Recently, my family and I moved into a new apartment. As we started to clean we noticed cockroaches everywhere. All over the kitchen, bedrooms, and in the bathroom. We had never dealt with roaches before, so we started contacting some of the local experts - local exterminators. Their plans sounded excellent for what we needed. They included various forms of spraying and baits, and they would come by every other month or so. We thought it was just what we needed, until we saw the pricing. Not only was it expensive, but we were locked in for a year at a time. We simply could not afford another expense, so we started researching how to kill roaches on our own.

What we found was amazing. We learned that killing roaches was actually just half of the battle. The reality is that if you see a few roaches running around in the daytime, which we did, then the problem is bigger then you think. They are coming out in the daytime because there isn't enough food in their hive. Aside from that, killing cockroach eggs is the true battle. If you never take care of the root problem, you will never have the infestation under control. The roaches will still breed, and still be an issue. Take it from me, my family learned the hard way.

Quite a few methods are going to sound trivial, but even the minor fixes are important. Every little bit counts, so start reading and form a plan of attack.

First and foremost - make sure any chips, cereals, crackers, flour, oatmeal, sugar, etc is in sealed containers (no the plastic bag clips will not cut it). Cockroaches can get inside almost anything in a box, so make sure it is sealed well.

Store any pots, pans, dishes, cups upside down. Roaches will inevitably get into your cabinets, so the only sides they will touch are the sides you don't eat on. Roaches carry about fifty types of bacteria and virii on their body, so if they touch anything you eat on, it can transfer bacteria causing you to get sick.

Roaches love messy areas and clutter in general. Roaches love to be in tight confined spaces, so even if the clutter is from paper, boxes, books, or anything else, there is something for the roaches to feed on and live nicely. Clean the clutter and there are less "hotels" for them to stay in. Remember the attic you didn't want to clean? Now is the time to start cleaning it up.

In bathrooms I normally leave drain covers on. Roaches love to hang out in pipes since it is dark and damp. I like to use boric acid and use a small hand brush to get it in the any crevice I can. I also caulk every hole, crack, or crevice I find to ensure they cannot get into my home. Before they try to go through their normal route, they will walk through the boric acid which will slowly kill them. Since it kills over time, there is an excellent chance the roach will go back into its hive and spread the boric acid to the other roaches inside.

Natural Cockroach Repellents are also a good idea, especially if you have pets or children. Using chemicals can cause issues, especially with little children and/or pets running around. Using items such as peppermint oils, cucumber peels, citrus sprays, and catnip are known natural cockroach repellents.

Some other forms of cockroach control include some house hold items, and some store bought products. The most effective spray killer I have found is Lysol. I prefer the lemon scented spray, and in just a few sprays the roach is dead. It is very effective. You can also use a bleach spray, but be careful, the smell is very powerful and can be harmful. Boiling water also works wonders since it will literally cook the roach to death. The issue is to always have boiling water around which is impractical. Keep in mind that most of the chemicals aren't wonderful for our health either. Most foggers cannot be used unless you evacuate the home for a few days.

When you get rid of roaches, the overall health of your family will improve. There are many health risks from living with cockroaches - the most common health issue is asthma. Your family's health will improve overall once the roaches are gone.

These are some of my methods on how to kill roaches. They are not very expensive and most products can be purchased at local stores. I hope your family sleeps easy knowing the roach problem is under control, and you can sleep easy knowing it didn't cost a fortune.