Starting to feel like a real New Yorker…
It’s official. My apartment has cockroaches. I just came home from a 4 day weekend in Ohio, and our kitchen was a mess. My flight was delayed and I didn’t get home til late so I didn’t have nearly enough energy to clean it up. My roommate cleaned it this morning, and when I came home to make some soup and do some homework, I opened the door to the garbage and saw THREE cockroaches in there. They crawled inside the garbage, so we got some bug spray and basically bombed the cupboard, as well as the whole area around it. I think I’m gonna wait a little bit and make sure they’re dead hopefully, then go throw away EVERYTHING in the cabinet. Any other tips on how I can get these son’s of B’s outta my apartment for good?
CLICK THE JUMP FOR AN UPDATE!!!
Alright first off, thanks to everyone who had some suggestions! As much as I am not a cat person, a cat would be a great help to this problem. But the building doesn’t allow pets. This building is only like 2 or 3 years old. But still there are roaches all over in the basement and apparently now in the rooms.
ANYWAYS, my roommate and I went to duane reade and bought over $50 worth of cleaners and roach killers. We again sprayed the hell out of the cupboard with some more Raid roach killer. Then after the entire inside of the cupboard was white and DRIPPING wet, I threw on the rubber gloves and pitched everything in there in a huge black garbage bag. One roach fell out and rather than step on it, I made him suffer and I kept spraying him til he quit moving. It was somewhat satisfying. Then we cleaned EVERYTHING in the kitchen with bleach and sprayed around all the cracks with roach spray. We mopped the floors, I scoured the bathroom. I put roach bait trap thingies in like 12 different spots in our apartment. I didn’t find anymore as of yet, so I’m pretty sure that if we keep things pretty clean we should be alright. I can deal with a stray roach every now and then, but when you see three at a time, you KNOW there’s more where those came from. But we didn’t find anymore while cleaning, and now our apartment is VERY clean. Let’s just hope it stays that way. Oh and we got rid of our kitchen garbage can. The garbage shoot is right outside of our door, so we figured we’ll just get rid of that shit right away rather than let it sit in our kitchen.
So yeah, I hope we are officially roach free. Thanks for all of your input!
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You’re so up the creek if you live in a fairly old building. Those buggers get in the walls. You can spray and bomb with the best of them but your apartment will only relieve a tiny portion of the infestation. IF the rest of your building doesn’t fight to eliminate them, they regroup and grow back.
I’m dealing with it now myself! I’ll tell you, though, the best spray on the planet for dealing with them is called Bengal Roach Spray. Stuff can floor a bull elephant.
Yea, that sucks, Kim! I have had roaches in past apts, and they were literally impossible to get rid of. Just make sure to keep the place immaculate. That is the only way to minimize the problem.
Good luck! And remember… At least it isn’t rats.
Feel lucky. I see a roach about once a year. The big “water bug” kind. You know, the one’s you can basically strap a saddle on and ride around town.
Saw one, the first time this year, last week. He got me good.
I was in the shower, minding my own business, and he dropped into the shower with me, from out of nowhere. If you want the mental picture, think of a six-foot-six-inch, 220 pound man, screaming like a little girl, jumping out of the shower, dripping soap all over the bathroom floor, and trying not to slip and fall, all because some roach landed in the other half of the shower with me. Not one of my finer moments.
I couldn’t get the can of Raid fast enough.
They are in the walls, and there isn’t much you can do to avoid them. Make sure you don’t leave food out. Plug up any holes in the wall that you can see (if you can see the hole, the roach can get through it). It doesn’t hurt to get an exterminator in once in a while. Good luck.
Yea, that sucks, Kim! I have had roaches in past apts, and they were literally impossible to get rid of. Just make sure to keep the place immaculate. That is the only way to minimize the problem.
Good luck! And remember… At least it isn’t rats.
hey Kim–I had roaches in my first apartment in DC and we got a kitten. That solved 95% of the issue, but occasionally I got left a big dead one in the middle of the floor as a pride-kill. Now 10 years later I have that same cat and I can count the roaches I have seen in my various apartments on one hand. They make great roach-killers and when they are done you can snuggle with them!
Combat Roach Killing Gel. Get it. Use it everywhere. It’s a bit expensive, but totally worth it, so get two or more tubes, depending on the size of your place. No more roaches. Haven’t seen one since using it. Plus, no smell from crappy sprays. Wouldn’t hurt to use Combat Roach baits at the same time.
Blah blah on the old building comment. I live in a 1937 building. Gel worked for me.
Or get a cat, they love to chase and eat roaches. Much fun to watch too.
Boric acid. Borax will suffice. Use a mixture of 4 parts boric acid, 2 parts flour, and 1 part cocoa powder, and spread it around the walls along the floor. For a less messy alternative, mix steel wool and putty, and use it to seal any holes you find.
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_019.html
Get a Gecko . Let it loose in your apartment. Your roaches will be gone in 2 days.