One cockroach scuttling across the floor may only seem like a minor, unpleasant nuisance. However, even a single cockroach sighting may mean that your home is already infested. While we enjoy comforts of food and water in our own homes, these features as well as available shelter also attract cockroaches. Once they find a hospitable environment that provides for their needs, they soon start to multiply. No matter how great or small their current number may be, cockroaches endanger both human and pet health.
Fortunately, being proactive can help prevent cockroaches. Pest control professionals, like Eliminate ‘Em, can provide both preventative care and cockroach extermination. To help, the following tips aim to prevent cockroaches in your home!
TIPS FOR PREVENTING COCKROACHES
Avoid the mental and physical burden of having to deal with cockroaches by taking the necessary precautions to help prevent cockroaches from intruding upon your home. Move these cockroach prevention tips to the top of your home maintenance to-do list and take steps to help deter these unwanted pests today!
Tip #1: Seal Off Cockroach Entry Points
Preventing cockroaches begins by eliminating their access to your home in the first place. While no homeowner means to roll out the red carpet for cockroaches, their size makes it easy for them to enter through any small openings or crevices in foundations or around doors and windows. Inspect the locations listed below and take action accordingly. A reliable pest control expert, such as your local Eliminate ‘Em team, can also help you with exclusion and sealing services.
- Assess doors, windows, and places where utility lines enter the home. Caulk any noticeable openings and use under-door seal strips or draft stoppers for larger doorway gaps.
- Look for any broken or ripped screens and repair them as needed.
- Check for cracks or holes in your siding or foundation and seal them.
Tip #2: Eliminate Food Sources
Cockroaches are always searching for food, so prevent their arrival by being more consistent with crumb clean-up. Determine whether or not you need to add any of the following pest control practices or revise existing habits:
- Keep your trash cans closed and clean them regularly.
- Do at least a weekly clean under the stove and refrigerator as well as TV stands and furniture, as crumbs tend to gather in those locations.
- Use airtight containers for all food storage.
- Be vigilant about sweeping and mopping the floors, as well as vacuuming rugs and upholstery.
- Do your dishes, so you can keep your sink clear of any dirty servingware or uneaten food morsels.
Tip #3: Regulate Water Sources
Homes can provide the water that cockroaches need, as well as food and shelter. Leaky faucets and pipes are one easy way for them to quench their thirst. As highlighted below, eliminating these inadvertent water sources is an easy pest control practice and can also help you avoid any structural damage to your home from leakage.
- Check under sinks and other water-sourcing pipes and locations; then, immediately repair any leaks.
- Make sure your drains are clean.
- Ensure that areas around pet water bowls stay clean and dry.
Tip #4: Reduce Cockroaches Hiding Places
Warm, dark places like cluttered basements and other cracks and crevices within a home are attractive spaces for cockroaches to nest. Removing potential hiding spots as recommended here can help prevent cockroaches from intruding upon your space.
- Reattach, remove or replace loose wallpaper or molding.
- Line cabinets with paper or enamel.
- Repair cracks or other damage to cabinets and other storage spaces immediately.
- Seal cracks or openings on floors or walls to prevent cockroaches from building nests.
Tip #5: Prevent Cockroach Nests
Preventing cockroaches and executing pest control measures for any other unwanted pests requires interior and exterior care. These additional tips help you deter cockroaches from the area surrounding your home, which further reduces the potential for them to move into your home.
- Put at least a foot of space between your home and any mulch, shrubs, or trees.
- Relocate firewood piles or stands away from your home.
- Remove fallen tree branches, accumulated leaves and other debris around your home’s foundation.
- Fill in tree holes and other potential nesting sites for cockroaches.
These prevention tips are one proactive way to protect your home against cockroaches. Scheduling routine inspections by professional pest control providers like Eliminate ‘Em are another beneficial strategy to safeguard your home and loved ones. In the unfortunate event that you discover a cockroach problem, understanding when it’s time to prepare for a cockroach extermination can be essential in reducing the severity of their invasion and associated damage. At the first sign or suspicion of cockroaches, our pest control experts can provide same-day or scheduled cockroach extermination services. To prevent and resolve a cockroach infestation, contact Eliminate ‘Em today!