Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Block access to the room and to the bed
• Part 2 of 3: Create an unfriendly environment
• Part 3 of 3: Get Rid of the Cockroaches
• Tips
• What do you need
• Blocking access to the room and to the bed
• Creating an unfriendly environment
• Elimination of cockroaches

Cockroaches are nasty little insects that no homeowner would like to have in their home, let alone a bed. Fortunately, there are several ways to not only prevent cockroaches from getting on the bed, but also to completely remove them from your home.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Block access to the room and to the bed

1. 1 Find potential bedroom intrusions. Take a few minutes and look in your bedroom for places where cockroaches can enter. Pay special attention to the places where the walls meet the ceiling and floor, corners, and also inspect the ventilation and windows.
   • Be aware that cockroaches can squeeze through cracks and holes 3 mm wide.
2. 2 Seal cracks with silicone sealant. Purchase a silicone sealant and gun from your local hardware store. There should be instructions for the gun, which should be read carefully before starting work. When you find a crack through which you think cockroaches can enter the bedroom, put the nozzle of the gun to it, pull the trigger and run the sealant along the crack to seal it.
   • Wait for the sealant to dry. Drying times should be indicated on the packaging.
3. 3 Check ventilation grilles and replace if necessary. The ventilation grilles are the only thing that blocks the entrance to the bedroom through the ventilation. If you find holes in one of the grilles, replace the grill as soon as possible.
   • If the hole is small enough or you are comfortable with a temporary solution, cover it with 1-2 layers of duct tape.
4. 4 Stick a self-adhesive seal on the door. Although the bedroom door only opens to the rest of the house, cockroaches that have entered through other doors can enter the bedroom and even onto the bed. Stick the seal on all doors leading outside to prevent cockroaches from squeezing through the cracks between the door and the frame. SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

   

   Hussam bin break

   
   
   Pest Control Specialist Hussam Bean Break is a Certified Pesticide Application Specialist and Operations Manager for Diagno Pest Control. Owns and operates this service with his brother in Greater Philadelphia.

   Hussam bin break
   Pest Control Specialist

   Did you know? Cockroaches are often able to sense the chemical in most household repellents, allowing them to escape. To avoid this, put down cockroach bait and change it every 1–2 weeks until you see the problem is solved.

5. 5 Remove any bedding that reaches the floor. If you are having trouble keeping cockroaches out of your home and bedroom, at least keep them out of your bed. Fold up the sheets and replace oversized blankets with smaller blankets that won't sit on the floor. This will make it harder for cockroaches to climb onto the bed.
   • Cockroaches can climb up the bedding. If you have a valance, remove it from the bed and put it away.
6. 6 Wrap the bottom of the bed legs with silicone tape. Buy a non-sticky silicone tape from a hardware store or order online. Wrap this tape around each leg of the bed under the box spring where each leg meets the floor. It will also prevent cockroaches from climbing onto the bed if they do enter the house.

Part 2 of 3: Create an unfriendly environment

1. 1 Throw away and put away all unnecessary items. Cockroaches are attracted to clutter, which gives them shelter and allows them to live in peace without revealing their presence. Divide the things in your bedroom into two piles: what needs to be "thrown away" and what needs to be "left behind." Then, throw items from the “discard” pile and remove things from the “leave” pile.
   • Cockroaches are especially attracted to cardboard and newspaper, so get rid of newspapers and replace cardboard boxes with plastic ones.
   • Try to store dirty laundry in a laundry basket, and put clean items in a dresser or hang in a closet.
   • Remove the wallpaper and shelf linings as cockroaches like to eat glue on the back of these items.
2. 2 Keep your bedroom and home clean. Cockroaches love the most when the house is dirty, so it is very important to clean regularly in the bedroom and throughout the house.Sweep, mop, vacuum, dust, and once a week (or so) wipe down surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner. Also, remember to wash the dishes and take out the trash on time. Cockroaches are quite voracious, and therefore a full kitchen sink and trash can attract them into the house.
   • Remove anything that has glue, starch, soap, cloth, wood or water on it, as cockroaches eat anything.
   • Try not to carry food to the bedroom. If you need to leave something in the bedroom, put it in a tightly closed box or bag.
   • Make sure the seal on the refrigerator door is in good condition, as young cockroaches can climb inside.
3. 3 Remove trash in the yard. If you widen the perimeter of an unfriendly environment into your yard, you will greatly reduce the likelihood of cockroaches entering your home, bedroom, and thus onto your bed. Cockroaches love to spend time under armfuls of firewood and fallen leaves scattered on the ground. Rake and discard fallen leaves, and collect branches and wood in your yard, especially if they are close to your home.

Part 3 of 3: Get Rid of the Cockroaches

1. 1 Spray cypress and peppermint oil under and around your bed. These essential oils are natural cockroach repellents. Mix 8 drops of cypress oil, 10 drops of peppermint oil, and 1 cup (240 ml) of water in a household spray bottle, then spray this mixture wherever cockroaches have been seen. Be sure to spray under and around the bed just in case.
2. 2 Scare off cockroaches with coffee grounds. Because coffee is bad for cockroaches, they stay away from it. Pour some of the coffee grounds into open containers and place them under and near your bed to keep cockroaches away.
   • Coffee grounds contain caffeine, so they are also effective at repelling other insects such as ants.
3. 3 Scare off cockroaches with cigar scraps. The nicotine found in cigars acts as a cockroach repellent. If you or someone you know smokes cigars, collect the scraps, pour them into several containers without a lid, and leave them on the floor near the bed to scare off cockroaches.
4. 4 Alternatively, crush and scatter bay leaves. Since cockroaches hate the smell of bay leaves, they can be used as a natural remedy for these pests. Use a mortar and pestle or something else that can grind bay leaves into powder. Pour the powder into several open containers and leave it in the bedroom and around the bed.
5. 5 Make a baking soda and sugar at home. Although eliminating cockroaches will not completely solve the problem, you will reduce their population in and around the house. If you want to kill cockroaches, take a bowl and mix the baking soda and sugar in a 1: 1 ratio. Then just scatter the mixture around the room. Sugar will attract cockroaches, and soda will kill them (when they eat it).
   • After a few days, sweep or vacuum the floor to remove the mixture and any dead cockroaches you find.
   • This mixture can be used even if you have pets or small children in your home.
6. 6 Use boric acid as a last resort. Boric acid is one of the most effective remedies for cockroaches, ants and other insects. If your home is infested with cockroaches, buy some boric acid from your local drugstore or order it online. Apply a thin coat of boric acid to your bedroom floor. When the cockroaches go through the powder, it will hit them. The cockroaches will die after they clean themselves and eat the powder.
   • Keep boric acid out of the reach of children and pets as it is poisonous and harmful if eaten.
   • Remember to vacuum or sweep the floor after 1–2 days to remove the boric acid.
   • Boric acid will become less effective if you add too much of it or if it gets wet.

Tips

• If you have tried to rid your bedroom or house of cockroaches, but you have failed, you should contact pest controllers.

What do you need

Blocking access to the room and to the bed

• Silicone sealant and gun
• Self-adhesive seal
• Silicone tape

Creating an unfriendly environment

• Broom
• Mop
• Vacuum cleaner
• Dust broom
• Universal detergent
• Rag for the floor
• Boxes with lids or bags with clasp
• Rake

Elimination of cockroaches

• Cypress oil
• Peppermint oil
• Water
• Household spray gun
• Coffee grounds
• Boxes
• Cigar scraps
• Bay leaves
• mortar and pestle
• Soda
• Sugar
• A bowl
• Boric acid