Nobody likes unwanted guests. No, we don’t mean people at your party that weren’t invited, drank too much, and won’t leave. We’re talking about ants and roaches. They are nasty, relentless, and can carry germs. If you have them in your kitchen or bathroom, here are ways you can get rid of them and prevent them from coming back.
Clean Your Apartment
- Properly seal all non-refrigerated foods and snacks.
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink.
- Clean up crumbs and sticky residue from spilled drinks.
- Keep your counters and range top free from grease build-up by using a lemon or vinegar cleaning solution
- Use a kitchen trash can with a lid and take out the garbage regularly.
- Don’t leave water and food out for service animals overnight.
- Wipe sinks before going to bed.
- Fix any leaky faucets.
Setup Baits and/or Traps
- Use gel-based bait because without water, roaches will naturally seek moisture for survival.
- You can make your own bait by mixing equal parts of cocoa power, flour, and boric acid. If you want a safer concoction, then mix equal parts of sugar and baking soda, but it’ll take longer to kill them.
- Use sticky traps if you don’t mind dealing with the disposal of live roaches. You can also make your own trap by placing sliced potato in a jar and lining the inside walls of the jar with petroleum jelly.
- Be sure to keep baits away from where service animals and young children can reach them.
- Check and replace your baits and traps every couple of weeks.
Deter Entry
- Get some insecticide that keeps working for months after application and spray areas where pests can enter your unit. For a safer solution, you can spray lemon juice, cinnamon oil, or peppermint oil at entry points.
- Seal any cracks in floor baseboards, ceiling lights, windows, and around wall plates.
- Roaches have been known to emerge from shower or sink drains, so cover them up after use or simply get drain strainers.
In conclusion, removing sources of food and water by keeping your apartment clean is the best way to deter ants and roaches. Some people have had some success using an ultrasonic pest repeller, but it must be EPA approved as some people and service animals may be sensitive to the sound it emits.
Of course, if all else fails, hire a licensed professional. Your Resident Manager can recommend a few since the building hires exterminators for its common areas on a regular basis.
Have any other tips for residents? Submit them in the comment section below.