In response to an email question, I explained why roaches are not acceptable house guests and a little bit about roaches in general. This week is an outline of what I do to keep a roach-free home. Last week’s picture was the German cockroach. This week’s my targets are American and Oriental roach. These three are the most common roaches found in the New Mexico area.
The best first step to get rid of roaches fast is to eliminate as much of their buffet as possible. To prepare for the challenge, you will need some items that are available at hardware stores:
- Boric acid (get a large bottle with a pour spout attached);
- Toilet drops for the toilet;
- Eucalyptus leaf, about 6-8 ounces;
- Roach traps; and
- Enough spongy shelf-liner to line all your cabinets.
The first step is deep cleaning. In the kitchen, move all appliances in order to scrub behind and under them. For the stove, scrub the back side of the stove, under the lid where the burners mount, and the broiler. For the refrigerator, clean the back side and the area where the faceplate can be removed and the drain tray is usually located. Empty all cabinets and drawers and clean those out. Continue this approach everywhere in the house – move and clean behind and under.
While everything is moved out of place, after cleaning and dried, use boric acid. Place a thread of the powder along all cracks and corners before replacing appliances and/or furniture. Also behind large appliances and furniture, put a roach trap. After cleaning the bathroom, put a toilet drop in each toilet. Break up a few to put inside the drains of tubs and sinks.
After replacing the stove, put the eucalyptus leaf in a large pot of water. I use a stew pot with about a gallon of water. Once at a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. After done simmering, turn off heat, put in the shelf-liner, and let cool.
Before replacing everything in your cabinets, put boric acid in all the cracks and corners, then wring out and put in the shelf liners. This may take a few days, or with a team one day, to complete. If this doesn’t visibly work within one week, then its time to call in the experts!