How can you fight roaches in your home? TAG24 takes you through preventing and getting rid of those nasty roaches with some very handy home remedies.

By Nadja Kocsis, Evan Williams

They may be disgusting, but cockroaches aren't hard to get rid of. Act quickly, using the right strategies and home remedies, and you'll be able to get them out of your house quick-smart. Here are some anti-roach home remedies...

Cockroaches might be nocturnal, but that doesn't mean you're not going to notice them. These disgusting bugs, with their long antennae, look like the stuff of nightmares. So, how do you get rid of cockroaches, and what home remedies can be used for roaches?

The sad fact of the matter is that many different kinds of cockroach are actually immune to commercial insecticides. As a result, it is often better to use home remedies and preventative measures to deal with a cockroach infestation. This especially goes for a household with pets, as they could get sick from commercial roach traps.

In this guide, TAG24 will show you how to use home remedies to get rid of cockroaches, and will offer some preventative measures to help avoid an infestation.

Do you not have much time? No worries, here's a TL;DR:

Cockroaches are nocturnal bugs, generally only coming out at night. If you come across these creepy crawlies, then it is quite likely that there are a lot more hiding in your walls, between kitchen appliances, and elsewhere.

Here are a few signs of a cockroach infestation:

If animals even appear during the day, the population must already be very large.

While cockroaches look disgusting and rather like something that could spell your doom if it happens to bite you, they are not deadly in themselves. Indeed, roaches can and will bite you if they get onto your skin, but they are not poisonous.

That being said, cockroaches can be contaminated with diseases such as salmonella, hepatitis, and mold-related toxins. These can be transferred to people's food or through a cockroach bites, and as a result can pose a great risk to us humans.

It's not just diseases like salmonella that make cockroaches troublesome, but also the risk of asthma and eczema, as well as gastrointestinal issues that could come from eating contaminated foods.

There are a variety of different cockroaches types, and many of them have made their way to the United States. Industry is a particular source of these nasty pests, with many infestations in food processing plants, commercial kitchens and bakeries being particularly susceptible to these li'l rascals.

Ultimately, cockroaches love damp and warm environments, where they will mate multiple times a year and produce many, many eggs. As a result, cockroaches multiply at an alarming speed and will spread between apartments through the walls, rubbish, or sewage.

Cockroaches often enter the apartment through food, packaging, or the sewage system. They will always seek out the perfect living environment, and are especially attracted to places that lack proper sanitation.

Ask yourself: So, should I step on a cockroach when I see one? No, you shouldn't. Their eggs can spread throughout your apartment via the sole of your shoe.

The best way to deal with cockroaches is to try and prevent them from infesting your apartment or house in the first place. To do this, you need to deprive them of their favorite environments.

Here are a few ways to prevent cockroach infestations:

If you keep your home clean, tidy, and relatively dry, you will likely prevent future cockroach infestations.

The first and most important step when you want to get rid of cockroaches is to figure out where they are hiding, so that you can target the right location. Roaches will often hide inside warm electrical appliances, air conditioning systems, behind loose wallpaper, and in damp places like under the sink.

Once you have figured out where they're coming from, here's how to get rid of cockroaches:

Step 1: Lower the temperature of the room as much as you can, and extensively ventilate it to disincentivize them from staying there.

Step 2: Organize for some bait boxes to be installed, so that you can determine the extent of the problem.

Step 3: If the issue is within the realms of using home remedies to remove them, you can attract them using sugar and glucose. Surround these "baits" with paper that has been covered in either glue or double-sided tape, so that the cockroaches run onto it and get stuck.

Step 4: Make sure to do an extremely thorough clean of your home. Remove all possible food sources and vacuum all the floors, as well as any nymphs or eggs sacks that you may have found (then proceed to immediately throw away the vacuum bag).

Step 5: Make sure to caulk any points of entrance using glue and bait, and tape of all door frames, window frames, electrical outlets, and other entry points.

Step 6: If using basic trapping, baiting, and catching techniques do not work, then you may be unable to get rid of cockroaches with basic home remedies. In this case, an exterminator / pest controller should be called. They will be able to effectively clean up the infestation.

The best way to deal with cockroaches is, of course, by getting them professionally removed. In addition, using proper bait stations (available at most supermarkets) are incredibly effective alternatives to home remedies.

Cockroaches are disgusting, nasty animals. No one wants them in their home, no one wants them on their balconies, and no one wants to see them when they walk down the street. The problem? Well, let's be real: they're not going anywhere any time soon.

That doesn't mean that you can't control them, though. Using the preventative measures we have outlined, you can help to keep roaches away from your apartment and home.

If you need to get rid of cockroach infestation, there are a number of home remedies you can also try out before calling the exterminator. Good luck!

More on the topic Guide: