Cockroaches have been wreaking havoc with the ‘clean’ reputation of householders. Besides being carriers of a plethora of diseases, they are oh-so-ugh! An in-depth insight into some homemade remedies to combat these roaches is absolutely mandatory.
Just picture this, you wake up at around 2 in the morning with a parched throat and walk into the kitchen to pick up a glass and catch cockroaches doing the salsa on your squeaky clean kitchen platform; upon your switching on the light, some scuttle away into the kitchen sink while a few adventurous ones start flying around in the kitchen … appalling eh?
You quickly run back to your bedroom, forget drinking water you can’t even go back to sleep! Tossing and turning in the bed, you try to figure out what you did wrong that made those creepy crawlies occupy your kitchen?
Well relax, Gharpedia brings you a detailed look into the cockroach phenomenon and how to get rid of them from your kitchen and house in general.
About Cockroaches in Kitchen
Cockroaches or palmetto bugs eat waste, multiply in sewage and leave excreta across your entire kitchen counter. This insect prefers a warm, humid, dark environment and is usually found in tropical or other mild climates. The pest damages more material than it consumes and emits a terrible stench. The diet of the roach, which includes both plant and animal products, ranges from food, paper, clothing, and books to dead insects, especially bedbugs…well, to be honest, it will eat anything except cucumber!
Why are Cockroaches Harmful?
Besides looking nasty, they spur severe allergy in susceptible people. Albeit cockroaches haven’t been linked to any specific outbreaks, yet according to the World Health Organization, “They are proven or suspected carriers of the organisms causing: diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera, leprosy, plague, typhoid fever and viral diseases, such as poliomyelitis.”
Tips to Keep Cockroaches Out of Your Kitchen
Well, like the popular adage ‘Prevention is better than cure’ so the first step each wise householder needs to take is to ensure that cockroaches are kept afar in the garden and they never even dream of venturing into the sacrosanct confines of the kitchen! For this, some practical moves to prevent cockroaches are:
01. Caulk even the tiniest gaps and fissures in the floor and walls of your house.
02. Repair cracks and seal any gaps around – water, gas and heating pipes, air ducts, and electrical boxes.
03. Ascertain that all the windows are free from gaps.
04. Weather strip doors
05. Insulate the pipes of your kitchen and bathroom to stall humidity and condensation from creeping in.
06. Deploy gadgets like dehumidifiers to retain a low threshold of humidity levels.
07. Steps for eliminating the cockroaches hiding places:a. As they like to be warmly ensconced from all sides by solid objects scout for areas where you might be unknowingly providing them with a safe haven … ruthlessly flush out the clutter.
b. Never keep dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and food on the counter.
c. Meticulously clean your countertops and remove all the leftover food morsels.
d. Keep food items in the pantry sealed.
e. Frequently sweep and mop your kitchen to – clean up titbits of food and excrement.
f. As cockroaches absolutely adore garbage, replace the open and overflowing dustbins in your house with garbage bins with lids and also segregate and adequately dispose of your wet and dry waste.
Get Rid of Cockroaches
Undoubtedly the most despised pests on the face of Mother Earth, cockroaches are not only disease carriers but are also indicative of an unhygienic environment. And, the worst imaginable fact is that they can fly too! Then again, they multiply at an alarming rate making it critical to control them at the earliest. Although professional pest control is a great idea, but there are some household remedies available to combat this menace to a major extent. Read on to find out more:
- Mix one part of boric acid, one part of white sugar and one part of wheat flour, and spread the mixture around the infested area.
- Thoroughly mix silica aerogel and sugar (3:1 ratio) and scatter this mixture around cockroach-ridden areas.
- Take 250 ml of water, pour ten drops of peppermint oil in it and blend it properly; then simply spray this at places that are infested with palmetto bugs.
- Blend pepper powder, onion paste, garlic and one litre of water and spray this solution at bug-infested zones; the strong odour will keep not only cockroaches but a lot of other bugs away too!
- Mix neem leaves and water; filter and spray in roach-infested zones.
- Suffocate cockroaches by directly spraying onto them a solution formed with – four teaspoons of detergent powder and one litre of water.
- Place some cucumber slices in a tin jar – the chemical reaction between the two releases an odour that cockroaches absolutely abhor!
- Boil pine-sol and bleach in water and pour the mixture in the infested areas.
- Simply sprinkle the powder of crushed bay leaves over the contaminated areas… trust us the pungent odour of the powder will repel the cockroaches and shoo them away from your house forever!
- Blend baking soda and sugar in equal parts and simply scatter the powder in those areas which are frequently visited by cockroaches.
- Just sprinkle some freshly ground cinnamon powder around the kitchen to keep cockroaches from breeding.
- This is one of the simplest hacks – Mix a portion of white vinegar in some hot water and stir it properly; then swab the kitchen slabs and cooktops with this mixture and pour the rest of it into the kitchen drains – voila not only will this stall cockroaches marching up into your kitchen through the pipes but will also disinfect your pipes and drains of other insects and germs too!
- This one’s a sure shot way to keep the disgusting creepy crawlies at bay. Mix one lemon and two tablespoons of baking soda in one litre of hot water; stir it well and pour it in the drain outlets or wash the area below the sink or slabs with this solution to bring to a grinding halt the breeding of cockroaches.
- This traditional hack works wonders! Simply mix some boric acid and sugar, and then spread it across the places where you find cockroaches breeding. The sugar will charm the cockroaches from their hiding places and the boric acid will immediately destroy them.
- Just spray some essential oils like peppermint oils and lavender oils around the kitchen and cabinets, and allow the aroma to keep the roaches at bay.
- Another alternative for market repellents is fabric softener – mix it with water and store it in a spray bottle. The moment you see a cockroach, simply spray this mixture on it directly.
- Thoroughly clean and then lay a sheer coat of diatomaceous earth in places which cockroaches frequently visit (barring damp or wet areas). The dust left on their exoskeleton will ascertain that they perish between a week or two.
In the end, the market has on offered a plethora of traps, strips, and sprays which are primarily a blend of insecticides (say fipronil or imidacloprid) which are perfect for destroying roaches. But as these insecticides may cause harm to pets and human beings, it would be advisable to use them with caution.
So are you well-armed now to face the cockroaches in your kitchen heads-on?
Hope these remedies will be surely helpful for you to make your kitchen cockroach-free. If you know about any other remedies, do drop it in below comment box.
And before you leave, don’t forget to read the following articles to keep your home germ free:
10+ Tips & Tricks for Keeping Your Home Germ Free!
Top 8 Tips to Prevent Pest Infestation at Your Home
9 Tips to Stay Safe from Paper Wasps in Your House!
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Author Bio
Huta Raval – An English Literature and Journalism Topper, Huta Raval has graduated from the L D Arts College, Ahmedabad. Post serving for 23 years in the NBFC and Public Library Sectors her desire for ‘writing the unwritten’ brought her to the creative field of content writing. Her clientele comprises of NGOs, Blogging Platforms, Newspapers, Academic Institutions, et al.
