how to get rid of roaches in apartment? Here are some top ways to eliminate roaches and prevent severe infestations.

5 Steps to Get Rid of Roaches in an Apartment

Whether you live in an Atlanta, GA rental or an apartment in Phoenix, AZ, it’s probably fair to assume that cockroaches are not something you want to deal with. While some areas are more prone to these pests, it doesn’t mean you’ll be forced to deal with them. With the right game plan, you can ensure that your apartment remains roach-free. Read on to find out how to get rid of roaches in your apartment and keep them away.

Cockroaches on food crumbs left out. Keep food remnants and pet food out to prevent roach infestations.

What’s causing the roach issue?

You may lump all roaches into one category of creepy crawlies, but there are actually different types that can cause a cockroach infestation.

The most visible type are German cockroaches. These are small and light brown and don’t get longer than about 3/4 of an inch. You can identify German roaches by the two stripes visible on the plate behind their head. A German cockroach will live anywhere but prefers inner-city environments. These guys are pretty resilient to insecticides, so you may have to think outside the box when it comes to pest control tips. Making your own traps is your best bet.

Other roaches you may see in your apartment include the:

  • Brown-banded cockroach
  • American cockroach
  • Smoky brown cockroach
  • Oriental cockroach

Of course, the only kind of cockroaches you want to see are dead ones, but it’s never a bad thing to know more about what you’re dealing with.

Cockroach in a clean kitchen

How to get rid of roaches in your apartment

Cockroaches are quick, sneaky and adaptable pests that are very hard to eliminate. They are also harmful to have around, as they can carry bacteria and other infectious agents with the potential to contaminate food. Because of this, it’s important to address the issue immediately after you spot roaches in your apartment.

While these are some of the most common methods to get rid of cockroaches in an apartment, you’ll most likely end up needing a combination of them in order to ensure a roach-free home.Pest control tips: Add cockroach bait where cockroaches hide to kill roaches for good

1. Attract roaches using baits

Often the safest and most effective, baits work over an extended period of time to kill roaches. They’ll either kill on contact or use an unlucky few to carry the poison back to their buddies. Gels, bait stations, and bait traps are available at most hardware stores, drug stores or supermarkets. Since roaches love nearby food sources, giving them bait to snack on instead of your own food can help prevent future infestations.

After you identify where the roaches are hiding, place the bait in containers nearby. If you want the roaches to carry the bait back, make the container easy to escape. Target areas where food and moisture are most readily available. For any cracks or small areas, use gel bait. Change out the bait every three to six months.

2. Use substances that roaches hate

Silica, diatomaceous earth, and boric acid are three common substances that are used to kill roaches. The first two damage and dehydrate a roach’s exoskeleton, while the boric acid is toxic when ingested. This strategy is useful since they can get rid of roaches that simply walk through the substance.

The safest option is diatomaceous earth, which is a completely organic insecticide that actually kills roaches, fleas, ticks, and bed bugs. It’s a great preventive option, as well, if you want to avoid a cockroach infestation.

To use, sprinkle a light dusting where roaches like to hide — inside cabinets, behind appliances and around cracks in kitchens and bathrooms. Reapply every three to four months.

Boric acid, while effective, shouldn’t necessarily be your go-to choice. Since it’s toxic, you should avoid using boric acid in an apartment with pets or young children. Cockroaches must eat boric acid for it to do any damage, so it might take longer to kick in.

cockroach trap

3. Set traps around your apartment

If you don’t mind dealing with the disposal of live roaches, consider using traps. You can buy them or make them at home. Sticky traps will stop a roach in its tracks, and you can usually find them at your local hardware or drug store.

One homemade option requires a jar and some tempting food. Put a moist piece of bread and some slices of raw potato in an open jar. Then, line the inside walls of the jar with petroleum jelly and set it in an area where you’ve seen at least one roach. You’ll attract cockroaches with the food, but they can’t climb back out. To dispose of the roaches you catch, fill the jar with soapy water and screw on a lid.

4. Use what’s in your pantry

It may surprise you how many ingredients you already have in your apartment that will deal with cockroaches. Incorporating staple items from your pantry can make dealing with these pests quicker, cheaper and faster.

  • Baking soda and brown sugar: To really attract roaches to your bait stations, mix brown sugar and baking soda. The sugar will tempt the cockroaches to visit the bait and the baking soda will kill them when it’s ingested.
  • Sugar, cornmeal, and borax: Although you’ll still need a shopping trip for this one, you can make your own dry bait stations around your apartment by mixing equal parts of powdered sugar, yellow cornmeal and borax. Cockroaches will walk through the bait and then clean themselves, ingesting the poison. This bait is also toxic to humans and pets, so use it with care.
  • Citrus scents: If you’re looking to repel these pests, think citrus. Roaches hate the smell. If you don’t have citrus-scented cleaners on hand to spray, strategically place citrus peel or even citrus pulp around your home. You’ll not only repel roaches but make your home smell sweet.professional exterminator

5. Hire a professional exterminator to treat an infestation

This is a last ditch step that should be reserved for an actual roach infestation. You should contact your property manager before going this route, since your lease may include this type of maintenance. Additionally, the exterminator will have to spray the entire building for the treatment to be effective.

If you’re wondering what your exterminator is spraying around your home, chances are it’s a combination of insecticide and insect growth regulators. This second ingredient works by disrupting how roaches grow and reproduce. It may not kill the adults, but it will stop new roaches from joining their parents.

What can I do to get rid of roaches forever?

While there’s no guarantee you won’t see a roach again, once you’ve gotten rid of them, there are a few tips to minimize your chances of seeing them again.

  1. Alert your property manager that you’ve taken steps to deal with roaches in your own apartment. Since it’s most likely a building-wide problem, your property manager should take steps to have the whole building treated. If they don’t already have an exterminator coming in to get rid of roaches, it might be time.
  2. Keep things dry, avoid clutter of any kind, even if it’s temporary and store food in plastic containers with tight seals. Sweep up crumbs, wipe down countertops and clean spills quickly. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight and avoid having too many cardboard boxes laying around, as well. These all tempt new roaches to come exploring.
  3. Make sure garbage is in tightly-sealed containers which you empty regularly.
  4. Give your apartment a once-over for small cracks in doors, windows or walls. If you find any, ask your property manager to seal them or do it yourself if you’re able.
  5. Get rid of soap bars and house plants. Cockroaches like these items, too. You can replace bar soap with liquid soap where possible, like at the kitchen sink and in bathrooms. If you want to keep your house plants around, smear a little petroleum jelly on the outside of the pots so it is too slippery for the roaches to climb.
  6. Work in some light cleaning on a regular basis. You especially want to get out that vacuum cleaner at least once a week to remove potential food sources for cockroaches and keep your apartment clean.

FAQs about keeping roaches out of an apartment

Are roaches common in apartments?

The unfortunate truth is that roaches are common everywhere. According to Pegasus Pest Control, cleanliness does play a role in what attracts roaches to a particular residence though. “There are living conditions that will suit cockroaches more. Like us, they need food and water to survive.”

Having a home where food gets left out or a kitchen with crumb-covered counters is a definite welcome sign for roaches. Things like dirty dishes left in the skink too long and even pet food sitting out in your dog’s bowl can both contribute to a roach problem.

Why do I have a roach infestation in your clean apartment?

Even if you’ve put all your food away and meticulously cleaned your kitchen, you can still end up seeing a roach or two. A clean apartment is a great way to deter roaches, but there’s something else they’re looking for that your apartment has no matter what — water. “Roaches need moisture to survive, and this search for water will bring them into even the cleanest of homes,” according to Northwest Exterminating.

Leaky pipes or a drippy faucet, things you don’t associate with dirt at all, call out to roaches. It’s why you often see them in bathrooms in addition to the kitchen. They can hide under refrigerators or air conditioning units to drink the condensation, or even try to sneak a sip from a pet’s water bowl.

Roaches are pests. They carry diseases and nobody likes them. But getting rid of them doesn’t need to be complicated. These steps make it easier to prevent cockroaches from thinking your apartment looks like a sweet new place to call home.

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