Last month my mother-in-law was supposed to visit my home. She is a very fastidious woman about cleaning. So I had to clean the entire house. While scrubbing the refrigerator I was shocked and was not ready for that moment. Hundreds of cockroaches were coming out from my refrigerator gasket and dead roaches inside different corners. Well, no one wants these filthy pests in their beloved appliances because nobody wants unhygienic food.
You will be stunned to know that kitchen and refrigerators are the most popular place where the nymphs hide. You might be thinking how can they survive inside the refrigerator? Well my friend there is a phrase “Roaches can survive nuclear holocaust”.
These insects are the most disgusting creature that is often found in the scullery especially in the corner of the refrigerator. Maybe it is the most ideal place for them.
Though most of them emerge from tropical zones, they are now global citizens and don’t care about visa and immigration policies!
What causes Roach Nuisance?
Even though the little ones can’t scare you easily but you have to admit that you don’t want to see their infestation in your appliance. They are tough and that’s why killing them manually is not an easy job. Killing them is a repetitious issue in every house especially in the refrigerators.
They are hardly seen in the daylight, but once it gets dark they start the part of their oppression on your food. After consuming that you can be attacked by rhinitis and asthma.
Because of their Rapid expansion Nutritionists and pest control services always advise taking quick action against them. They not only infect your foodstuff but also lay eggs on your clothes which are stored in the wooden dresser.
Since they love warm places they also lay eggs in the door gasket of your appliance. They are capable of laying eggs 35 to 50 at a time and later grow in a hundred. So my opinion is it is worth learning about the stuff that invites the roach into your appliance and causes fatal nuisance.
Keeping the food uncovered – Covering the meal in a proper way should be the first step. Canine food, kid’s nourishment item even your own meal can be easily contaminated by roaches if they are not covered appropriately. That’s why keeping the eating stuff in tight security is advised by the nutritionists. If somehow you left any eating stuff uncovered in the kitchen, do not consume it.
Leaving moist and hard to reach areas unclean- Since the bug can easily hide in these areas they are very fond of these types of places. Make sure the places are always sanctified. Specially refrigerator motor, door gasket and underneath part where the light doesn’t reach should be cleaned regularly.
Meal that has been in the fridge for a long time- Because of our clumsy habit we all make the same mistake. We always store some meals and forget about it which later spreads bad odor and entices the roach.
Some common methods to get rid of Roaches
Natural repelling method
If you don’t want to use smelly and inorganic pesticides then keep reading this part. I am going to reveal some natural methods which are 100% harmless and easily get-at-able.
| Repellent items
| Efficacy |
| Bay leaves | The scent repulses the unhygienic monsters. |
| Sugar and Baking soda
| By eating the mixture of sugar and baking soda roaches got a stomach rumble and die. If they don’t at least they will be slowed down and you can kill them manually. |
| Sugar and borax
| Another incredible therapy that damages the digesting system of the pests and repels the entire pest infestation. |
| Kaffir lime oil
| The aggressive smell and taste are very effective to keep the roaches away from your appliance. |
| Peppermint and vinegar
| The mixture of these two repellent items (mostly vinegar) makes a weird smell. Cockroach can’t stand that smell. |
| Detergent and Luke water | According to some studies, this combination is quite effective to repel roaches. Spraying this combo on them causes suffocation and kills them. |
| Garlic | Garlic or other spices that have a pungent odor that keeps them away. Just sprinkle it around the hard-reach areas of the refrigerator.
|
| Mouth wash
| Pour the item on a spray bottle and spray it around the infested area. There is some irresistible oil that kills the tiny monsters. |
Trap methods
Coffee trap – The smell of coffee attracts the pest including German roaches. Take a jar and pour water on it. Then take a plastic one-time cup and put the coffee on it. You can also call this cup a “bait cup”. Make sure the cup is small enough so that it fits in the jar. Place the plastic cup in the middle of the jar. What will happen is the roaches will be lured at the bait cup and fall into it. Since they are bad swimmers they can’t get out of the trap.
Duct tape trap – Well, this one is funny. Take duct tape and cut it into small sizes. Put some peanut butter or other sweet item on the adhesive part of the tape. Try not to ruin the stickiness of the tape by laying excessive butter. Place the tape where they tend to stay. If there is lots of roach in the kitchen you can put some tape in there.
If you are intending to catch baby roaches just flip the tape over. What will happen, the small one will try to get under the tape and their back part will get caught in the tape.
Other methods
Clean the refrigerator door gasket – In many instances, shabby door gaskets are the main reason for the appearance of these pests. While cleaning our loving appliance, we always forget to clean this part properly.
Just pull it carefully from the fridge and sanitize it with hot water and keep it fresh. I will recommend using a fridge cleaner for proper cleansing. These kinds of cleaners are available on the online marketplace.
Don’t let the snacks and other stuff hoards in the door gasket. If somehow it gets broken, change it immediately.
Keep Continue the regular cleaning affairs – To hold off the cockroach infestation from your fridge, regular cleaning is a compulsory thing. Make sure that every corner of your refrigerator is properly cleaned. Soggy and dark places are big signs of roach. Keep those areas hygienic.
Make sure no eating stuff is left or dropped on the cabinets, especially cheese, and sugar items. They are very fond of them.
Do not leave the fridge door open – Maybe you don’t you that a person opens his refrigerator door 15 to 20 times a day. So you can imagine how many times the door is being opened.
The fact is we always keep the door open for no reason. Thus roach gets the chance to enter your appliance and ruin your food. Confirm that you close the door as quickly as possible whenever you open it.
Final words
Anyway, a different study says that roaches cannot stay in the cold temperature. This doesn’t mean that the pests can’t make it to the inside part of the refrigerators. To elude their invasion I have explained to you two methods (natural method and other/manual method). The natural method is quite effective and recommended by pest control companies.
If somehow a serious invasion happens and the situation gets out of your hand, don’t panic. Seek help from the experts. There are tons of licensed pest control services that are just a call away.