You clean your home daily and keep it clutter-free most of the time. However, as you start dinner that night, you see a roach in your kitchen. You then wonder how they could come into your clean house.
Roaches are not limited to entering only dirty homes. In truth, quite a few things can attract roaches to your clean house.
Sometimes poor pest control could be the problem, while other times, it could be as simple as leftover food forgotten, even temporarily.
Regardless of the rhyme or reason, a cockroach infestation is not solely built upon a dirty home.
Even a clean house can have one too many ways for cockroaches to get in and allow a full-scale roach infestation to begin.
This article delves into the ins and outs of why you have roaches in your clean house.
Why Do I Suddenly Have Roaches in My Clean Home?
You suddenly have roaches in your clean home due to any number of possible reasons. However, nothing can attract roaches quite as easily as a free meal.
This may look like dirty dishes, leftover food, or even other pests you have not cleaned up (or found), and the roaches only view it as another food source.
Easy Food Sources
Food drives many of a roach’s direct actions, and to a lesser degree having the ability to gain access to it means even more.
In that case, any dirty dishes you might have would be the first place you could begin when finding roaches’ favorite places to dine.
However, almost anything can serve as food for a roach. The food source does not matter as much as the ability to acquire it.
Some examples are other insects on glue strips or something as basic as cardboard boxes. Pet food is another somewhat unsuspecting item that can attract cockroaches.
As the name suggests, cockroaches will happily eat whatever they are offered.
Untidy Landscape
Suppose the mess is outside in the form of standing water, clumps of leaf litter, and other junk piles.
In that case, the nests cockroaches make in these areas can cause an abundance of roaches, which eventually gravitate elsewhere.
If you have any clutter outside your home, this might attract cockroaches. These critters love making homes inside and outside, so you would be wise to handle these problematic areas before they develop into an issue inside your home.
Another unexpected issue that might arise given time would be dead tree stumps that are rotting outside and fallen branches to garbage cans you have not cleaned in a while.
These areas can serve as homes and food sources, and you should eliminate them immediately.
Lots of Moisture
Roaches need moisture to live, more so than they even need food, as a roach can survive for about a month without food but only a week without access to water.
As such, if you have any leaky pipes or a leaky faucet, it can provide all the moisture required to have a thriving utopia in front of them.
Even worse, the leaky faucet can double as a place to hydrate and hide while waiting for a chance to get more food and breed.
Easy Access Points
Do you have a simple crack in your window frame or small wall holes? Almost all common household pests will attempt to find an easy access point inside your home.
Therefore, these tiny nooks and crannies could very well be their way of entering your home.
While other pests might prefer if your home was cluttered and messy, roaches do not mind the setting as long as their needs get met. Unfortunately, this means an easy way to get in.
For these reasons mentioned above, you must seal all cracks and holes in your home.
These minor blemishes are precisely why a clean and unsanitary home can have little difference from each other when it comes to getting an infestation.
It is worth noting that dryer vents, especially ones that lead to holes outside, can prove exceptionally welcoming because they grant the roach access to food and water, which is all they require to survive.
What Causes Roaches to Enter My Clean Apartment?
Roaches enter your clean apartment because they find an easy way in. Sharing proximity to other tenants can be all it takes to get roaches into your clean home.
Roaches are resourceful, coming in through cracks, holes, and even the floor, depending on the state of your neighbor’s apartment.
Thankfully, filling those cracks and holes can help eliminate that particular issue but getting rid of them can prove daunting.
Sometimes all it takes is a light socket that does not quite fit correctly, as if it cannot come from the outlet itself.
Still, given enough time and effort, anything can become an entry point.
However, if you go down that route, speak to your landlord to ensure that filling said cracks would not be an issue.
Suppose you are getting roaches in your apartment and keeping your area clean.
In that case, you must alert your building manager or similar figure and inform them of the issue so they can schedule a professional to come out.
Location Makes a Difference
Areas close to a dumpster or with many people living in tight spaces (apartments, for example) have a much larger chance of experiencing a cockroach infestation. This is due to the amount of coordination and work it takes to keep them at bay.
One person being unclean and leaving food around can allow pests to thrive in the small crevices of their home as well.
The roaches may be dwelling in their midst and spread to yours, no matter how much effort you put into keeping your house clean.
In such a situation, you need to double up on your efforts in setting up deterrents and defenses against the would-be invaders, making it exceptionally difficult for them to find food should they find a way in. Otherwise, it may be time to look for somewhere else to move.
What Are the Signs of a Cockroach Problem?
Signs of a cockroach problem include both things you can see and smell.
You See Cockroach Feces
Cockroach feces is one of the most defining characteristics of an infestation. It shows that you have an active nest and enough of them to feel comfortable releasing their waste in a particular area.
You can tell if you have an ongoing problem would be to clean the area and see if more droppings appear in the same spot.
There is an Odor
Roaches emit a peculiar stench, and you will only detect it when there is a large quantity of them.
As such, you will need to begin cleaning and baiting immediately to get a hold of the situation.
You can use a steam cleaner to combat the smell and an ozone generator to disperse the lingering scent.
You See a Roach
Seeing is believing, and for roaches, this is no different, be it an American cockroach or a small patch of dead bugs.
You See Signs of Eggs
Seeing eggs or baby roaches is worse than seeing a single cockroach because it signifies they are breeding and tells you that you have a full-scale infestation.
Read More: How Fast Do Roaches Multiply?
What to Do If You See a Roach
Regularly Clean Your Home
Keep your home free of dirty dishes, cardboard boxes, and anything a roach can either feast on or use as a way in.
Look for Hiding Spots
Roaches are clever and will use untidy landscaping, a kitchen sink, and odd damp areas in a basement as areas to hide in while waiting for a chance to feed.
In that case, check the hard-to-see places of cabinets, clumps of clothes or dressers you haven’t moved in ages, and the like to have your best chance at finding where they hide.
Place Traps or Bait Down
You can utilize gel bait or a boric acid and peanut butter combo to get their population counts down. Make sure to clean the dead roaches up afterward.
Use a Natural Deterrent
You can use strong scents like peppermint oil, garlic, and bay leaves to keep kitchen counters free of these pests.
Read More: Killing And Keeping Away Roaches With Peppermint Oil
Sprinkling diatomaceous earth (DE) along the edges of your home can also keep roaches from getting in. DE also kills any of them using said areas as active highways.
However, be cautious when using DE, as breathing it in can have severe repercussions for you as well.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Overnight with Fast Home Remedies
If All Else Fails, Call a Professional Exterminator
Using baits and other methods might not be for everyone, and if the infestation is too large or you don’t want to deal with it, calling a professional can be a short and sweet option to get rid of roaches for good.
Another benefit to using a professional would be that they will not only alleviate your pest issue but can typically identify how they are gaining entry to your home and help develop a plan to keep it from happening.
