How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches For Good

The last time I saw a roach I must have been around 10 years old and now decades later I ran across a roach bravely walking along the table at a bar I was having a drink at. My friend captured the pest in an empty glass for the staff to take away but I was absolutely mortified. I was immediately sick to my stomach because I also decided to have a small appetizer while I had my beer. I tried to keep my composure to not draw any attention around the other bar patrons but I was so freaked out and disgusted that I couldn't eat or drink anymore. From that day I just kept thinking of the roach possibly crawling through my food and hitching a ride in my purse or clothes. It was a really dark establishment and where there is one roach there is usually many more. I don't know if you are like me and just start itching and visualizing the worst things when it comes to bugs but sure enough about 3 months later I saw a bloody roach on my kitchen counter and almost died! In the six years I have lived in my apartment I have never seen a cockroach and all of sudden I now had them. It totally brought me back to the day I was at that bar and wondering did I bring this thing home?

From the moment I saw that first roach in my apartment I immediately took action to eliminate the problem before it got out of control. Sure enough the next day I saw 2 more, than the next day about 4 more and then it just seemed like a colony had formed overnight!!! I killed them immediately with oven cleaner (that is all I had at the time). It worked pretty good. I wouldn't suggest you do that though because it is pretty messy and strong stuff but I really hate squishing bugs with my good shoes. lol!

Cockroaches breed really quickly so you have to get rid of them as quickly as they arise. They can carry many diseases and bacteria and spread them around your utensils and dishes. This is what you have to do if you want them to leave your home.

Even though bug spray kills bugs on contact it only kills them as you see them so you need something that will work more long term.

Products you should purchase right away in order to get rid of roaches would include:

Clear plastic zip lock bags-Get small, medium and large zip lock bags and immediately put all your food products in them. I put everything whether it was open or closed straight into a plastic bag. All my food, utensils, supplies, etc, were put into plastic bags. This kept the roaches from eating and crawling over my stuff as well as eliminated many hiding places for them. If for any reason any of the buggers were already hiding in one of my supplies I would hope that they would die from lack of oxygen in a tightly sealed bag.



Plastic totes-I bought a whole bunch of plastic totes of various sizes as well as storage containers to keep all my items tightly sealed. I emptied all my cupboards where some of the roaches were hiding and put all my pots, pans, dishes and food into the storage containers. I did this so that I could easily find their hiding places and apply the roach killer freely in the cupboards. Once your cupboards are emptied and you have killed any visible roaches, do a thorough cleaning of your cupboards with a disinfectant, soap or some other household cleaner. You have to make sure you do this to make sure you capture any eggs that they may have laid, as well as to remove any foods or liquids that might be present. We are trying to eliminate anything that would attract them.

20 Mule Team Borax--Borax is an amazing product to help eliminate roaches in your home. Borax is sold as a laundry detergent and deodorizer but has this amazing ingredient that kills all types of bugs. You will notice an amazing reduction or elimination of the roaches within a few days. Spread a thin layer of this powder along perimeter walls, window sills, behind the fridge, under the sink, stove and any other travel paths. The bugs will eat this powder and die !!!! Sorry my dear roach but you have to go! Dead or alive you aren't staying in my house.

Sticky Traps-You might want to get some sticky traps as well to see what kind of problem you are dealing with. You can get those roach motel traps in most hardware stores and put them in corners, under the fridge, stove, cupboards and other areas you might have seen them travel. Just make sure you keep them far enough away from your animals so they don't get into them.

Combat Roach Killing Gel-Place this gel in cracks and crevices to attract the cockroaches. They will eat it and die!! It is quite effective.

We want to take every effective measure to keep these hideous bugs away for good. Just take my advice. It really does work when you follow these steps.

If you really want to keep the cockroaches away, don't do anything that will attract them in the first place. If they are visiting from another unit in your building it is really important that you don't give them a reason to stay at your place.

Wash your dishes daily. Don't leave any dishes in the sink, or water. Cockroaches need water to survive but you don't need to offer them a drink.

Wipe off any utensils or dishes before you use them. Cockroaches can carry diseases and they crawl all over your stuff. Take all necessary measures to protect your health.

Vacuum daily. When you vacuum, you pick up any crumbs you might have dropped, any eggs they may have laid, and maybe scoop up a small roach or two that decided to go for a walk along your carpet. Just make sure you clean out the bag after you vacuum or they will just walk right back out.

Take out your garbage daily. Get rid of any garbage that is going to attract them. If there is food in there they are going to come looking for it. If you cannot take your garbage out daily then do your best to close it up. Using those deodorized bags helps with the odours and makes the garbage less attractive.

Get rid of clutter. Get rid of excess papers, and stuff that you don't need. The more free space you have, the less places they have to hide. I started putting all my cables, plugs, cords, etc in plastic zip loc bags to keep them nice and tidy and confined. I put small stationary items and hardware supplies in storage totes and the bugs cannot get in there. If you have recycling, put those in tightly sealed storage totes as well until you can remove them from your home. Make sure all empty cans and bottles are thoroughly washed out before storing them.

Wipe down all surfaces regularly. Wipe down your counter and floors, so they are clean and free of food and debris. Clean all areas of dust and debris to make it less attractive for bugs. I don't think they like the smell of clean. lol!

I honestly believe these techniques are way more effective than any exterminator and much more natural than those toxic chemicals they spray in the air. Give it a try and tell me if it works for you. I am confident you will see results in no time.

Dial Corporation 76Oz 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Pretreater

Even though we are looking to use 20 Mule team Borax to kill cockroaches it can be used for many other purposes. It is branded as a laundry boosting agent to take out tough stains but is also used for cleaning and deodorizing. You can clean your toilet bowl, carpets and rugs, clean counters, garbage disposals and drains, the dishwasher, and so much more. Borax has been in production for over 100 years and is a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. You can make a bait for the cockroaches by mixing a small amount of borax and sugar mix in a shallow dish such as a lid off of a jar. They will feed off the mix and die!!

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Ziploc Storage Bags, Jumbo 2 Gallon Size (12 Bags)

These particular bags were very handy for packing all my spices, oils, flour, pasta, and other foods neatly. I also stored all my other food wrapping products like my saran wrap and tin foil which were able to nicely fit the length of the bag. It just made everything so neat and organized and well sealed. No roaches were getting in here! I preferred to keep my flour, and pasta in the fridge just to be on the safe side. Things like my sugar and salt I kept in ziploc bags which were than transferred into storage containers. These bags were also particularly useful for storing all my cords, shoes, and papers. I put all my shoes in a storage container and the ones I wore on a regular basis I kept in these ziploc bags. ( I was paronoid that they might be hanging out in there).

I bought quite a few different size storage containers that had tight fitting lids on them. I bought smaller containers that were stackable and could fit in my cupboards as well as bigger totes to fit my larger bulkier items. As much as I hate cockroaches they sure taught me to be really neat and organized. My place looks fabulous now that everything is tidy, concealed and nicely stored. Just make sure you inspect them before you bring them home, avoid the hitchikers from entering your home, you never know what is hiding in those boxes sitting on the shelves.

Make sure you have a good vacuum with lots of suction. You want to make sure your carpet is cleaned thoroughly and having a vacuum with attachments is also very handy. Vacuum your sofas, love seats, and other furniture, getting in between all the cracks and crevices. I would suggest getting a smaller hand vacuum as well to suck up the dead bugs and the excess powder. You don't want this powder clogging up your good vacuum.

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Ok here is the serious stuff. This is the stuff that punishes roaches badly. I am not sure how much sympathy you have for this fast producing insect but I personally do not have much sympathy for them. I wanted them to leave on their own without harm but no matter how much I asked them to leave more just kept coming. I am sorry to all those who love God's creatures, the good, bad and ugly, but roaches are real ugly and I will do anything in my power to eliminate them for good. I am sure many of you would agree with me.

Combat Source Kill Max Roach Killing Gel, 60 Grams

Many customers have raved that this product is cheap and extremely effective. If you have an infestation you might want to add this to the list of products to buy. This roach gel forumula works very quickly. It contains food and water which roaches need to survive. The large and small roaches flock to the bait which you apply in cracks, crevices and behind appliances. The roaches eat the bait and die!!!

Combat 766694/519 Quick Kill Formula Large Roach Bait Stations

Some of these roaches are incredibly huge. They scare the bejezus out of me. I have never seen roaches so huge! Kill them now! When they touch or eat this bait they die!!

Black Flag 61009 Roach Motel

This is one hotel that these buggers are not checking out from. Sorry bugs you get stuck and die!!

If you live in a place where roaches are a problem, I am sure these tools and tips will help you greatly. Pass on this information to your landlord, post it in the laundry room. Do whatever you need to do to prevent the roaches from moving from apartment to apartment. If bedbugs are also a problem in your building, check out my blogs on how to get rid of bedbugs. Whatever you do, just make sure you catch them quick before they have a chance to reproduce and inspect items you get from the store to make sure there are no travellers amongst them. If you are visiting a place that has roaches, bag your clothes immediately when you get home and then throw them in the wash on laundry day just to make sure. Ensure that you always keep your purse, bags and other exposed items closed up to make it difficult for entry.

Good luck!