There’s no question about it: Roaches are certainly some of the creepiest household pests that a person might ever encounter. While most people agree that from a physical standpoint, roaches are just plain ugly, many don’t realize that roaches can be carriers for dreadful diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis. Not only do roaches have a tendency to transport germs, they can also trigger symptoms in allergy and asthma sufferers by rubbing their skin debris into the air and onto household surfaces.
Of course, when it comes to roaches, the best thing is to take the necessary steps to prevent them from invading your home in the first place. As the president of Boston’s Ultra Safe Pest Management Inc., Vic Palermo has seen situations where roach infestations could have easily been avoided. He therefore offers the following tips on how to prevent roaches:
Keep Your Place As Clean As Possible
Since roaches are attracted to dirt and debris, you can do your part to prevent roaches by cleaning your home regularly. It’s especially important that you make an effort to wipe up food spills and use household cleaners to tidy up after cooking or baking sessions. Additionally, it’s a good idea to take out the garbage as soon as you fill up a bag, especially in situations where your garbage can would otherwise be left open overnight. You should also not leave dirty dishes around, even in the sink. If you have a dishwasher, then rinse leftover food remnants off your plates after meals, and store all your used dishes in the dishwasher until you are ready to run it. Finally, keep your kitchen appliances as clean as you possibly can; this means wiping down stovetops and cleaning out microwave spills as soon as they happen.
Don’t leave any food particles lying around
One of the best ways to prevent roaches is to not leave food particles lying around. Therefore, you’ll want to put food away when you’ve finished eating it, and wipe away any crumbs that might have made their way onto your table, countertops, pantry shelves, or floors. Remember, it doesn’t take much human food to feed a small cluster of roaches. Ugly and intimidating as they might be, roaches are, in reality, tiny creatures, and a stray cereal flake or pretzel chunk could be enough to feed a few of those little guys for quite some time. When it comes to putting your food away, don’t forget that not all storage containers are created equal. Items such as flour and sugar should be kept in airtight canisters so that roaches can’t find their way in. Additionally, open packages of chips and candies should be emptied out and placed into sealable plastic bags; the act of rolling up an open bag of snack food or even clipping it in place might not be enough to keep roaches out of your stash.
Clean up after your pets
Another thing to keep in mind about roaches is that they don’t have such discriminating taste when it comes to food. Therefore, dog and cat food can be just as tempting to roaches as human food. If you’re a dog owner, then examine the premises periodically to remove stray dog food kibbles. Some dogs hold food in their mouths, dropping it off in corners, and saving it for later. Other dogs are just messy eaters and tend to send dog food particles in every direction during dinnertime. Therefore, if you have a dog, then you’ll need to be extra cautious if you want to keep roaches out of your home.
Of course, in some situations, the presence of the occasional roach is simply unavoidable. People who live in apartment buildings and have dirty neighbors are, unfortunately, at risk of getting roaches despite their own personal household sanitation habits. However, just because you live in an apartment building doesn’t mean that you ought to automatically give up hope. By keeping your own living space as clean as possible, you can reduce your chances of a full-blown roach invasion.
Although finding the time to practice good cleaning habits can be easier said than done, it’s important that you make every effort to avoid a roach problem. Because as much as it might pain you to have to spend much of your spare time cleaning, it’s a far better option than finding yourself face to face with a colony of roaches the next time you visit your kitchen.
