Every homeowner has experienced cockroaches in one way or another. Some have had to deal with a major cockroach infestation, while others have seen a cockroach or two from time to time. But there is one thing they can all agree on – cockroaches like our kitchen cabinets! Here are some ways to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets.
Why do cockroaches like kitchen cabinets?
Cockroaches like your kitchen cabinets because:
- Your kitchen cabinets are often dark and undisturbed. Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures. They prefer to move in the dark and during night-time. They also prefer places where they can relax without you getting in the way. After all, you rarely clean out your kitchen cabinets – you mostly just place stuff in there and only get things out when needed.
- Your kitchen cabinets are full of food that cockroaches can consume. Pests in general are attracted to your home because of food and shelter. Kitchen cabinets are perfect. They have food and they can serve as shelters too.
- Your kitchen cabinets can make cockroaches hard to spot and out of reach. Cockroaches don’t really like being seen or disturbed, and your kitchen cabinets are the perfect place where they can be out of sight and hard to spot. Your kitchen cabinets have a lot of food products, cracks, and crevices where they can hide.
In short, your kitchen cabinets are some of the most favorite spots of cockroaches. In fact, they are some of the first places pest control professionals check in your home during an inspection.
How do you get rid of the cockroaches in your kitchen cabinets?
Cockroaches in kitchen cabinets are manageable if you know what you are doing. Here are some things you can do to get rid of these pests in your kitchen cabinets.
1. Clean your kitchen cabinets
The most basic thing you can do is to clean out your kitchen cabinets. Cockroaches are disgusting creatures. They like to stay in unsanitary places and spread disease-causing bacteria. If your kitchen cabinets are clean, you are making them a little more unattractive to these disgusting creatures.
You may think that your kitchen cabinets don’t need a lot of cleaning. After all, you just store products there; so there are very few chances of them getting dirty. But you will be surprised by the number of crumbs, grime, and sludge that can accumulate in your kitchen cabinets even if you are very careful in handling the products you store there.
2. Use an aerosol pesticide and a vacuum cleaner
One of the best ways to deal with cockroaches in kitchen cabinets is to use pesticides. Sure, pesticides have harmful chemicals that can be dangerous to you and your family. But if you follow the instructions on the aerosol can, the risks are minimal. Follow it up with the use of a vacuum cleaner and your cockroach problem may be over faster than you think.
Empty out your kitchen cabinets and spray the aerosol pesticide inside. Give particular attention to cracks and crevices and other hard to reach areas because cockroaches may be hiding on these spots. The cockroaches will scramble, and treat this as an opportunity to vacuum them up.
3. Install cockroach traps
Cockroach traps are probably not the first things that come into your mind when dealing with cockroach infestations. That’s understandable. After all, cockroach traps are not the best in getting rid of infestations. But they are great in somehow controlling the numbers of the pests in your home.
There are traditional traps you can try, like glue traps that trap cockroaches on a sticky surface. You can also try baits, which are toxic substances that cockroaches end up consuming and spreading in their nest. Place the traps and baits in your kitchen cabinets, but make sure they are on spots where they can’t contaminate food products.
4. Use natural alternatives
You can get rid of cockroaches naturally if you don’t feel like using pesticides and traps. The most common natural remedies are powder alternatives you can sprinkle in the cracks and crevices of your kitchen cabinets where you think the pests are hiding.
Boric acid and diatomaceous earth are perfect powder alternatives. Boric acid is toxic. It can kill cockroaches upon contact. Diatomaceous earth is a drying agent. It can damage the exoskeleton of cockroaches and dry them out, which will eventually kill them.
Sure, boric acid is often suggested as a natural remedy for a lot of pests, like termites. But what other articles fail to say is that boric acid can be toxic to you and your loved ones too. Make sure your loved ones, particularly children and pets, are supervised so they don’t get in contact with the material.
5. Seal all cracks and crevices
You don’t give particular attention to the maintenance of your kitchen cabinets. They serve their purpose even if they are not in a good physical state. But remember that you can attract cockroaches in your kitchen cabinets if they are too accessible. Cracks and crevices are basically passageways for pests.
Sure, sealing your cracks and crevices won’t get rid of your cockroach problems. But it will lessen the risk of dealing with such problems next time around.
6. Fix all piping problems
Cockroaches don’t just live off of the food products in your kitchen cabinets. They also need water to survive. You are doing them more favors if water is easily accessible from your kitchen cabinets. Inspect if you have piping problems in your kitchen, particularly in the sink. Give particular attention to the cabinets near the sink too. Moisture may be seeping through the cabinets and giving sustenance to the pests.
If you can’t deal with the piping problems yourself or if you are not even sure if you actually have piping problems, don’t hesitate to call a plumber. If you can’t handle the cockroaches in your home, don’t hesitate to call a pest controller either.
7. Store food products properly
Cockroaches in your kitchen cabinets already have easy access to food products. After all, you store the products in your kitchen cabinets. But you should make food products a little more inaccessible even if they are stored. One way to do this is to put them in containers where they can’t accidentally release crumbs, grime, and sludge. Cockroaches can settle for these small and accidental releases. Let the pests work for their meal by tightly storing your food products.
Don’t forget about pet food too. They are just as attractive to cockroaches as regular food.
Cockroaches in kitchen cabinets are manageable
Nobody likes to have cockroaches in their homes, especially in their kitchens and kitchen cabinets where everything has to be sanitary for safety purposes. Cockroach-free kitchen cabinets are definitely attainable. You just have to maintain the cleanliness of your kitchen cabinets and seal them properly so they don’t become easy targets to pests.