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Kitchens are the favorite rooms of cockroaches and other unwanted pests. They make a home out of them, moving around freely and hiding from you once you go inside.
They can hide in many different places, but there is one area they love the most– the cabinets. Kitchen cabinets have everything cockroaches need to survive – food, water, and darkness. Before you even notice them, these pests can cause serious problems in your kitchen.
Dealing with a cockroach invasion won’t be easy, but it is also not impossible. Check out our tips on how to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets.
Why did cockroaches invade your cabinets?
Trust us, there are plenty of reasons. The essential thing for some sorts of roaches (like the American Cockroach, is access to water. If the pipes in your cabinet have a leak or the wood is rotten, they can feast there any time. To keep such decay from attracting unwanted visitors, solve the roach problem right away.
This is why it is so important to learn how to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets.
Another reason for cockroaches to settle in kitchen cabinets is that they are not disturbed. They can easily find an out-of-reach corner where no one bothers them. You can find them in tucked-away areas where you store rarely used dishes. It is way easier for them to breed in such places instead of empty cabinets where they are completely exposed.
If you don’t want to contact a professional but intend to deal with the infestation yourself, don’t lose any time. The more you wait, the more compromised the items in the cabinet will be.
How to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets
Noticing cockroaches in your kitchen is never a pleasant experience. Yet, several simple solutions will either repel or kill cockroaches. Most of these methods can be used for different areas around the house, and not just the kitchen.
Use borax powder
Borax powder is among the most efficient means to combat unwanted pest infections. Sprinkle some of it in your cabinets and clean them thoroughly – the difference will be visible right away.
If you want to kill cockroaches and get permanently rid of them, use boric acid. You can buy it in almost any store or pharmacy. Spray a bit on the shelves and let cockroaches reach it. Even the smallest contact with boric acid is deadly for them.
Working with borax powder or boric acid is not exactly risk-free. Use it with care, so that your family and your pets are protected too.
Create glue traps for the cockroaches in kitchen cabinets
Here comes a cheap, DIY method to get rid of cockroaches. You can create attractive glue traps or poison mush and cockroaches will fall directly into them while looking for food. As soon as they are in the box, they will ingest the poison and die immediately.
In the best-case scenario, they will take the poisoned piece of food and bring it back to their colony. Some types of cockroaches need warmth, and they, therefore, hide in wall cracks or around electrical appliances. If this is the case, poison traps are the only non-challenging way to get rid of them.
Even if the cockroaches fall into the glue traps or bring poisoned food to their colony, the problem may not be completely solved. Keep an eye on them in the upcoming days to see if you managed to eliminate them.
Clean with dusting agents
Dusting agents can be very helpful since their effects are physical rather than chemical. You can spread them all over your kitchen cabinets without exposing yourself to toxic substances. A great example is Cimexa – a dusting powder that acts as an insecticide and eliminates all sorts of roach infestations within minutes. You can also use it against bugs and other insects.
Dust agents cause serious damage to the cockroaches’ exoskeleton, because of which they gradually dry up and die. They also offer a very permanent solution to this problem, and it may even take decades before the problem repeats itself.
Therefore, put dusting agents in every hole or crack in the kitchen, and pay special attention to the corners and backsides of the cabinets. Don’t miss the plumbing areas and the electricity lines.
Use only dusters to apply these agents and do so in small amounts. Bugs can identify and surpass larger dust piles, so work carefully. Spread the dust evenly, and cockroaches won’t even walk all over it without noticing.
Vacuum cleaning and aerosol pesticide
Flushing aerosol pesticide in the crannies and nooks is another well-known helper to kill roaches. This way, you will keep cockroaches out of areas you can’t even reach yourself. Buy a can of aerosol pesticide with straws, so that you can apply the solution safely and without exposing your skin to it. You can go a step further and let compressed air do the job in the tiniest cracks. Make sure you use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter and grab a flashlight to help you see.
You can spray aerosol pesticide inside the cabinets, behind them, and underneath them. Even if you don’t reach the nest on the first try, cockroaches will be disturbed by the smell and leave immediately.
As they run around, grab the cleaner and vacuum them up. Do the same with the aerosol remains and the debris. Keep in mind that cockroach infestations also create harmful allergens which you must prevent.
Cockroach killer sprays
The best-known means to eliminate cockroaches is the cockroach killer spray. You can get this spray in any local utility store. Whatever the brand is, it will do the trick.
And still, the reason we discourage readers from buying and using these products is that they are full of dangerous toxins. If your kids or pets inhale these chemicals, there might be serious health concerns.
It is also not a good idea to spray these agents along food storage areas, including foremost kitchen cabinets. Even a few drops of them can cause food poisoning, so please be careful.
Gel cockroach bait
The same as killer sprays, gel baits are very efficient and simple to use. They are also inexpensive and won’t create the mess powder agents did. The gel material looks like food to cockroaches, and they are immediately attracted to it. All you need to do is put some poisonous insecticide inside.
The same as with traps, cockroaches won’t eat the poisonous bait, but bring it back to their hiding area. This way, you can get rid of multiple cockroaches at once.
Don’t let the roaches be discouraged by the size and let little gel baits get the job done. We would recommend a few dime-sized balls, at about 8-12 inches apart from each other. Place some on the back edge of the cabinet or in the corners.
Keep checking occasionally to see if the cockroach bait is still there. If they are gone, replace them with new ones. Note that it may also happen that the roaches are not attracted to the gel, so try another brand and see how it works.
Similar natural solutions to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets
Powdered sugar
If something, most of us believe sweets such as powdered sugar attract insects but is it truly so? Put some powdered sugar in a bowl and let it overnight in the cabinet. The cockroaches will be gone by the morning.
Bay leaves
Bay leaves have a very strong scent which is naturally repellant to roaches. It won’t kill them, but they will run from it as far as possible.
Soap
If you detect this problem from the very beginning, even a simple mixture of water and soap can help you. Soap is safe, cheap, and deadly to cockroaches, and it can cause no harm to your family and your pets. Mix it with some water on a spray bottle and apply it inside the cabinets.
Eggshells
Eggs are not cockroaches’ favorite food, that’s for sure. Remove the shell and leave it inside the cabinet. This way, cockroaches won’t be encouraged to hide there. a
Tricks to control cockroach infestation in the kitchen cabinets
There is plenty you can do to put cockroach infestation under control before there is no other choice but to kill the cockroaches. Careful examinations and regular cleaning, for instance, can prevent insect invasion in the first place.
Here are some great tricks on dealing with roaches in your kitchen cabinet:
Check the nooks and the crevices using a flashlight
If you saw a single cockroach in the kitchen, odds are great it was scavenger-hunting for food for an entire family living under your sink. Grab the flashlight and check where these enemies are coming from.
You should hunt cockroaches at the same time they are hunting for food, so ideally at night. They are nocturnal animals by nature, so this gives you a head start. Look also for traces, food residue in unusual locations, or even small body parts the roaches may have lost.
Other than moist cabinets, cockroaches inhabit the under-appliance areas, corners, and wall cracks. Make sure you check everything!
Clean and sanitize the cabinets
Regular and detailed cabinet hygiene is the best way to prevent cockroach infestation. Even with the nit-pickiest cleaners out there, food crumbs and spills find their way to the cabinet bottoms.
Wipe everything down, including the doors, drawers, and shelves. Take some extra time on the weekend and think of what you don’t need. There is certainly food inside that only creates clutter – the time has come to get rid of it. Roach infestation will be practically impossible.
Make food sources unavailable
Roaches are mostly attracted by food, so don’t give them the pleasure of picking and cleaning your leftovers. All food sources in the kitchen cabinet must be safely packed in plastic boxes or glass containers.
Remove spills as they happen and wipe thoroughly now and then. If your cabinets are clean in the long run, cockroaches will never infect them.
Remember to keep also pet food out of reach.
Make water sources unavailable
The same as food, cockroaches need water to survive, so leave no excess leaks and moisture around. Check the faucet and the area under the sink for eventual leaks. Also, inspect the cabinets and the appliances and wipe the floors dry. Roaches will be dehydrated, and they will either die or move away to find their new home.
Seal up the crevices and the cracks
Dealing with one cockroach invasion doesn’t guarantee that the pests won’t return. Instead of damage control, invest in prevention. You are dealing with tiny, but very clever creatures, and they could be back before you know it.
Once you’ve destroyed the nest, check every further drawer, cupboard, and cabinet in the kitchen. If you find nooks or cracks, seal them up right away. Repeat the process on all open areas behind and under your appliances.
Ending thoughts on How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches In Kitchen Cabinets
Remember: as clean as your kitchen may be, it is never roach prone. We hope that our guide on how to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets will help you deal with this problem. In fact, it is very simple to keep these pests away by following our tricks and tips.
Cockroaches hide with pleasure in moist and dark kitchen cabinets, but they may also settle in any other part of your home. The best way to prevent them from doing so is to limit food and water sources.
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