If you’re like virtually every other human on the planet, you don’t want to see cockroaches in your home. To keep them away, you practice common sense. You keep your house spotless, take out your trash regularly and keep all your foods in sealed containers. Ever wonder what causes roaches in a clean home? You aren’t alone. What is it, exactly, that could be luring these disgusting pests onto your property?
Unfortunately for humans, cockroaches are incredibly versatile. They’ll eat things you might have never expected them to eat, and their water-finding senses are sharper than you realize. Roaches are experts at hiding and have even evolved to sense the slightest movements in their surrounding environment, which explains why we most often see these pests scurrying across our floor. That said, there are a few conditions that might make cockroaches fall in love with your home, no matter what the level of cleanliness.
Why Do I Have Roaches In My Clean Home?
- Leaky Pipes and Damp Areas
- Cardboard, Glue and Other Cockroach Delicacies
- Overgrown Outdoor Spaces
- Cracks and Crevices
- Is It Even Possible to Roach-Proof My Home?
- ABC Can Handle Your Roach Problem
Leaky Pipes and Damp Areas
Roaches need water to survive, and they’ll happily wander into your home to find it. A leaky pipe or faucet is like a water fountain for roaches. These sneaky pests will gravitate towards condensation from refrigerators or air conditioners, standing water and even your pets’ water bowls. Roaches also love to be in dark places that are seldom disturbed, and since damp areas in your home, such as basements, tend to be both dark and moist, they’re practically high-end resorts in a roach’s eyes. When they’re not hanging out in these dank spaces, roaches also love to visit the dark corners of your cabinets and crawl under your large appliances, especially the ones that use water. Now you can understand why you so often spy roaches in your bathroom!
Cardboard, Glue and Other Cockroach Delicacies
A stack of cardboard boxes is a treasure to a visiting roach since it offers both shelter and darkness. If the roach is lucky, the boxes might even be a little damp. Surprisingly, this cardboard is also a suitable snack. Roaches aren’t picky eaters. Although they love stinky trash and food debris, they’ll also dine on cardboard, wallpaper paste, book bindings, leather, grease, soap and even human hair. Wherever they are, roaches can almost always find a food source.
Overgrown Outdoor Spaces
Maybe you are a neat freak when it comes to your counters, but you aren’t a big fan of weeding your garden. You might be harboring more roaches than you realize in your yard, which means you are providing a large welcome mat to entice these pesky pets inside. Roaches enter our yards in search of the same things they seek inside our homes: food, water and shelter. As we mentioned earlier, roaches are thirsty creatures, so any standing water in birdbaths, flower pots and in gutters can keep them hydrated. Given roaches’ expansive palate, your compost and a woodpile can provide both food and shelter. Leaf litter, mulch and dense vegetation can provide these pesky pests with lots of hiding places. If you keep trash and recycling bins outside, roaches can easily squeeze through the space between the lid and the receptacle and dive inside for a tasty treat. By keeping up with your lawn care, you can ensure roaches don’t find a home in your yard.
Cracks and Crevices
Speaking of squeezing, cockroaches are thigmotropic, which is a fancy way of saying that they prefer to be in close contact with something solid, ideally all around their bodies. So that means that your home offers countless resting spots for roaches, whether that means between tiles, under doors, around baseboards or in the deep recesses of your pantry. Be sure to keep up with your home repairs to avoid this problem down the line: the scary truth is that once you see one roach underneath your sink, you probably have many more lurking in the shadows.
Is It Even Possible to Roach-Proof My Home?
Because roaches eat such a huge variety of substances, and all homes offer water pipes, dark spaces and comfortable temperatures, it’s almost impossible to create conditions that turn all roaches away. Keeping your home clean and maintaining your plumbing is extremely helpful, but if roaches are determined to invade your home, they are quite difficult to control on your own.
If you prefer to go the DIY route, you can try:
- Wiping down your counters after every meal
- Putting your dishes directly into the dishwasher instead of leaving them in the sink
- Removing residue from your stovetop after you are finished cooking and all the surfaces have cooled down
- Sweeping your floors daily
- Seal any cracks in your home, especially any that allow creatures to enter your home from outside
- Repair any water leaks
- Remove all sources of standing water inside and out
- Avoid overwatering houseplants
- Keep firewood and your compost far away from your foundation and away from doors
- Keep your grass and vegetation neat and tidy
If these steps don’t work, it’s time to call for professional help. There’s no need to be embarrassed; pest control specialists know how persistent and clever these bugs really are.
ABC Can Handle Your Roach Problem
It’s very disheartening to learn that cleanliness alone can’t keep roaches away. When you just can’t handle the sight of another roach in your kitchen or bathroom, it’s a relief to know that the pest control specialists at ABC Home & Commercial Services apply their extensive knowledge about roaches and other pests to pinpoint exactly what conditions are capable of luring cockroaches to your home. Our technicians will detect the potential entry points and sources of your infestation, and then we’ll help you get rid of cockroaches for good.
