dishwasher
Make sure that dirty dishes don’t sit in the dishwasher overnight if you are concerned about bug problems. And regularly check that your dishwasher doesn’t have food remains along the seals or in the filter.
What to Do If Roaches Get In
If you’ve spotted a cockroach in your home, it’s probably not the only one. Inspecting your home is the first step in determining the depth of the problem. Use a flashlight to look around areas that might be popular hiding spots such as under sinks, behind the refrigerator, in bathroom cabinets and other areas that are dark and moist.
While it is possible to treat a roast infestation on your own, it can also be risky. Many of the chemicals used to reduce roach populations are very strong and can easily be misapplied, which is dangerous to your family and pets. Your vacuum cleaner may be helpful for sucking up debris that could attract roaches, but it will not likely be able to get to the root of a cockroach problem.
Roaches are carriers for disgusting diseases and an infestation should be handled as soon as it is discovered. Truly, your best bet for roach control is to contact a professional for inspection, prevention and extermination services. Cypress Creek offers Houston pest control solutions for roaches, insects and other hot weather pests. Contact Cypress Creek today for all of your pest control needs.
