Ten Steps to Roach Control
You Can Live With
A Fact Sheet from the Safer Pest Control Project
There’s no one easy answer to roach problems, but taken together, these steps can help you get rid of roaches
safely, and for good.
1
Inspect. Play detective. Have a close look around your home. Figure out where the roaches are
coming in, where they might be hiding in cracks and small spaces, and where they find food and
water in your home. First check behind the fridge and under the kitchen sink - two favorite
roach haunts.
2
Plan. Figure out what supplies, which people, and how much time will you need to seal off roach
entry points, wash away roach markings, and reduce the clutter roaches love. Concentrate your
efforts on the areas of your home where you see the most roaches – usually the
kitchen and bathroom.
3
Make repairs. Use steel wool and sealing caulk or duct tape to plug and seal any holes or
cracks roaches use as entry and escape routes. Pay special attention to the places where pipes
come into your home. Weather-strip around exterior doors. Repair any torn window screens
4
Reduce clutter. Roaches love clutter! It makes cleaning harder, leaving them more food.
Clutter also gives roaches plenty of hiding places. Try to part with things you don’t need, and
to organize your other stuff neatly. For example, if roaches scurry about in your spice rack,
try cleaning off each spice bottle and storing them all in a sturdy plastic box with a lid. Avoid
corrugated cardboard, because roaches love to hide in the baffling.
5
Deny roaches food and water . Keep food in sealed containers. Use a
clothespin or chip clip to reseal open bags of breakfast cereal, chips, crackers and cookies.
Clean up crumbs and spills promptly. Wash dirty dishes right away. (In a pinch, leave them to
soak in soapy water.) Keep a lid on the garbage, and empty it regularly. Hang up damp towels,
rags and mops to dry. Don’t leave pet food out all day long. Put drain screens over sink and
tub drains.
6
Clean thoroughly. The vacuum, the bucket and mop, the scouring pad – these
tools will also help you make roaches unwelcome. Those tiny black spots roaches
leave behind attract other roaches, so you’ll need to scrub them away. It’s also
important to vacuum well with a pointy attachment under furniture and in corners
where roaches might have been hiding. Over time, dead roaches become roach
dust, which can actually cause asthma.
7
If you use roach baits… remember that they are pesticides and should therefore
be used selectively and with caution. Don’t use them unless you’ve taken the steps
outlined above and still have an active roach problem. Read and follow label instructions carefully. Place baits out of the reach of small children and pets. Store any
unused bait in a locked cabinet.
8
If you use boric acid… remember that “less is more”. A roach will walk right around a
heap of boric acid, so apply a fine layer that roaches will have a hard time avoiding. Boric
acid is also a poison that should be applied sparingly and with caution. It can irritate lungs
if inhaled, and if eaten could be fatal. As with all pesticides, read and heed the label
instructions, and store properly (in a locked cabinet, and/or at least four feet off the
floor).
9
If you hire an exterminator… make sure that the company is licensed and the applicator
is certified. Contact your state’s licensing agency to see if there have been any complaints
against the company (in Illinois, contact the Department of Public Health at 217/7825830). Find a company experienced in bait or boric acid application that will also work with
you to prevent rather than simply treat roach problems.
10
Avoid pesticide sprays and fogs! These substances don’t get to the root of the problem,
and they do pose health hazards to people and pets. Also remember that most sprays
repel roaches, so it’s not recommended to use them together with the baits or
boric acid that you want roaches to encounter.
Safer Pest Control Project, 25 E. Washington, Suite 1515, Chicago IL 60602
phone: 312/641-5575, fax: 312/641-5454, e-mail:[email protected], internet: www.spcpweb.org
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