Summary: Cockroaches are resistant to standard pesticides and can squeeze into tight spots, so it takes work to eliminate them. This blog explains 10 easy ways to eliminate cockroaches and prevent them from returning. Romney Pest Control gets rid of roaches as safely and efficiently as possible.
It’s no secret that cockroaches are incredibly frustrating to treat. These nocturnal pests thrive in damp, humid areas that are consistently dark. You might stumble upon their hiding spot, but roach invasions are most often discovered when one of them is spotted in the daytime.
If you have a roach problem, the best course of action is to remove their access to food, water, and shelter. These steps are best combined with professional pest control, but we’ll get into that later. For now, let’s discuss the 10 most efficient ways to get rid of cockroaches and keep your home roach-free.
Fix Leaks
If we had to choose one tip as the most important, it would probably be this one. Cockroaches love humidity and excessive moisture, especially in undisturbed spaces. That’s why the source of many infestations are in bathrooms, basements, garages, laundry rooms, and under-sink cabinets.
On a regular basis, inspect all of these areas — along with the rest of your house — for roach activity. Any leaks and sweating pipes need to be fixed ASAP, either by you or a professional. This also saves you the headache of water damage in your home. If one of your rooms is often humid, consider purchasing a dehumidifier.
Store Food Properly
Second only to the water issue, open food is a huge attractant for cockroaches. These omnivores mostly eat starches, sweets, meats, and greasy items. They can also chew through flimsy packaging, like plastic and cardboard, so those foods aren’t safe from these scavengers.
Transfer your pantry essentials (baking ingredients, cereal, nuts, chocolate, etc.) into airtight containers to protect them from hungry cockroaches. Canned goods and food that can’t be removed from the original packaging should be checked for leaks and spills regularly.
Sanitize the Kitchen
While we’re on the topic of the kitchen, a clean kitchen is far less likely to attract cockroaches. Clean the counters and wipe up crumbs and spills daily. Dirty dishes should be put in the sink and washed within 24 hours when possible. The residue on used plates is good enough for roaches, so doing the dishes is a great prevention tactic!
An important fact to note is that they squeeze into tight areas by compressing their bodies. If your roach problem persists, there is no space too dark or cramped to clean. Use your cleaner of choice to sanitize the space under and behind your fridge, dishwasher, microwave, stove, and toaster. While you clean, check for small holes (entry points) that need to be sealed.
Clean the Floors
If you needed more motivation to clean the floors, roach eggs and shed skins also attract cockroaches since they’re social insects. Between that gross habit and their constant search for easy food sources, consistently cleaning the floors is a great way to fight a roach problem.
Use your preferred method (vacuum, sweep, mop, etc.) to clean the floors every couple of days while your roach problem persists. If you have young kids and/or pets, you might want to do this more often. As you clean — you probably know where we’re going with this — check for entry points and roach activity in the dark, less accessible areas.
Remove Extra Cardboard
Moving on to the “decluttering” type of cleaning, we recommend getting rid of extra cardboard in your home. Cardboard is a common food source and habitat, mostly for German roaches. They like the dark corners and air pockets in idle boxes. Roaches thrive in clutter, so they really like boxes packed with books and other papery items (for food sources).
This practice can be an opportunity for you to declutter that packed attic or garage you’ve been dreading. Just take it one box at a time, removing the contents and placing them in plastic containers with strong lids. If you find that some of the boxes are wet, throw them out immediately and try to find the source of the moisture.
Seal Entry Points
We’ve touched on this in a couple sections, but it’s worth emphasizing in its own space. Since roaches flatten their bodies (including their organs!) to squeeze into tight spots, no entry point is too narrow for these pests. Inspect the interior and exterior often, and seal any new holes or cracks with waterproof caulk.
Windows and doors are more obvious entry points for pests, but don’t forget about the seals! If a weather seal is splitting or loose, replace it with a new one. Also, make sure all window and door screens are free of rips and fit tightly within the frame. Replace loose, worn screens with new material. Don’t give roaches a free ticket inside!
Maintain the Trash
Since garbage is such an easy food source for cockroaches, it’s absolutely important to have good trash management. Make sure all food waste and trash makes it into a trash can that’s lined with a strong bag. We suggest using lidded trash cans or keeping them in a cabinet to make access more limited for pests.
When the bag is full, take it out to the outdoor garbage cans. Both the indoor and outdoor cans should never be overflowing with trash, especially when you’re trying to solve a roach problem. Keep the lids to the outdoor cans closed at all times. It’s easy for roaches to feed and reproduce in lesser used items like these, so keep that in mind.
Tidy Up the Yard
You can have the cleanest house on the block, but if your yard is full of natural debris and overgrowth, roaches still have all of their needs met on your property. Use a rake, leaf blower, or your hands (wearing utility gloves) to remove the natural clutter from your yard and gutters. Leaf litter, dead leaves, and overripe produce are the usual offenders.
The general rule of thumb is to keep all plants and tree branches trimmed back at least one foot from the house. When the greenery touches the house, it creates a freeway for roaches and other pests. Use your yard tools of choice to prune any branches, shrubs, or plants that touch the foundation or siding.
See the Signs
The key to knowing whether your roach issue is improving is knowing the signs that prove otherwise. In other words, keeping an eye out for signs of roach activity is a great habit to have.
Sticky traps or glue boards are easy tools for monitoring the invasion. Place these in the trouble areas, and check them daily for any trapped pests. Make sure the traps are out of reach of young children and pets by keeping them in hard-to reach areas, like behind appliances.
The most common signs of a roach invasion are:
- Shed skins
- Pepper-like droppings
- Egg cases (oothecae)
- A musty odor
- Agitated allergy symptoms in the house’s residents
- Any live or dead cockroaches
If you keep seeing these signs, it’s a good time to call in the pros. The longer a roach problem is unsolved, the more they’ll reproduce. German roaches are the worst, averaging 40 eggs per ootheca.
Get Help from Professionals
Cockroach invasions meet their match in professional services. A qualified pest control company will provide you with advanced treatments and knowledgeable guidance on roach control in your everyday life. A persisting roach problem needs this management since these pests are resistant to standard insecticides.
The first step is to find the source of the infestation. Trained technicians know to follow the signs and look in the most discreet areas, like under floors, in crawl spaces, and under appliances. They can then determine the best course of action for efficient eradication.
Gel baits and residual sprays are the most popular since roaches can’t hide from these treatments. After all, every roach needs to be treated in order for the infestation to truly end. When you combine all of the previous methods with professional solutions, roaches won’t stand a chance.
Rid Your Home of Cockroaches with Romney!
Due to their high reproductive rates and resilience against pesticides, roaches are a tough pest to defeat. In addition to the methods we talked about today, Romney’s efficient treatments keep roaches away for the long run. Our highly-trained team will determine the roach species involved and create a customized treatment plan to effectively target that species.
We understand the stress that comes with a roach invasion, considering the health risks that come with these pests. When you choose Romney, you can rest assured that we’ll solve your pest problems with the utmost efficiency and care. Contact us for a free quote today!
Citations
How to get rid of roaches. (2025, June 13). Lowe’s. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://www.lowes.com/n/how-to/remove-roaches
Revel, D. (n.d.). How to get rid of roaches. HGTV. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardens/animals-and-wildlife/how-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches
Sabella, M. (2025, April 28). 10 ways to get rid of cockroaches fast before they infest your home. The Spruce. Available at https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches-at-home-11692862 (Accessed on June 26, 2025).
