Dealing with a roach infestation can be quite draining on you and your family, particularly because the roaches are difficult to exterminate. Moreover, their presence in the house may cause discomfort and scrutiny from your landlord. Typically, landlords will offer quick fixes to help with the roach infestations. However, the solutions are not long-lasting, meaning you may have to handle the same problem later. Due to this, your living experience is undermined, leading to poor life quality. Further, your landlord may continually blame you for the roach infestations. Over time, they may decide to evict you despite having no fault in the infestation problem.
Since you may face challenges when dealing with the situation, you want to contact an eviction attorney to provide assistance. Their support will help you retain your home and fight off the blame related to roach infestations. Further, your attorney can offer useful tips and extermination solutions to combat the infestation problem effectively. At Los Angeles Eviction Attorney, you will work with some of the best lawyers to prevent an unfair eviction. Among the details you receive from your attorney is how to deal with a roach infestation. Learning the useful tips will help you avoid alterations with your landlord over an eviction.
Why a Roach Infestation May Attract an Eviction Notice
Naturally, landlords require their tenants to uphold high cleanliness standards in their premises to retain good living conditions. Therefore, dealing with roach infestations is often interpreted as an indication of unsanitary conditions in your home. Consequently, repeated roach infestations may place you in a black list, meaning you are more likely to be evicted.
However, cockroaches invade your house based on various reasons that do not necessarily indicate uncleanliness in your home. Despite this, your landlord may be quick to shift the blame on you, issuing ultimatums to clear the infestation. This may impose pressure on you to clear the roaches with minimal support from the landlord.
Types of Roaches that May Infest Your Home
Although most cockroaches appear the same, there are distinguishable species that thrive in various conditions. By identifying the specific species in your home, you may be closer to discovering their entry point. Further, you can determine where they are likely to thrive and reproduce to help you exterminate them successfully.
Common cockroach species found at home are:
The Oriental Roach
This species is dark in color and often takes on a black exoskeleton appearance. It thrives in wet and damp areas, so you are likely to find it in your sink cabinet or in storage tank rooms. Hence, people with boiler tanks in their basements or attics should run a proper examination to determine whether the roaches are present.
The German Roach
The German cockroach is a more commonly known species that thrive in dry areas of your house. It has a brown exoskeleton that is widely recognized as how roaches generally appear. You are likely to find the German roach in your cupboards, under kitchen appliances like microwaves and fridges as well as near your cooker.
The American Roach
Like the German roach, the American roach has a brown exoskeleton and an elongated body. It also prefers warm areas with little to no moisture. Hence, you may find it in the kitchen areas discussed above. Additionally, it may thrive in storage rooms and in your pantry, especially when foodstuffs are stocked.
The Brown Banded Roach
You may also find brown-banded roaches in your home, especially in areas like the garage or cloakroom. The species can also thrive in your kitchen and living room area provided it has enough food supply. Therefore, you want to thoroughly check your home for any signs of infestation and determine the best remedy.
What Attracts a Roach Infestation at Home
In reality, the building structure, pipe fixtures and other external conditions may be the main reason for the roach infestation. Therefore, you want to determine the source of insects in your house to ensure you can curb it adequately. Moreover, you can contact your eviction attorney for additional support on how to approach your landlord for support in extermination.
Some common factors resulting in roach infestations include:
Leaking Pipes in the Building
Since some roaches like the Oriental species enjoy wet and damp areas, any pipe leakages in your house will attract these insects. Consequently, they will breed and spread into other wet areas in the house, leading to a serious infestation. You, therefore, want to clean up any leaks and have broken pipes fixed to reduce the possibility of recurrent infestations.
Uncovered Food and Drinks
Cockroaches are attracted to any type of food left uncovered in your home, as they can consume a wide variety of these foods. Notably, roaches tend to appear in larger numbers if the food left uncovered is rich in fats and carbohydrates.
Subsequently, deep-fried food like burgers, fries, and chicken may attract more roaches compared to the rest. Similarly, sugary food like bread, cake, and ice cream may result in the same outcome, increasing the chances of infestations.
You can prevent roaches from thriving and reproducing by covering your food and storing it in airtight containers. Additionally, you want to store the foods in the refrigerator if possible to reduce the chances of roaches accessing them.
Drinks containing sugar can also increase the chances of roach infestations, so you want to clean any spills and drain cups. This way, the cockroaches have fewer sources of food and limited chances to reproduce.
Piling Garbage and Items in Storage
Since roaches can survive on a broad range of items as food, you want to avoid piling garbage and hoarding items in storage rooms. This is because they create a conducive environment for the insects to hide and reproduce while still retaining a source of food.
The phenomenon is especially true where you delay in taking out the trash, as the roaches can inhabit areas close to the bin. Hence, you want to clear your dustbin regularly and remove unwanted items from storage.
Cracks and Openings in the House
Although you may maintain high cleanliness standards and avoid leakages, roaches may still infest your home. They do this simply because an opening into the house is available. It may be a form of survival, primarily because conditions outside the house are harsher than those inside the building.
Thus, roaches may take advantage of small cracks on the walls, floor, or window panes to enter your home. Similarly, small openings along your door lining may attract the small insects, leading to infestations if you do not notice them. If you are keen on avoiding roaches, you want to ensure that no cracks and openings remain unfixed.
Possible Health Risks Associated With Roach Infestation
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether roaches pose any serious health risks to homeowners. Further, most people may be unsure of whether roaches can bite their hosts, resulting in serious health risks. Normally, the insects are fearful of human interaction and will refrain from direct attacks like biting.
However, they may resort to biting human flesh if your home has an inadequate food supply. Nonetheless, the occurrence is uncommon, and may only be reported where a severe infestation is present. In this case, you may need to vacate your home for in-depth extermination.
Possible Allergic Reactions
Apart from biting, cockroaches are also feared to cause diseases to humans. However, no serious medical issues associated with roaches are reported, except where people develop allergies. The allergen factors may come from the cockroach feces or the bacteria they carry around on their bodies.
Some reported allergic reactions include:
- Recurrent coughing
- A runny nose
- Rashes that are not associated with underlying skin disorders
- Wheezing and chest congestion
If you or a loved one notices any signs of allergic reactions from the roaches, you want to contact a healthcare professional as soon as possible. With their help, you will undergo several tests to determine whether the reactions are from the insects.
Solutions for Roach Invasions in Your Home
Ultimately, you want to find a solution for roach infestations, as you avoid dealing with these recurrent situations. Therefore, you can explore several extermination processes to help reduce the number of roaches and eventually clear them out. However, you should remember that some methods are more effective than others. Hence, you can identify the best option for you depending on the severity of your case. Some common ways to remove roaches from your home include:
Using Aerosol Sprays
Spraying roaches using aerosol insecticides is a common method of killing the insects. While most insecticide brands promise to wipe out the roaches, the claims are often short-lived. The reason for this is because you will only spray the visible roaches, meaning that others may relocate and continue reproducing.
Moreover, the effectiveness of your insecticide spray only lasts for a few minutes, so some roaches may get away. Consequently, spraying the roaches is a temporary fix that results in unsatisfactory results.
Chemical Powders
Similarly, chemical powders that act as insecticides are available in the market. They contain a dehydrating agent that should kill off the roaches upon coming into contact. However, the method may prove to be ineffective if the roaches avoid contact with the chemical powder.
Further, the roaches may form a tolerance against the powder, making its effectiveness less with every use. As a result, the cockroaches will continue invading different areas of the house.
Using Vinegar Solution
If you prefer less toxic ways to deal with roach infestations, you may choose vinegar as a repellent. The liquid has a strong pungent smell that drives the roaches away, making it easy to control an infestation. Since vinegar is edible, you do not have to worry about spreading it in different kitchen cabinets, appliances, and racks.
However, you should remember to replace the liquid often, as the roaches may return after the smell wears off. The requirement may make it difficult to keep off the roaches completely, especially if you forget to spray a fresh coat every few days. Overall, the option may become counterproductive.
Spritzing Lemon or Lime Juice
Like vinegar, lemon and lime contain a strong smell that repels roaches. Thus, spritzing the juices is a viable option to control roach infestations, as they are less likely to remain. Nonetheless, the option involves using a lot of citrus fruits, which may become expensive to maintain.
On the other hand, buying lemon or lime juice extracts may not be as effective as spraying directly from the fruit. This is because the packaged products contain preservatives and other chemicals that interfere with the smell. Therefore, keeping roaches away using the method may only be useful as a temporary fix.
Mixing Baking Powder and Sugar
Since cockroaches are attracted to sugar, you can mix baking soda in a small amount of sugar and spread it out. The rationale for adding baking powder to the sugar is to introduce a rising agent. Hence once the roaches ingest the contaminated sugar, the baking soda causes their bodies to expand and explode.
The method may be effective if the roaches find the sugar and ingest it. However, if they have another source of food in your house, they may avoid the sugar and baking soda. Subsequently, the method may prove ineffective over time.
Using Extermination Services
One of the most effective ways to fight a roach infestation is fumigation done by professional exterminators. However, your landlord may be opposed to the option as it is often expensive. Despite this, you can expect to start on a clean slate once the fumigation is complete because it targets all areas in your house.
If your landlord is reluctant to provide extermination services and is threatening to evict you, you can forward the matter to an eviction attorney. Your lawyer's input in the matter can help convince the landlord about the benefits of fumigation. Alternatively, your eviction lawyer can help you prepare a claim against your landlord for unfair eviction. Therefore, reaching your attorney as soon as possible for further guidance is advisable to help you retain your home.
Contact an Eviction Lawyer Near Me
When a roach infestation threatens the likelihood of retaining your tenancy, you want to deal with it as soon as possible. To do this, you can explore the various extermination options discussed above, or involve a professional exterminator for fumigation. However, your landlord may be reluctant to involve professional extermination services, leading to a worse infestation in your home. Thus, working with an eviction lawyer is a beneficial option, as they will help you secure the necessary solutions.
At Los Angeles Eviction Attorney, you will work with a reliable team of well-experienced lawyers. Their input will be beneficial in your roach infestation case, to help you avoid unfair evictions from your landlord. If you or a loved one requires the services of an eviction lawyer in Los Angeles, California, contact us today at 310-695-5536.