How to Naturally Keep Roaches out of Cabinets

Finding roaches in cabinets and roaches in kitchen drawers is a surefire way to give you the label as the dirty house in your friend group or family. Although there are many natural ways to get rid of cockroaches, the key is to keep them from ever becoming a resident in your house in the first place. No one likes a pest, so preventing an infestation will save you a major headache in the long run.

Not only are cockroaches an unsightly insect to discover in one's home, but roaches in cabinets or roaches in kitchen drawers can also be super harmful to our overall health. According to Franklin Pest Solutions, cockroaches trigger allergic reactions and asthma, and they also carry up to 33 different kinds of bacteria. According to DC Scientific Pest Control, they also carry six different parasitic worms and seven other human pathogens.

Although cockroaches live outdoors, they'll come inside to get food during the hotter months or prolonged periods of rain, according to DC Scientific Pest Control. Cockroaches love warm, damp areas like flowerbeds, mulch and trees. This means that before you can prevent them from coming inside, you should first tackle them being outside. According to Inman Murphy Termite & Pest Control, you can keep cockroaches from entering your home by trimming back bushes and plants that touch your home and, most importantly, keeping your yard clean.

You can also move firewood at least a foot away from the walls of your home and keep mulch six inches from the foundation of your house. Even if you're super diligent about keeping your outside area clean, roaches easily find their way through small cracks and other entry points. According to Inman Murphy Termite & Pest Control, you must seal any crevices and cracks and block off any entry points into your home.

If you don't notice any holes or cracks, check the weather strip on your windows and doors, make sure you have durable caulking and check your home's foundation for entry points. No matter how small you think a hole is, a cockroach can still find its way through.

According to DC Scientific Pest Control, there are many ways to prevent an infestation that could lead to finding roaches in cabinets or roaches in kitchen drawers. The key is to focus on keeping your kitchen clean. Sanitation is the number one way to prevent cockroaches from taking up residence in your home. Anytime you see crumbs or spilled food, wipe it up.

Roaches are attracted by food, so if you want to deter roaches in cabinets, regularly clean out cupboards where you store food. Even those pesky crumbs that spill out of your snack boxes when you go late-night foraging need to be cleared. One of the most prominent areas where roaches will gather is in appliances. More often than not, homeowners leave crumbs in their toasters or a smear of grease on their pans.

Make sure to always scrub down your pots and pans and use a disinfectant spray to keep your cabinets clean. Another key tip is to get airtight cockroach-proof containers. As gross as it may sound, roaches like to root in opened dog food and cereal bags in your cupboards. Instead, get sealed containers for your stray snacks and food items.