The bathroom is a very private place. It is a retreat from the real world. A respite from the screaming children, a saviour when you’re on the road. Bathrooms are something we all rely on daily to dispose of what none of us want to talk about, or hear. Bathrooms are, perhaps, the most important room in any house, office, building or rest stop. But sometimes those bathrooms get infested. Sometimes they become a home for cockroaches. Cockroaches come in every different shape and size, from the gargantuan American cockroach to the tiny german cockroach who has the greatest breeding ability of all the cockroaches. Oriental cockroaches are from Asia and came here on ships. They are more fond of water than other cockroaches and often live in the sewers. There is no common cockroach, they are all prevalent and any of them can infest your home. You could even have more than one infestation at once in different areas of the home.
Now it is very important to remember that your home does not need to be dirty or messy to get cockroaches. You don’t need to leave dirty plates in the sink, though that will help bring cockroaches from the sewer. The truth is the cleanest house in the world can be infested and it’s not a reason to scrub the house clean. They come because you cook tasty food and the smell travels into the drains and outside into the yard. Cockroaches can smell this from inside drains and even from the sewer if they are near your home. They will travel up the drains or through an opening in your home’s foundation, or weep vents in brick houses. There are many entrance ways for them to use as houses are built to breathe. One favoured entrance is the dryer exhaust which can be used as a direct entrance into the house for cockroaches and other insects.
Now before you pull out the Draino you should be reminded that these cockroaches do not live in the drains all the time. They go there for food and water and then often retreat to somewhere less open like inside a microwave vent or the motor on the back of the fridge. They need to be warm to survive and function. The key to killing them is attacking their home, not their work.
There are a lot of domestic solutions available to the average homeowner. From gel bait that can be inserted into tight spaces or silica dioxide which is ‘rusted’ silica can be dusted all over the kitchen and in cracks and crevices and inside machinery like the fridges motor. This dust is not harmful to humans at all and is used to store grains, so we eat a bit of it every day. Make sure to wear a mask and goggles though, the dust can get in your eyes and lungs and that is not safe or healthy. This dust will break up the cockroaches’ bodies and scratch the waxy coating that keeps fluid in the body. The result is a broken and desiccated cockroach covered in white powder. You can also make use of store-bought or homemade boric acid bait. The stuff in the shops is very strong and effective and has its packaging. Home-made bait is made with boric acid, water, flour and sugar. You shape them into tiny little balls and place them around areas of high activity like the kitchen and bathroom.
If the cockroach infestation has been happening for a long period then it would be smart to use every option you have access to. Keep the dusting up and keep adding bait and gel bait in areas of high activity. If you do it consistently you will be free from your cockroach infestation forever.
