Cockroaches are often associated with dirty homes and apartments, but roaches thrive in clean homes just as easily. They typically find their way into bedrooms accidentally; however, there are a few reasons why you might find roaches in your bedroom space.
If you have questions about preventing cockroaches from crawling on you while sleeping at night or want to know how to tell if you have an infestation, this article is for you!
We’ll also provide tips on getting rid of them once they’ve already taken up residence inside your bed.
Signs of Cockroaches Inside Your Bedroom
- You wake up with tiny red bumps on your skin and think they are bed bug bites, but they don’t go away after a few days.
- Your mattress smells musty and damp even though it’s new or has been cleaned recently.
- You see cockroaches crawling on the walls, floors, or furniture in your bedroom during the day.
- There are tiny black spots on the sheets and pillowcases from their droppings.
If you see any of these signs, a cockroach infestation may have occurred in your bedroom.
Cockroaches are nocturnal and like to hide during the day, so their presence may not be immediately apparent. However, if you suspect you have a cockroach problem in your home, it is vital to take action as soon as possible.
It can get much worse if you don’t deal with the cockroach infestation quickly and adequately.
How Do Cockroaches Get Into Your Bedroom?
Cockroaches get into your bedroom when you eat and drink from your bed, and they find a suitable opening to enter the room.
Read More: Where Do Cockroaches Come From?
They are on the lookout for water, food, and shelter. This means you will attract roaches to the mess you make while eating or drinking in bed and any crumbs that fall onto the floor.
You can also attract cockroaches to your home by leaving dirty plates or mugs around, especially if they have spilled drinks.
Read More: What Do Cockroaches Eat? Their Favorite Foods
Hair and dry skin flakes are also a big draw for cockroaches, so if you have been shedding lately, consider getting a good vacuum cleaner to get rid of these little gifts that keep giving!
Once they’ve entered through whatever doorway works best for them (windows, walls from other apartments), they’ll head straight for their favorite place: water! So ensure all pipes under sinks are okay; otherwise, they’ll find their way into toilets too!
Read More: How To Get Rid Of Roaches In Your Apartment
Can Cockroaches Crawl on You During the Night?
Yes, cockroaches can crawl on you during the night. Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures, and they are most active at night. This means that if you sleep in the dark, then cockroaches may crawl on you while you sleep. If this happens, the insect will bite or gnaw on your dead skin, fingernails, eyelashes, and toenails.
When cockroaches are looking for something to eat, they look for food sources, and they will bite anything available to them.
If you are sleeping in the dark and do not notice when a cockroach has crawled onto you, then there is no way of knowing whether it has bitten or gnawed on you until the morning.
Unfortunately, cockroaches can also carry diseases and spread them if they bite people during their nighttime activities. This is why keeping your home clean and free from cockroaches is essential.
How to Prevent Cockroaches in Your Bedroom Space
Cockroaches are a nuisance, and they can be challenging to get rid of. They can also be dangerous if you’re allergic to them, so it’s essential to keep them out of your bedroom space. Here are some tips for preventing cockroach infestations:
Ultraviolet Light
Ultraviolet light has been in use for a long time in sterilization. However, studies show that continuous exposure to ultraviolet rays will help in pest control if you have enough UV lights in your infested area. Still, it would help if you did it daily and continuously until all the roaches leave or die.
Since cockroaches are sensitive to ultraviolet light, they tend to hide away from UV exposure and die of starvation as they cannot find food anymore. The best way to use UV is to create a barrier at night.
You can place UV lights on the floor or walls around your bed and move them out of the room during the day. If you want to use UV lights as an alternative pest control, then it’s essential to pick ones with enough power to kill cockroaches and other pests.
Clean Your Room
Taking care of your room is essential if you have a roach problem. You want to make sure that there’s no food or water left out for them and that they’re not going to be attracted by anything else in the area. There are several things you can do to keep this from happening:
- Clean up any dirty dishes or food in your house immediately after using them. Don’t leave everything on the countertop for more than an hour; throw it away if it’s been sitting out longer than that.
- Wipe up spills as soon as they occur. If something has spilled on the floor, mop up any liquid and wipe down all surfaces within reach. Do not let drinks sit long enough for bugs to find their way into them.
- Don’t leave dirty laundry lying anywhere but especially in your room; remember: cockroaches like warmth and darkness, so they’ll live anywhere their needs are met – including inside clothing and bedding.
- If you live with other people, check their rooms for bugs; if you find any, tell them about it and encourage them to follow the same rules.
Use Essential Oils
Cockroaches are attracted to the scent of food; they may be drawn to your bed if you eat from there. To keep them away, you can use essential oils which repel roaches due to their strong scent.
The best way to avoid cockroaches is by using essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus oil for roaches, or tea tree oil around your room.
Add them to a diffuser or put a few drops on cotton balls that you leave under furniture or inside drawers.
You can also use essential oils to clean your room, which will help repel cockroaches.
You could also make a cockroach-repellent spray by mixing essential oils with water and spraying it around cracks where roaches might hide out during the daytime hours.
Sleep Somewhere Else
While it may not seem like a solution, sleeping somewhere else for a few nights can help eliminate the roaches in your home.
If you have family or friends who live nearby, ask if they would let you stay with them for a couple of nights while you deal with your roach problem. This will give you time to clean your home and eliminate any food sources that might attract roaches.
Check your bedding for any signs of an infestation: look in the crevices of the mattress and box spring, under the pillows and sheets, in between couch cushions (if they’re there), and under your pillows. If you see any signs of activity—droppings or molted exoskeletons—you may have a cockroach problem!
The good news is that killing roaches isn’t hard. You can get rid of them on your own with simple steps like getting rid of any food sources, cleaning up after yourself, and ensuring you seal your property correctly.
If you don’t know where they are coming in, it can be hard to get rid of them. Cockroaches can squeeze through tiny spaces, so it’s essential to check your home from top to bottom and ensure there are no openings for them to crawl into.
Set up Baits
Cockroaches like to eat protein-based foods, so get sticky traps and set them up around your room.
You can buy these at any local hardware store or grocery store—make sure they’re labeled “safe for children and pets.” If the bait doesn’t work, try sprinkling some boric acid powder around your room.
Boric acid will kill the roaches without harming humans or animals. Remember to also sprinkle the boric acid around your home.
When setting up baits, make sure that you place them in areas where you know cockroaches are likely to be found. For example, if you have a leaky pipe in the bathroom, that area may be infested with cockroaches.
If possible, try not to place baits directly above these areas; instead, try putting them on shelves above or around them, so they don’t get wet from leaks.
How Can You Sleep With Cockroaches?
You can sleep with cockroaches in your home by taking some actions. While it’s hard to sleep peacefully if you see a cockroach scurrying in your bedroom, you can:
- Sleep higher up
- Check for eggs and kill them
- Remove any food in your bedroom
- Remove water sources in your bedroom
- Vacuum your bedroom
Sleep Higher Up
Cockroaches can climb. If you have an infestation, your best bet is to sleep in a bed higher than the floor and not against a wall.
If you have a loft or bunk bed, those are great options for sleeping away from the bug invasion. If not, try finding a bed at least 18 inches off the ground.
Cockroaches aren’t excellent climbers, so if your bed is high enough off the floor, you can sleep in peace. Moreover, by ensuring your bed does not lean to the wall, you can help prevent the roaches from getting into your bed.
If you have a loft bed and don’t want to sleep in a hammock, try putting some sticky traps underneath your bed frame or mattress. This way, if roaches make it up there with you, they’ll get stuck on the traps instead of crawling across your face while you sleep!
Check for Eggs
Cockroaches lay their eggs in the corners of rooms, especially in dark places such as under furniture and along walls.
Look for small, brownish ovals about 1/16th of an inch long that have a flattened top. If you see these signs, there’s a good chance you have a severe infestation on your hands.
A large number of roach eggs is one of the most vital indicators that you’re dealing with serious pests rather than just an occasional guest appearance from one or two roaches.
You will want to take action immediately once you’ve spotted signs that cockroaches may be present—especially if there are some egg sacs around as well!
They won’t go away by themselves; they’ll only get worse if left alone too long, so don’t wait until tomorrow morning or next week before taking action against these little critters.
Remove Food
To prevent the growth of cockroaches, you should remove all food from your house. This includes:
- Crumbs and spills on tables and countertops
- Food leftovers in refrigerators or cabinets
- Crumbs in beddings
It would help if you also cleaned up any crumbs or spills on the floor under furniture, beds, and sofas.
Be sure to vacuum all areas where food is prepared or eaten and floors. This will remove any crumbs your cockroaches may see as food. Cleaning up crumbs is important because cockroaches will use them as a food source if they have no other options.
Remove Water Sources
If you’re dealing with roaches in your home, it’s essential to remove all water sources from the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Ensure there are no water sources nearby.
If you don’t want your bed to be the home base for these creepy crawlers, cover your drains with screens or stoppers so that there aren’t any leaks in the plumbing or pipes nearby. This will keep them from coming into your home and making themselves home on your bedsheets!
Vacuum Your Room Thoroughly
Cockroaches like dark places, so ensure no crumbs or other food particles are left around. Also, clean up any messes you make during the day (and not just by you). You’ll want to vacuum under furniture and behind curtains as well.
If there are any cracks or holes in the walls or floorboards of your room, vacuuming them out will help catch any intruders before they have time to get comfortable somewhere inside your house and start breeding.
You should also vacuum any furniture with cracks or holes, even stuffed animals! If there are gaps between pieces of furniture (like dressers), vacuum those as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Causes Roaches in a Clean House?
There are various factors that cause roaches to get in a clean house. Remember, roaches can get into your home through the tiniest of cracks, so it’s not just a matter of keeping your house clean or even getting rid of food crumbs around the home. Understanding how they can get inside your home is essential for keeping roaches away.
What Could Cause the Sudden Appearance of Cockroaches?
The sudden appearance of cockroaches may be caused if you have been moving around a lot and brought them in on your clothes. It’s important to remember that you can also bring in roaches through firewood or other items purchased from outside sources that you did not properly inspect.
Where Do Cockroaches Prefer to Hide in the Bedroom?
Cockroaches prefer to hide in dark, moist places in the bedroom. They like the bathroom, closet, and under your bed or cabinets. They also go where they can find water, so don’t let a leaky faucet sit unattended for too long. Cockroaches are nocturnal and crawl at night to find food or water sources.
What Should I Do If I Think I Have Cockroaches?
If you think you have cockroaches, ensure that you contact an exterminator who will be able to identify what type of bug it is, how big the infestation is, and what pesticides will work best for your home or business.
