How do you get rid of roaches in an apartment?

Question

I moved into an apartment that has roaches in it. Its been sprayed 4 times now and they are still crawling around, not as bad but they are still here. What is the easiest way to get rid of them?

Answer 1

Try:-

1. sprinkling a small amount of boric acid where you've seen roaches travel through your home. The roach will poison themselves by ingesting the acid during their regular grooming routine. Be sure to sprinkle in dark, damp areas, too, like under bathroom and kitchen sinks, behind washers and dryers, and around the refrigerator, and behind appliances. Note: The ingestion of boric acid is also toxic to humans. Do not use in areas where small children or animals play, sleep, or eat.

2. You can make your own insecticide by mixing equal parts of baking soda and powdered sugar and setting up a mock bait plate for the roaches. After mixing your sugar and soda, eave the mixture in a shallow dish where roaches have been seen or are known to travel. The combination of sugar and soda is lethal to the cockroach.

3. Roaches hate the taste of bay leaves. You can naturally and safely keep most roaches at bay by placing the leaves anywhere you've seen roaches moving. Using bay leaves is a great way to keep roaches out of the rooms and play area of children.

4. Don't water the roaches! Cockroaches can survive for months without eating, but they need a daily source of water to thrive. Never leave water in the sink, in dirty dishes, or other areas of the house. Check other sources of water as well, such as leaky plumbing, under-refrigerator dampness, and concrete sweating. Wipe all traces of water from the sink after you've done the dishes and wipe down the bath area after use, as well.

5. Clean, clean, clean! Cockroaches naturally gravitate toward areas which are littered with cockroach droppings. Use a detergent or disinfectant to thoroughly clean the area and deter a re-infestation. On concrete floors and walls, you can use a mixture of bleach and water to disinfect the area. Other services can be cleaned with everyday cleansers or antibacterial soaps and scrubs.

INSECTICIDES

Severe home invasions will require more attention than bay leaves, baking soda, and elbow grease. Many insecticides are available on the market today which address cockroach infestation concerns. New gel-based cockroach specific insecticides work fast and are relatively effective in cockroach removal. Baits and gel insecticides work in as little as 1-2 days and often, have little or no offensive odor and are safer to use in areas where children and pets are present. Glue traps, which cause the roach to become stuck in his tracks, also work well in areas that are hard to reach. For heavier or repeat infestations, try sprays, crack and crevice aerosols and foggers, or dusting powder. If all else fails, don't be afraid to call an exterminator!

HOW TO REMAIN COCKROACH-FREE

1. Always clean food (including crumbs) from counter tops, tables and other areas of the house.

2. Fix plumbing leaks and establish a moisture control program in the house. Use a dehumidifier, if necessary, and wipe up water spills immediately.

3. Insulate pipes.

4. Get rid of clutter! Rummage through drawers and cabinets and eliminate stray bags, papers, old newspapers, plastic shopping bags, and envelopes. Keep the area under sinks and around washers and dryers well organized, clean, and orderly. Scrub basement floors with a solution of bleach and hot water several times a year. Invest in a dehumidifier to control household moisture.

5. Caulk or seal pipe moldings. If the hole is too large to be caulked, push steel wool pads into the open spaces until you've formed a tight seal. Foam caulking also works well at filling large holes around pipes.

Answer 2

Roaches In Apartment

Answer 3

You can't get rid of them in an apartment. I have the most unbelievable fear of roaches, so trust me I have tried everything. The best thing you can do is get the roach foggers and fog your apartment. Then get roach spray and spray near all the doors, windows, and behind furniture and appliances (basically all the places that don't get much movement). Then get those little roach motels and hide them all around your place (under the couch, in the cabinets, in closets...). If you see spiders in you apartment, don't kill them, they will eat the roaches. Obviously, keep you place very clean. Give it a thorough cleaning and keep it that way, especially your kitchen and any other areas that you eat. Try not to eat on the couch or in bed as that will cause crumbs to be all over your home.

This will help dramatically reduce the amount of roaches in your apartment. The problem though, is that you can only affect your apartment, and your neighbors may not be so caring about the problem as you. Roaches live in the walls between your apartments and outside. If you have the option, move to an apartment on a higher floor. I have found less bugs seem to live on the higher floors, but they still live there.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Seal all cracks and crevices around door moulding with caulk, under cabinets- between cabinets and walls. As you do the caulking, use a roach spray into the cracks then seal. This kills the little buggers and prevents them chewing through and reinfesting. Every room needs to be done like this. Next you need to get the owner to have ALL the apartments in the building treated at the same time, even the attics and basements and crawl spaces. This will prevent roaches comming into your apartment from your neighbors again and again and again. If this doesn't work, you may have to move to a better bug-free place.
BTW.....open all drawers and shake out any egg cases that may be there and/or baby roaches. Also shake your clothes and shoes in your closets. Good luck, I think you will need it :(
...jj

Answer 5

RE:
How do you get rid of roaches in an apartment?
I moved into an apartment that has roaches in it. Its been sprayed 4 times now and they are still crawling around, not as bad but they are still here. What is the easiest way to get rid of them?

Answer 6

If you can truly seal all (and I mean ALL) possible entry points with caulking and/or foam sealant then you can truly eliminate the problem. Roaches live in the spaces between walls, behind cabinet installations, etc. They cannot walk through walls they come in through openings of various sorts. If you can seal everything COMPREHENSIVELY you can eliminate the problem. You must seal ALL cracks, crevices, tiny spaces along baseboards, gaps in the backs of cabinets, gaps where pipes go into the wall under the sink, etc etc etc. Everything everything everything, every last hole, gap and crack has to be sealed. However this is beyond the attention span of most people even because even in a simple apartment and could take days of intensive work to perform thoroughly. It may also be quite difficult if you have crap like wall to wall carpeting, or the entry points are behind large appliances like stoves or dishwashers installed into kitchen counter assembly. It can be done, and with inexpensive materials available at home depot, lowe's, etc. But it's a lot of work.

Answer 7

You can get a product called Roach-proof (pruf) I'm not sure of the spelling. It is boric acid powder. Sprinkle it behind and under the fridge and stove, the backs of cabinets, bathroom, anywhere you have seen them. Don't put it where kids or pets could get it. Put fresh boric acid out monthly. Your roaches will be gone in about a week. I hope this helps.

Answer 8

It's usually the building that's infested, not the apartment. If that's the case, no matter what you do, you won't be able to get rid of them. Spreading poisons all over the place you live is not a very good solution; you'll probably just have to learn to live with them and that means never leaving food out, washing dishes promptly, etc. However, if you do move, be very careful not to take them with you.

Answer 9

You're going to have to get one of those roach foggers. Leave your apartment for a couple of days. Be prepared to return with a broom and dustpan to pick up the dead ones.

Answer 10

Boric Acid, it is a powder and all you do is put it behind everything. Make sure you don't have any pets that will eat it. It is very inexpensive, I bought mine at the Dollar General, and it really works. There is no odor or no roach traps.