How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Kitchen Cabinets

Roughly 1 in 10 households in the U.S. have reported seeing a cockroach at one time. This makes roaches the most common household pest in the United States. Even more, up to 63% of homes contain cockroach-related allergens.

While there are many parts of your home where cockroaches like hiding, one place you can find them frequently is in your kitchen cabinets.

You may not realize this, but your kitchen cabinets have all the makings of a potential roach hotel. Roaches like darkness, closed spaces, and regular access to food and water. So your kitchen cabinets have everything roaches need to set up shop and cause problems in your home.

It’s possible to use DIY methods to get rid of cockroaches in your kitchen cabinets in a few easy steps. In this article, I’ll break it down for you step by step.

Highlights

• If you see a single roach, it’s a good sign there are more hiding out of sight.
• You can kill cockroaches by setting traps, using bait, and spraying pesticide.
• Seal as many cracks and crevices in your home as you can. The fewer spaces roaches have to move around, the easier they are to prevent and eliminate.

---

Determining You Have Roaches

There’s no point in preparing to kill roaches (or consider whether or not to call a pest control company, for that matter) until you know you have a real issue.

Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to tell if you have a roach problem. Start by looking in hiding spots near water sources like your kitchen cabinets or dishwasher. These are the first places you’ll spot signs of a real infestation.

When I see a single roach, I know there are more hiding out of sight.

Roaches can enter your house multiple ways. In apartments and townhomes, the most common entry points are shared walls with a neighbor. They can crawl through pipes and gaps in the wall very easily.

More importantly, unless you’re lucky enough to catch the very first roach that comes into your home, they will multiply in no time. That means even a single roach is usually enough to indicate a problem.

If you find one, take some time to look for others. Use a flashlight to check cracks and crevices around your home and in your kitchen cabinets.

Today’s Homeowner Tips

Roaches are nocturnal, so look for them at night when they’re most active. You may also find other signs of roaches like small particles of frass (droppings) and broken body parts.

If you see cockroaches around your kitchen cabinets, try taking an aerosol spray and shooting it into any gaps or cracks to see if cockroaches scurry out. Regular “canned air” works if you don’t want to spray chemicals at this point.

Cockroaches also like to live under appliances, so checking under ovens and refrigerators is a good move. Use the same spray method to make sure they aren’t hiding.

Once you spot a few cockroaches, you know it’s time to start treatment.

---

4 Steps to Get Rid of Roaches from Kitchen Cabinets

Treating your kitchen takes time and attention. If you stick to these steps, you should see a reduction in your roach infestation quickly. Here are the 4 steps you need to follow to clear the cockroaches from your kitchen:

1. Place Cockroach Traps

If you know you have roaches, traps are a good starting point. This strategy will help you monitor your infestation and prevent a new ones, at the same time.

But beware. Traps alone are rarely enough to handle an infestation. Their main function is to gather intel on your cockroach infestation. Traps allow you to see how your treatment is progressing. They also help control the most heavily-trafficked routes roaches use in your home.

Glue traps are some of the best traps for cockroaches because are versatile and easily fit in all sorts of places. Common areas to place them are in the back of cabinets, behind and under appliances, and underneath the sink. That said, they will fit in most other small spaces where you suspect roach activity.

I recommend putting glue traps wherever you see the most activity. They work well in the back of kitchen cabinets because they lack harsh chemicals. That means there is no risk of tainting your food, and you can still use your cabinets in the meantime.

Under the kitchen sink is also a very wise placement for cockroach traps.

2. Flush and Vacuum

Flushing with an aerosol pesticide is a common initial treatment method for roaches because it can get into the nooks and crannies that are hard to reach with other methods.

While a strategy that revolves around vacuuming may seem not very exciting, you can remove up to 50% of the adult cockroaches in this one step.

This will cut weeks off the time it takes you to fully eradicate the cockroaches from your home.

The steps for flushing and vacuuming roaches are:

1. Prepare Your Equipment

Before you attempt to tackle your roach problem via the flush and vacuum technique, gather:

• An aerosol can with a straw. Compressed air will work.
• A vacuum ideally with a HEPA filter.
• A flashlight.

2. Flush the Roaches

Spray the can into cracks in the back of your cabinets, under the cabinets, anywhere you suspect cockroaches. This disturbance causes them to scatter from their hiding places as they feel threatened.

3. Vacuum the Roaches

While the roaches are running, quickly vacuum them. Also, vacuum up any debris or dust that the aerosol kicks out, as cockroaches create a lot of harmful allergens. I’ve learned over the years that vacuums with HEPA filters work best.

3. Treat Cracks and Crevices

Flushing and vacuuming gets a lot of the job done but is unlikely to get all roaches and their eggs. Even a single pregnant roach left behind can reinfest your home and put you back at square one. So don’t let up.

The next step to getting rid of cockroaches from your kitchen cabinets is treating the cracks and crevices with a dust-based, non-chemical product.

Today’s Homeowner Tips

I recommend using diatomaceous earth or a silica-based dust like Cimexa (commonly used for bed bugs, but effective on nearly any crawling insect) for treating the cracks and crevices in your kitchen.

The benefit of using one of these dusts is that the effects are physical. They damage the exoskeleton of the insects, which makes them dry out and die.

Because it’s not a chemical effect, the product lasts for a long time, often up to 10 years if undisturbed and free of moisture. It’s also possible to remove it with a vacuum if desired.

Treat every crack you can find. Especially the small cracks at the back of cabinets, where plumbing and electrical lines run through your cabinets or into the wall.

When treating with a dust, the way to apply it is with a duster of some sort. These handheld devices let you shoot puffs of the dust in a controlled manner, allowing it to spread out evenly and cover a wider area.

If too much diatomaceous earth or silica dust is piled up in one area, the bugs will simply avoid it. Ideally the dust will be spread out evenly, the bugs will walk on it, and unknowingly sign their own death warrant.

Note: Moisture ruins dust treatments, so they are not ideal for under the sink or around the dishwasher.

What About Pesticide Sprays?

You can certainly use a pesticide spray instead of a dust for treating cockroaches. Many professional exterminators like myself spray all around the kitchen baseboards and cabinets (especially when dealing with severe infestations).

The trick to using pesticide for roaches in the kitchen is to be very careful and make sure you don’t get it on surfaces used for preparing food, storing food, or eating.

That said, it is safe to say that most people prefer keeping harsh chemicals out of their cupboards, and I don’t blame them. I’m not comfortable spraying poison in my kitchen, where my family and I eat, either.

If you are willing to spray, then you can hit the same cracks and crevices I talked about with the dust, as well as coating baseboards where cockroaches are likely to travel and come into contact with the pesticide.

I recommend using Spectre 2 SC for this purpose. This pesticide is non-repellent, so cockroaches will unknowingly come into contact with it, and end up spreading it to other cockroaches in their harborage for a quicker killing action.

4. Apply Cockroach Gel Bait

Gel baits are one of the most successful tools for clearing cockroaches out of our kitchen cabinets (and homes in general) – that goes for homeowners and professional pest control technicians alike.

Using bait is a great pest control strategy because the insects end up unwittingly doing most of the work for you.

Gel bait with insecticide attracts the roaches, encourages them to pick up the bait, and then they bring the toxic bait back to their hiding places and spread it to the other roaches.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Cockroaches are particularly vile and eat each others vomit. Cockroaches also eat other cockroaches, so there’s many ways for one cockroach to spread bait to others.

A little bait goes a long way, so apply it in small dabs, about 6 to 12 inches apart across the bottom of the cabinet. It’s usually best to bait along the corners of the cabinets or the back edges.

Gel bait isn’t a liquid or aerosol, so it won’t spread onto your products through the air or be messy. This will keep anything still in your kitchen cabinets from getting contaminated.

For easier clean-up, I recommend applying the gel to a bait tray or index card ( you can toss them out later with no fuss or mess).

Check the bait every morning and replace it if it’s been eaten, or after 72 hours (it can go stale otherwise). If the cockroaches don’t take the bait, then you may need to try baiting elsewhere.

It’s also possible the roaches aren’t attracted to the particular bait you’ve applied. I recommend using Advion Evolution Cockroach Gel Bait, which has proven to be the most attractive to common cockroach species.

Aftercare and Follow Up

After applying the bait, don’t be tempted to spray pesticides in the area. Remember, you want the roaches to eat it. If there are smelly pesticides around it, it can make the bait unattractive and the cockroaches won’t touch it.

Most people report a significant reduction in the cockroach population within 48 to 72 hours of the cockroaches taking the bait, but it may take a few weeks to get full elimination of the cockroach infestation.

It’s important to keep baiting as long as you see cockroaches, and to stop when you don’t see them anymore. The glue traps mentioned earlier come in very handy for checking the cockroach population so you know if you need to keep baiting.

---

Natural Remedies to Get Cockroaches Out of Cabinets

Take it from me, natural remedies you can help manage cockroach populations in your kitchen cabinets before you must decide whether to call in a professional exterminator to solve the issue.

Here are some of the most effective home remedies I’ve discovered over the years:

• Diatomaceous Earth: This natural substance, composed of fossilized aquatic organisms, can be lightly dusted in cracks and crevices. It damages the exoskeleton of cockroaches, leading to their eventual dehydration and death.
• Boric Acid: An effective and low-toxicity solution, boric powder can be applied as a fine dust along cockroach pathways. Roaches ingest it while grooming, and the acid damages their digestive systems.
• Peppermint Oil: Mix peppermint oil (or other essential oils like tea tree oil) with water and spray it around cabinets. The strong scent deters cockroaches and disrupts their ability to locate food sources. A tablespoon of so of dish soap also helps.
• Cucumber Peel: Cockroaches have an aversion to the scent of cucumber. Place cucumber peels in cabinets or areas prone to infestations to deter roaches.
• Bay Leaves: Roaches dislike the smell of bay leaves. Place them in cabinets or mix crushed leaves with water to create a repellent spray.
• Homemade Traps: Create simple traps using a mixture of sugar and baking soda. Roaches are attracted to the sugar but die after ingesting the baking soda.

Remember that natural remedies may take time to show results, and consistency is key. Additionally, while these methods often help manage smaller infestations, severe cases typically require professional intervention.

Always prioritize safety and follow instructions when using natural substances as pest control solutions.

---

Other Tips for Cockroach Elimination and Prevention

When it comes to getting rid of cockroaches in kitchen cabinets, I’ve picked up a lot of tips and tricks that I like to pass on. Here are a few of the best things you can do to both eliminate and prevent cockroaches in the kitchen and throughout your entire home:

Seal as Many Cracks and Crevices in Your Home as You Can

Take your time and seal up as many little nooks and crannies as you can. It’s one of the most basic but helpful preventitve measures you can take. The fewer spaces roaches have to move around, the easier they are to prevent and remove from your kitchen cabinets.

Repair Any Leaky Pipes or Other Plumbing Problems

Moisture attracts roaches because, like any organism, they need water to live. Resolving any leaks or water issues goes a long way in deterring cockroaches from hanging around and setting up shop.

Remove Food Sources

Make sure to seal food in tight packaging and clean up spills right away. Further, periodically cleanout cabinets to make sure there’s nothing broken or unsealed that you may have missed.

Keep Pet Food Sealed and Stored Properly

Roaches will happily eat dog and cat food as well, so seal these items up as well. I suggest using plastic containers with lids. Keeping bags of pet food in a large tote or trash can with a tight lid also works.

---

How to Tell It’s Time For Professional Help

DIY methods are effective for getting rid of cockroach infestations. But, there are instances when it’s best to seek the expertise of professional pest control services. Here are a few of the signs that it’s time to call in the pros:

You Don’t See Results

If your efforts to eliminate cockroaches from your kitchen cabinets haven’t yielded results after several weeks, it’s a sign that the infestation is extensive. That’s when you know it requires professional intervention.

The Infestation Grows

Large and severe cockroach infestations can be overwhelming to tackle on your own. Professional pest control technicians have the tools, knowledge, and experience to address such challenging situations effectively.

You’re Worried About Health Risks

If you or your family members experience health issues such as allergies or asthma, cockroach allergens may be the cause. It’s crucial to consult professionals who can ensure thorough eradication and help you maintain a safe environment.

You Don’t Have Time to Tackle the Issue

If you have a busy schedule or lack the time to consistently implement DIY methods, professionals can provide a quicker and more efficient solution, saving you time and stress.

Remember that professional pest control services offer tailored solutions based on the severity and nature of the infestation. If you’re unsure whether to call the professionals, consulting with them can help you make an informed decision for a cockroach-free kitchen.

---