Few bugs can send a shiver down your spine like a giant cockroach. And sure, they don’t bite or sting, but they’re really gross, infamous for spreading all sorts of grime throughout our homes, right around our loved ones and pets. Whether you’re currently struggling with these disgusting pests or just want to avoid them in the future, we have your back.
Here’s how to prevent and get rid of roaches without harsh chemicals in just 3 steps:
1. PREVENT THEM
Preventing roaches can save you a ton of time, money, and effort. Here's how to do it:
- Basic housekeeping and cleanliness is without question the most important element in roach control. The smallest amount of food debris or drink spills can feed a roach population for weeks. Regularly dust, clean, and vacuum flooring, appliances, cabinetry, sinks, dishes, back splashes, moldings, trash cans and recycling bins, etc, paying special attention to kitchens, bathrooms, and food preparation areas.
- Trash cans are a buffet for roaches. To prevent and repel these pests, you’ll need to take out the trash often, daily if you’re already seeing roaches. Your trash cans and recycling bins should also remain firmly sealed when not in use.
- Unsealed food is a welcome invitation for roaches. Whether it’s leftovers, dry cereal, pet food, or your kitchen’s fruit bowl, seal all food in hard plastic Tupperware-style containers.
- Before recycling bottles and cans, rinse them to remove any residual sugar to avoid attracting additional roaches.
- Like most pests, roaches love clutter, using it to both breed and nest. Limiting all indoor and outdoor clutter will do wonders for helping prevent roaches, and is absolutely essential for controlling active roach problems. For outside, focus on wood piles, brush, yard clippings, moist mulch, and unused lawn equipment and furniture
- Roaches can go weeks without food, but need water almost every day. In other words, the less excess moisture in your home, the better. Avoid letting water sources sit out for prolonged periods of time, this includes pet bowls, dirty dishes, potted plants, leaky plumbing, and appliance drip trays. With serious roach problems, you might need to towel-dry showers and sinks after each use until things improve.
- If there are roaches in your area and your home offers easily accessible entry points, you’re almost sure to get indoor roaches at some point. To avoid this fate, thoroughly check your home, both inside and outside, for potential entryways, such as cracks or holes in cabinets, weather-stripping, door & window seals, countertops, piping, walls, ceilings, attics, basements, crawl spaces, under sinks, floorboards, etc. For heavy roach problems, using stoppers to seal drains might also be necessary.
2. BAIT OR TRAP THEM, NATURALLY
Making an effective and natural roach trap at home takes almost no time at all. Start by baiting the bottom of a bottle with an attractant like sugar or bread, and then ensure it’s easy to enter the trap but difficult to escape. This can be achieved by lining the walls of the bottle with something slippery like petroleum jelly. Then, position these traps wherever you’re experiencing the worst roach issues and leave them overnight. Check each trap in the morning and empty and replace as needed.
Natural DIY roach bait is another family-safe and effective approach. Fill shallow dishes with a 50/50 mixture of baking soda and sugar and place them near known trouble areas like countertops, flooring, or trash cans. Continue this method until your roach issue improves.
3. TREAT INSIDE & OUT
To kill roaches and other common household bugs like fleas, ants, mites, and more, spray them directly with our extra strength bug spray, Tickshield. To help prevent roaches and other unwanted bugs from coming back, spray known trouble spots and entry points weekly or more as needed.
And don’t worry, unlike old school, chemical-based bug sprays, non-toxic Tickshield is family and pet-safe, and won’t fill your home with poisonous chemicals.
For outdoors, spray your entire lawn and all shrubbery with Cedarcide Outdoor Bug Control (fka PCO Choice) monthly to both kill and repel roaches and other unwanted bugs. If this is your first application of the year, apply twice the first month, two weeks apart. For warmer regions, monthly applications should be done every month unless the temperature drops below freezing for more than a few weeks. If you live in an area known for cold winters, start spraying monthly in early March and then taper off in November as winter sets in.
For extra protection and prevention, we strongly suggest spreading Cedarcide Granules throughout your yard, especially along your home’s foundation and those areas with the most bug traffic.
No downtime required! Because Outdoor Bug Control and Cedarcide Granules are non-toxic, you, your family and pets can safely enjoy your lawn immediately after application.
