Tips on How to Get Rid of Cockroaches from Kitchen and Cabinets

Cockroaches in the kitchen are every home-owner’s worst nightmare. These pests are quite filthy and you don’t want them scurrying back and forth from their dirty hide-outs onto your countertops and utensils. The kitchen is the last place you want them to be in, but it is the first place the roach wants to be in, because it is abundant in food, water, and shelter. Cockroaches are known to consume human and animal faeces and live in drains and sewages in the bathrooms and the kitchens. They come in frequent contact with deadly bacteria like E-coli and salmonella known to cause diseases and food poisoning in humans.

There are a few signs of cockroach infestation in the kitchen: –

The first one is spotting the cockroach. This is the first and obvious sign that there are roaches present in your kitchen. Spotting a lone roach only means there are more around your house. Spotting a small one means there could be many more adults.

Roach droppings are usually confused with dust. They are small black roughly shaped particles that may be found in kitchen cabinets and drawers. They look like grounded coffee or pepper in appearance. Keep an eye out for these to conclude a possible infestation.

It is common to find the roach eggs known as Ootheca sticking to the corners of the door hinges, cabinets or beneath the drawers. These are difficult to clean. They are brown and oblong in shape. Finding lots of them means there is a big infestation. Finding Adult roaches, eggs and nymphs may mean you need to take immediate action to control the infestation.

Why Are Cockroaches in My Kitchen

The most important part of any household is the kitchen. Most kitchens around the world are prone to cockroach infestation. If you are one of the very few homes that do not have an infestation, make sure to continue to maintain and prevent the infestation in the future. If you already do have cockroaches in your home then do not worry. There are many ways and means to get rid of them.

Let’s first understand why roaches love the kitchens:-

Cockroaches make their homes in dirty places simply because anything and everything for them is food. They like to feast on rotten leftovers and old stale food. Kitchens accumulate grease over time and are hard to clean. Cooking may leave residue on the stove tops and around them. This is enough for roaches to survive. Leaky faucets and taps are a source of water for them. The wet waste bin in your kitchen is more than enough to feed a bunch of them. Dirty dishes piled up in the sink are food and so are cookie crumbs and unsealed food containers. Cockroaches are omnivorous and love the meat and the residue the kitchen has for them.

Roaches need dark places to hide as they are nocturnal creatures. It is easy to kill them as soon as they are spotted, hence they find places like nooks and corners that are dark to hide and camouflage themselves during the day. They can hide behind the storage bottles, drawers and appliances and come outside to scavenge for food at night. 

Cockroaches locate food and emit signals to the other roaches to follow their tracks. One may signal another one and so one. All food tracks lead to the kitchens. Hence you will find tons of them in the there. Appliances have gaps between them and the wall which is just perfect for roaches to hide stealthily. You cannot fill these gaps; their homes are always intact. Cockroaches tend to hide really quick if the lights are switched on. You cannot kill them on the countertop as it’s just too repulsive, and before you know it, it is gone.

How to get rid of Cockroaches in the Kitchen

Borax Powder

Borax is a commonly available cleaning agent that is an approved pesticide by safety standards. It can be used to disinfect your cabinets and drawers infested by roaches. You may need to remove all your containers and wipe with the powder and place them back. It is also known to keep mould, ants, and other bacteria at bay. Do this regularly preferably once in two months.

Glue Traps

The traps are usually used for other rodents but these are useful to gauge the magnitude of roach infestation in your home. Place small glue traps around your house to find small or adult roaches trapped on it you will know the size of the problem you are dealing with. Using pesticides may not give you the exact picture of how many are dead and how many are still alive; this hack can help you with that.

Dusting powder for insects

Dusting powders are available to ward off insects and pests in supermarkets under the pest control section. They are not very harmful and have a pretty safe chemical composition. You can use it in the kitchen and living areas without the risk of severe contamination. It damages the exoskeleton of the insects by drying it up and killing the roaches. Spread the powder in corners and crevices evenly as the roaches may easily sense and avoid lumps and patches. You can also spread it around in and around pipes of sinks too.

Bay Leaves and peppermint oils

Make use of those spices in the kitchen. Roaches hate the smell of Bay leaves. Leaving them around in the cabinets and shelves is an easy way to kill these roaches. Spread around essential oils like peppermint and lemon grass or mix them with water to wipe your kitchen counter and stove top, it leaves a great smell while cleaning, disinfecting and eliminating the roaches as well. Either way, it’s useful!

Aerosol Pesticide & Vacuum Cleaner

Using aerosol cans haphazardly is never recommended as it can spread the pesticide into the entire house and contaminate the kitchen area. This can cause allergies to babies and pets as well. The wise thing to do is get an aerosol can with a straw-like nozzle that can be sprayed into holes, cracks, and crevices directly without contaminating the air. The roaches will crawl out of the hiding places and the other person handling the vacuum cleaner should quickly vacuum the small and adult roaches before they escape into the rest of the house. This should be carried out using the HEPA filter for the vacuuming as you don’t want to contaminate the vacuum cleaner with the deadly pathogens the roaches.

Using Boric acid to Kill roaches

Dusting boric acid in the cabinets and areas around the sink and below the cabinets can kill roaches. The powder gets stuck to their bodies and in a bid to clear them, the roaches preen it off their leg and antenna in the process of ingesting it and it kills them immediately. Leave the powder on at night and sweep off the roaches in the morning along with the powder. You may also swab the area for a thorough clean.

Cockroach gel baits

Gel baits are extremely effective and useful when it comes to luring cockroaches and killing them. Use them with a syringe applicator into the crack, crevices holes, and gaps. You may also use it to de-bug your big appliances where roaches usually tend to inhabit. Leave small pea sized baits.

Dab the cockroach bait in several spots along the bottom of your kitchen cabinet, under the sink, and in other areas, you think they may be hiding. The bait is usually a sticky mixture of poison and a sweet edible substance that attracts the roaches and

Gel bait is best because it’s not a cloud of dust or aerosol that easily spreads to your food items and ruins them – it stays contained as a gel. You can also put gel bait on a piece of paper or card to make clean-up even easier. Check regularly if the bait has been consumed. Cockroaches consume the excrement and body parts of other dead roaches too. If one roach consumes the poison and dies even the others in the area may die as it will spread the poison to others.

Tips on How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Home

Here are a few tips and tricks to use while dealing with an infestation.

Check for roach hide-outs- Looks into the cracks and crevices in your kitchen and the gaps behind the appliances. Check for dark places and shine the light on those nooks and corners particularly. Look around the brown wood and dark-coloured cabinets. Cockroaches camouflage well against these colours. Dark places like under the fridges and ovens don’t just provide shelter, but juicy food titbits too!

Check for roaches in the cabinets- If you wake up in the middle of the night, open your cabinets and shelves to find cockroaches lurking around, you will know what you are currently dealing with. These creepy crawlies come out at night because they could not hear any movement for long time as the house is asleep.

Flushing them out with compressed air- Another way to flush out cockroaches from behind the sinks, pipes, and appliances. It will scare them out of the hiding places and you will be surprised by how many will scurry out if you have an infestation. Clean the remains after you kill them.

Secure your food in Airtight containers- Make sure all dry and wet foods are stored in airtight containers that are clean themselves. Dirty containers covered in food remain like jam bottles with traces of jam on the exterior is food for the cockroach. They will feed off the bottles and the crumbs around the containers.

Pets may invite cockroaches too- Cats, birds, and dogs tend to eat food in small portions over the day. If left unattended, the food will lead cockroaches to it. Pet food, water or their unwashed dishes should not be left to stagnate overnight. Clean them up for the night and refill next morning.

Spills and food crumbs need to be cleared immediately- Do not leave them to dry up or postpone the cleaning for a long time. This attracts roaches into your kitchen. If you are traveling dispose of every kind of waste properly before leaving your home. If not, you will come back to find a terrible roach infestation that will be hard to handle.

Sealing cracks crevices and holes will ward off cockroaches- Do not leave them as it is especially if they are in the wood. Fill them up with wood fillers or caulk and steel wool. Closing means for entry, shelter, and food is the basic way to get rid of cockroaches.

Silica gel- A poisonous substance that absorbs moisture from the air. Usually kept with leather shoes and bags. When mixed with sugar it becomes a perfect bait for roaches.

Dispose of cardboard boxes and manage moisture- Throw away cardboard boxes and do not store them in or near the kitchen. Boxes attract roaches as they are the perfect breeding ground for them. Make sure your kitchen is not a damp dark place. During the day keep the doors and windows open to invite ample sunlight.

Fix leaky pipes and faucets- Cockroaches need water to survive like any other living creature. Be sure to repair all leaking points in your kitchen. Turn off the taps correctly at night and do not spill water on the countertops and leave it to dry off on its own till morning.

Get professional help- If you have a large infestation at hand and you have tried every trick in the book, and it’s simply not working, you may need to call pest control to help you with roach extermination. They will put some serious measures in place and help you get rid of them once and for all without you needing to do much except follow-up and maintenance.