Building a new home is an interesting but daunting task. Among the thrills of organising your kitchen, packing your furnishings, and hanging those priceless family photos, bugs are the last thing you want to worry about.
Sadly, these uninvited guests can be lurking in the corners, just waiting for the proper opportunity to occupy your residence. The good news is that one can stop a cockroach infestation before it starts.
Let’s investigate simple and effective strategies to prevent cockroaches from coming out to your new paradise.
Why Are Cockroaches a Big Problem?
Cockroaches are a serious health risk. That goes especially for young children. They can trigger allergies and spread salmonella. They can survive almost anywhere.
Once they get inside your house, they reproduce rapidly and can be quite tough to eradicate without expert help. This is why, either before or right away after you move in, you must take preventive actions.
How Do Cockroaches Enter Homes?
You might be wondering how cockroaches even come to find a brand-new residence. Though that is quite vital, it is not always about hygiene. You can keep a clean home and still get infested.
Cockroaches can slink under doors, across walls, through the smallest openings in windows. They hitch-hike with bags, cartons, and sometimes groceries. What, then, is your next move?
Seal Entry Points and Cracks
Sealing any possible entrance points is one of the easiest yet most powerful methods to prevent cockroaches from entering your house.
First, look for cracks or gaps in your windows, doors, and walls. Seal these gaps with caulk. Pay particular attention to vents, electrical outlets, and pipe regions. Remember to look at the weather stripping on your doors. Change it if it is damaged or old.
Closing these openings helps you not only prevent cockroaches but also stop other pests, including ants and spiders. Your house also becomes more energy efficient—no winter chilly drafts!
Maintain Cleanliness—Particularly in the Kitchen
A key first step in cockroach control is keeping your house clean, particularly in the kitchen. Cockroaches are scavengers. They might find breadcrumbs, unsealed food containers, and even pet food bowls, and when they do, they will feast.
So, after meals, wipe counters and routinely clean or hoover the floors. Another important task is removing trash daily. Uneaten food should be kept in airtight containers. Don’t leave dirty dishes overnight.
Remember to clean under big appliances like the oven and refrigerator occasionally.
Given that cockroaches may survive on the slightest crumbs, cleanliness is absolutely vital.
Eliminate Water Sources
Inspect your house for leaks, particularly in the basement, bathroom and kitchen. Repair all plumbing problems right away, then run dehumidifiers in damp areas like basements or attics.
A great difference can be made even from something as basic as cleaning spills and making sure the washbasin is free of standing water.
Make sure any external taps in your yard or garden are not dripping.
Declutter Your Living Space
Clutter appeals to cockroaches since it offers hiding places and breeding sites. Elimination of cockroaches gets more challenging as you accumulate more clutter.
Use this chance to keep a clutter-free, organised environment when you move into a new house. Keep the garage, attic and basement neat.
Steer clear of building piles of cardboard boxes, paper or unneeded goods. Since cardboard provides food as well as cover, cockroaches especially enjoy it—they even consume the glue on cardboard boxes!
Apart from looking better, a minimalist, clean house will make it harder for cockroaches to settle undetected.
Use Natural Cockroach Deterrents
Natural cockroach control can be much better than chemicals. Your weapons here are tea tree oil and eucalyptus. Peppermint also helps keep them away. Mix with water and spray around entry points.
Another natural deterrent is diatomaceous earth, a powder made from crushed fossilised algae. Pets and humans are not harmed by it, but cockroaches are.
The powder destroys their exoskeleton as they crawl over it, which causes dehydration and death. Spread DE around the outside of your house in areas where you think cockroach activity is likely.
Call a Cockroach Exterminator if Necessary
Cockroaches can still invade your abode. Sometimes, even when you’ve taken all the precautions. If you see one, more are probably hiding. Acting right away before an infestation starts is absolutely vital.
This is where a cockroach exterminator comes in handy. Cockroach exterminators have the equipment, knowledge, and experience to rapidly and successfully eradicate cockroach colonies.
Don’t wait until you’re overrun. Hiring a cockroach exterminator at the first hint of problems will save you a lot of stress and stop a full-fledged infestation. Many exterminators also perform routine maintenance services, which would give you peace of mind knowing your house stays free of pests.
Inspect Second-Hand Items Before Bringing Them Home
Second-hand furniture or appliances present a hidden danger for new house buyers. Easily hiding in these objects, cockroaches wait for an opportunity to enter your spotless, newly built house. Before bringing anything used into the house, always give it a close inspection.
Particularly in dark corners or beneath furniture, look for indications of cockroaches, including droppings, egg cases, or live insects.
Additionally, a great idea is to thoroughly clean second-hand objects and, if at all possible, put them outdoors in the sun for a few hours. Cockroaches prefer dark, moist surroundings, meaning sunlight can help in keeping them away.
Wrapping It Up
Stopping cockroaches from invading your just new house mostly depends on acting early. Every step adds a layer of defence, from keeping a pristine kitchen to closing entry points.
Another successful way to get rid of the intruders is to employ natural deterrents or call in a cockroach exterminator when needed.
Relocating to a new house marks an interesting chapter, and with these preventative ideas, you may relax knowing you have done all necessary to keep it free from these uninvited visitors.
Remember that dealing with a full-fledged infestation later is significantly more difficult (and stressful) than prevention, which is far easier. Thus, start these today and enjoy your new house—without the bugs!
