How to Get Rid of Roaches (or) How to Kill a Cockroach Invasion

Cockroaches are gross. I don’t know if it’s their relatively large size, their long antennae, those creepy looking legs, or the fact that their backs so disgustingly shiny. Oh… and they’re almost indestructible. It’s like you kill one and three more appear within days, each one having been grown from the pieces of the one you smashed with your shoe! As the saying goes, if you see one wandering around, chances are you have dozens more crawling around in your walls. It’s a disgusting thought that gives me goosebumps and fortunately we’ve been (knock on wood) lucky enough not to have any problems with roaches. (there’s a reason why this post has no picture )

However, we live in a townhouse, which means our house is physically connected to our neighbors on two sides. One of the first lessons you learn when you live in a townhome is that your neighbor’s problems soon become your own. If your neighbor has his or her house treated for an infestation, like a roach invasion, chances are you have the same problem, even if you don’t know it. If you don’t yet have an infestation, the survivors of your neighbor’s treatment may find themselves moving in.

So while we don’t have a roach invasion just yet, an ounce of prevention is said to be worth a pound of cure.

Preventing a Roach Invasion

There isn’t anything you can do that 100% prevents an infestation but there are some steps you can take that make your home less appealing to a roach family. Like killing ants, the key to preventing infestation is cleanliness. The kitchen is the number one room in your home where this is crucial because it’s like a buffet for them. Put food away, keep your counters clean, and empty your trash regularly. We keep our trash outdoors (we have a sliding door that opens to a “reviewing stand,” …