Seven Kitchen Habits That Quietly Invite Cockroaches

Clean kitchens get cockroaches too

The most common thing we hear from embarrassed customers is that they keep a clean kitchen. They usually do. Cockroaches do not need visible mess; they need tiny, reliable amounts of food, water and shelter. A kitchen can look spotless and still supply all three.

These are the seven habits, or missing habits, that we see behind most household cockroach problems.

The food side: three small leaks in your defences

First, the toaster and the space under it. Crumb trays feed a cockroach family indefinitely. Empty them weekly.

Second, pet bowls left down overnight. A bowl of kibble and water at floor level is a buffet served at exactly the hour cockroaches forage. Lift bowls after the evening meal.

Third, the gap beside the cooker. Oil and food fall into the slot between cooker and cabinet, where nobody cleans because nothing visible lives there. Pull appliances out and clean behind them every few months.

The water side: they are thirstier than they are hungry

A cockroach survives weeks without food but only days without water. Fourth on our list: the dripping tap or slow leak under the sink, which turns a cupboard into a water station. Fix drips promptly.

Fifth, the dish rack and sink left wet overnight. Wiping the sink dry before bed sounds obsessive, but in a building with cockroach pressure it removes the most reliable water source in the house.

The shelter side: cardboard and clutter

Sixth, cardboard boxes stored in or near the kitchen. Corrugated cardboard is warm, dark, snug and edible. It is close to perfect cockroach housing. Move long-term storage into plastic tubs.

Seventh, the plastic bag stuffed with other plastic bags. Every kitchen has one. It is rarely moved and never cleaned, which makes it prime harbourage. Keep it off the floor and away from warm appliances.

None of these habits alone causes an infestation, and fixing them alone will not cure one. But a kitchen that removes easy food, water and shelter forces cockroaches to travel further and take more risks, which makes any treatment dramatically more effective and any new arrivals less likely to stay.