You could be attracting roaches to your bathroom if: There are leaking pipes and clogged sinks, standing water, and other maintenance issues. The bathroom trash can(s) have not been disinfected in a while. Your family has a tendency to leave wet towels and dirty laundry on the floor.
Physically Seeing a Roach
You may be wondering: "I saw one cockroach, should I be worried?" If you spot even one roach during the daytime, it can mean the infestation has been going on for some time or that it has progressed to the point where drastic action must be taken immediately.
Bathrooms are an ideal roach breeding ground, even in clean, well-kept homes. This is because bathrooms provide cockroaches with all of these elements: Food – cockroaches will eat soap and human cells. Water – from the drains, sinks, and water heaters.
Baby roaches – in kitchens or bathrooms – are usually an indication of a German cockroach infestation. These roaches are commonly found in kitchen and bathroom areas because they offer a warm, humid environment with plenty of moisture and access to food.
Unfortunately, cockroaches are not loners. If you see one, there are likely many more that you can't see. Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures, so you'll most likely spot them late at night, especially if you walk into your kitchen and turn on the light.
Boric acid is a powerful natural home remedy for getting rid of roaches overnight. Mix equal amounts of boric acid, flour, and sugar until it becomes a dough-like consistency. Place small pieces where the roaches can feed on them.
But according to experts, keeping your toilet and shower area unkempt could be a surefire way to attract roaches. Even items such as damp bathmats, wet towels, and laundry piles can give them a source of water and a place to hide.
Drains are the most enticing entryways for roaches to gain access to your house. Not only will they enter through compromised drain pipes, but they will also live in those same pipes. Drains provide roaches with a sustainable source of food and water.
Cockroaches seek places where they can find ample food. Food crumbs, spills, leftovers, and pet food are the most common food sources. Kitchen trash and grease on stovetops and countertops can be inviting for roaches, and they may also get into stored food items.
Seeing a single cockroach is an indication that you might have several cockroaches at home so when you see one, immediately inspect your home. Checking the in and out of your house will help you know where cockroaches are residing or hiding.
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
By keeping a clean dwelling, you'll give roaches less of a reason to intrude upon your happy home. There is more to keeping roaches at bay than just having spotless floors, however. Let's look at potential trouble spots that you may have overlooked during your most recent cleaning spree or inspection.
Cockroach feces are easy to identify. Droppings from small cockroaches resemble ground coffee or black pepper. Larger roaches leave behind dark, cylindrical droppings with blunt ends and ridges down the side.
When they hatch, baby roaches start as pale, white-grey in color and, over the next few hours, they develop a reddish-brown hue. You can identify baby American cockroaches by their reddish-brown coloring on their shells and the halo-shaped marking behind their heads.
Cockroaches often hide under bathroom sinks, inside cabinets, and behind toilets and sinks; they might even find a way into wall voids.
Cockroaches are omnivores that eat plants and meat. They have been recorded to eat human flesh of both the living and the dead, although they are more likely to take a bite of fingernails, eyelashes, feet and hands. The bites may cause irritation, lesions and swelling. Some have suffered from minor wound infections.
Cockroaches are crafty enough to crawl in and out through drains and pipes; this is especially a problem in apartment buildings, where drain pipes are used as highways between apartments.
Though cockroaches may come up from the sink or shower drain, they cannot come up through your toilet because of the water, even though cockroaches can hold their breath for 40 minutes. Even the cockroaches who exclusively live in drains will only come out into your home if there is a source of food available.
Inside furniture – When the infestation is big enough, some cockroaches will eventually infiltrate furniture, sliding in-between cushions and under pillows.
Laundry Room: Roaches look to hide under washers and dryers, in a stack of clothes or under a pile of towels, so check the laundry room for creepy crawlers.
You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
When alert overnight, cockroaches will begin their endless hunt for food. They will eat just about everything and can navigate your dark kitchen to seek out any crumbs they can find. Research has shown that nighttime cockroach activity happens primarily during the hours just before midnight.
Scents that are pleasing to humans can actually repel cockroaches. In the kitchen, certain aromas such as cinnamon, bay leaves, garlic, peppermint, and coffee grounds can be used as deterrents. In the bathroom and garage, using strong-smelling disinfectants like vinegar or bleach can help keep these pests at bay.