The sight of a single cockroach crawling through your bedroom is enough to make your skin crawl. But aside from being creepy and disgusting creatures, these pests are known to carry a wide range of sicknesses and diseases.
While it’s true that cockroaches are nocturnal pests, the presence of light doesn’t keep them away.
Cockroaches avoid the light because they can be easily seen, and they can’t hide from their predators. However, they will still come out in the light if they’re looking for food.
Keeping the Lights On Won’t Drive the Cockroaches Away: Myth
There’s a tell-tale sign that you have a cockroach problem: the sight of one scurrying across your floor. And if you see one cockroach, there’s a good chance there are many more hiding in the cracks and crevices of your home.
Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures, so you’re more likely to see them at night when they come out to forage for food.
You may have heard that the best way to get rid of cockroaches is to keep the lights on in your home, but this isn’t true.
Cockroaches aren’t attracted to light – there’s truth in that. But light won’t actually harm them. In fact, leaving the lights on in your home may actually make your cockroach problem worse.
When it’s dark, cockroaches rely on lights to give them a signal that it’s already nighttime, signaling them to come out and forage. If you keep the lights on in your home, it will confuse them, and they’ll come out during the day when you’re more likely to see them.
The Best Ways to Keep Cockroaches Away at Night
There are no shortcuts to keep cockroaches away during the night. Simply turning on your lamps in your bedroom isn’t the solution to this roach problem.
Many households have had the same problem with cockroaches for years, and they’ve tried several different methods to keep them away.
However, the best way to make sure that they don’t come out or stay in your house at all is simple: remove all of their food sources and hiding places.
Here are some tips you can practice at home to prevent seeing another sign of cockroach again in your home – day or night.
Keep all Kitchen Surfaces Clean
Cockroaches are attracted to food, so the first step is to make sure that your kitchen is clean. This is where most of the food preparations are done and where cockroaches are most likely to find food.
Wipe down all surfaces, including the stove, countertops, and cabinets. Don’t forget to sweep and mop the floor too!
When there’s no food for them to eat, cockroaches will eventually starve and die. But this takes time – up to a month – so you need to be patient. In the meantime, you can also try some of these other methods to keep them away at night.
Take Out the Trash
Remember, trash, and some food leftovers are cockroach magnets. So, one of the best ways to keep them away is to take out your trash regularly.
If you have a garbage can in your kitchen, make sure to empty it every night before you go to bed. And if possible, try to transfer your trash outside of your home so that cockroaches won’t be able to access it.
Cover Your Food
Normally, leftovers are placed inside the fridge. But if you have a lot of them, cockroaches can still smell it from outside and find their way in. So, it’s best to cover your food tightly. You can use Tupperware containers or even zip-lock bags.
This will also help keep your food fresh for longer. If you have an opened bag of chips or a box of cereal, it’s best to store it in the pantry – away from cockroaches.
You may also try using insect-proof containers that are specifically designed to keep pests away from your food.
Fix All Leaks
Cockroaches are attracted to water, so they’re likely to hide in places with a lot of moisture. This is why it’s crucial to fix all leaks in your home, especially in the kitchen and bathroom.
Check your pipes and faucets regularly for leaks and repair them immediately. You should also consider getting a dehumidifier to keep the air dry, especially in rooms where there’s a lot of moisture.
Clean Your Dishes
At the end of the day, it’s tempting to just leave dirty dishes in the sink. We understand – you’re tired, and you just want to go to bed. But this is one of the worst things you can do if you’re trying to keep cockroaches away.
Cockroaches are attracted to dirty dishes because they often contain food residue. So, make sure to clean your dishes every night before going to bed.
You can either wash them by hand or place them in the dishwasher. Aiming for a kitchen sink with no dirty dishes is the ultimate goal.
Use Cockroach Baits
Cockroach baits are one of the most effective ways to eliminate these pests. They work by attracting cockroaches with food and then poisoning them when they eat it.
You can find these baits in most hardware stores, and they’re usually easy to use. Just place them in areas where cockroaches are likely to hide, such as in the kitchen or bathroom. And be sure to follow the instructions on the package so that you can use them safely.
Final Thoughts
There’s truth that roaches dislike being exposed to light, but keeping them on at night isn’t enough to drive cockroaches away.
They’ll likely find food and water somewhere else in your home. As long as there’s a food and water source, a single lamp turned on during the night isn’t enough to drive them out of your house.
With that being said, it’s best to practice all of the tips we’ve mentioned above to keep these pests away for good.
Keeping the house clean is the best way to ensure that cockroaches won’t be able to find food and water. And if they can’t forage for food in your home, they’ll most likely leave and go find another food source somewhere else.
