How to Keep Your Home Safe When You Have Cockroaches

In my previous article, I discussed methods that you can use to get cockroaches out of your home and prevent them from returning. However, there is another issue that needs to be addressed when you have a cockroach infestation. How can one live with them safely while they are trying to rid them from their home? Cockroaches can cause severe health problems, especially if they have the ability to defecate onto your food and other goods that you may come into contact with throughout the day. If you are concerned with your health and safety when it comes to living with cockroaches, utilize the tips in this article to help you protect yourself.

1. Place Everything You Can Into Plastic Bags

Cockroaches are notorious for crawling in and out of things. If you have any type of food items that you have been left open or haven’t been close properly, I can guarantee that at least one cockroach has crawled around inside it. Even regular items that aren’t food-related are subject to cockroaches if they are tucked away in dark places such as cabinets, closets, and pantries. Place all of these objects, if possible, into zip-storage plastic bags to prevent the cockroaches from getting inside. If objects can’t fit into a plastic bag, find airtight plastic storage bins that can hold them so that they cockroaches won’t be able to crawl around on the objects.

2. Keep the Lights on

Cockroaches generally have an aversion to light. This is a valuable tool for you to use to prevent them from coming into areas such as living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms. If possible, keep lights on in these areas for as long as you can to keep them hidden where you can easily trap them later. That being said, if your cockroach infestation is big enough, having lights on may not even affect the cockroaches since they will come out of hiding anyway due to overpopulation.

3. Turn Your House Into a Spotless Environment

As I mentioned in the previous article, cockroaches are less likely to stick around places that are clean and free of crumbs and other food particles. While this won’t necessarily keep them from crawling around your home, this will keep them from staying in your house to feed off the messes that you leave behind. Make sure that you keep everything absolutely spotless until you get rid of the cockroaches entirely. This includes everything in the bathroom, the kitchen, and the bedroom. This may seem like a lot of work but I can tell you that having to hire an exterminator or bombing your home will make you wish you had chosen to clean your home instead.

4. Get Rid of Unwanted Junk

Objects in your home that are infrequently used or not used at all are subject to being homes for cockroaches. Instead of giving them the satisfaction or further ruining your life, get rid of everything that you do not need. This includes boxes, which cockroaches love, unused electronics, old clothes, unworn shoes, and everything else that has no place in your life. The fewer places that the cockroaches have to hide, the easier the job is to get rid of them later on.

5. Throw Away Anything That May Be Contaminated

The only thing worse than having a cockroach infestation is doing everything on this list and finding out that you have still gotten sick because you use something that has already been contaminated. Here are the general rules that you should follow when it comes to the stuff in your house that may have been touched by cockroaches:

- If it is food and you are not sure if cockroaches have been in it, throw it away.

- If it is an object that can be washed, wash it.

- If it is an object that you use that could have an impact on your health in some way and it can’t be washed, throw it away.

These are good rules to follow and, although they may cost you money since you will have to be getting rid of stuff, they will keep you safe during the period of the cockroach infestation.