HELP!!! My new apartment is infested with cockroaches what shoudl i do

[YarisSedan]

either way id ont think i could live there. I am allergic to smells and chemicals. Even the detergent i use to wash my clothes has to be free of dyes and perfurmes. Plus i dont want chemicals spraying all over my bed and kitchen where i eat. And from what i ready its hard to kil lthe eggs. They will stil lcome back.

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

either way id ont think i could live there. I am allergic to smells and chemicals. Even the detergent i use to wash my clothes has to be free of dyes and perfurmes. Plus i dont want chemicals spraying all over my bed and kitchen where i eat. And from what i ready its hard to kill the eggs. They will still come back.

There are effective, non-toxic ways to deal with roaches, but the first thing I think you need to do is try to calm down. I know this has been a stressful experience for both you and your girlfriend, but roaches are simply a part of life all around the world. I know it is emotionally difficult to see someone you care about in distress but one of your responsibilities in a relationship is crisis control. You need to use or develop the ability to divorce yourself from your emotions just long enough to make some logical decisions, and to enact a clear way to carry those decisions out.

Rather than give up on your first home together, and lose all of the money you've invested, I say fight for it. Roaches are hardy and they are plentiful but they don't have opposing thumbs and a big brain capable of abstract thought. Let's use our advantages to secure your home.

1. Clean the space thoroughly. Pull the stove and refrigerator out. Get the window sills. Get the corners where the carpet meets the base boards. Get under couch cushions and mattresses. Leave not a crumb of food out for the roaches. Remember that a roach can live off of the oil from your fingerprint for several days. It's time to be anal.

2. Now that you've taken away their food source you also need to take away their water source. Repair any leaks or standing water issues. You already know the bathtub leaks but be sure to check all the sinks and toilets as well.

3. Seal every entry/exit point from your space. Get a $3 tube of caulk and go crazy with it. Get a $10 roll of metal screen, some $15 tin snips and a $7 stapler and go nuts behind the cabinets and appliances.

4. Mix sugar (it is best to use real sugar made from cane juice rather than the hyper-refined white stuff) 1:1 with baking soda. Once thoroughly mixed place this concoction anywhere you've ever seen a roach, but especially where you think they are coming from or going to. The sugar attracts them and the baking soda disrupts their digestive system, dehydrating them to death. They will share some of the powder with other roaches where they live.

5. Fill an empty spray bottle about three-fourths of the way full with lukewarm water, then add 3 tbsp. of liquid dish soap. Screw the top back on and shake until the water and soap are combined. Whenever you spot a roach, spray it a few times with the soap-and-water mixture. This only works on the roach you sprayed but it gives you a proactive way to fight while you wait for the baking soda to do its damage.

6. Stay vigilant. It will likely take at least a week to fight off the infestation. As the space is an apartment and your neighbors likely don't care, the roaches will find ways to return from time to time. Keep everything super clean and keep your soap bottle and baking soda mix at the ready.

It's time to get 'er done.

[YarisSedan]

Originally Posted by BailOut

There are effective, non-toxic ways to deal with roaches, but the first thing I think you need to do is try to calm down. I know this has been a stressful experience for both you and your girlfriend, but roaches are simply a part of life all around the world. I know it is emotionally difficult to see someone you care about in distress but one of your responsibilities in a relationship is crisis control. You need to use or develop the ability to divorce yourself from your emotions just long enough to make some logical decisions, and to enact a clear way to carry those decisions out.

Rather than give up on your first home together, and lose all of the money you've invested, I say fight for it. Roaches are hardy and they are plentiful but they don't have opposing thumbs and a big brain capable of abstract thought. Let's use our advantages to secure your home.

1. Clean the space thoroughly. Pull the stove and refrigerator out. Get the window sills. Get the corners where the carpet meets the base boards. Get under couch cushions and mattresses. Leave not a crumb of food out for the roaches. Remember that a roach can live off of the oil from your fingerprint for several days. It's time to be anal.

2. Now that you've taken away their food source you also need to take away their water source. Repair any leaks or standing water issues. You already know the bathtub leaks but be sue to check all the sinks and toilets as well.

3. Seal every entry/exit point from your space. Get a $3 tube of caulk and go crazy with it. Get a $10 roll of metal screen, some $15 tin snips and a $7 stapler and go nuts behind the cabinets and appliances.

4. Mix sugar (it is best to use real sugar made from cane juice rather than the hyper-refined white stuff) 1:1 with baking soda. Once thoroughly mixed place this concoction anywhere you've ever seen a roach, but especially where you think they are coming from or going to. The sugar attracts them and the baking soda disrupts their digestive system, dehydrating them to death. They will share some of the powder with other roaches where they live.

5. Fill an empty spray bottle about three-fourths of the way full with lukewarm water, then add 3 tbsp. of liquid dish soap. Screw the top back on and shake until the water and soap are combined. Whenever you spot a roach, spray it a few times with the soap-and-water mixture. This only works on the roach you sprayed but it gives you a proactive way to fight while you wait for the baking soda to do its damage.

6. Stay vigilant. It will likely take at least a week to fight off the infestation. As the space is an apartment and your neighbors likely don't care, the roaches will find ways to return from time to time. Keep everything super clean and keep your soap bottle and baking soda mix at the ready.

It's time to get 'er done.

The way i l0ook at it though i live in so called luxury apartments ina gated community. I am not paying extra money to live in aggrivation. I rather tame my money and live someplace cheaper and not have to live like this. I havent evne moved in half our stuff and having to fight cockroaches to me is not something i want to live with. I work very long and literall backbreaking work as a mechanic sometimes wheni get home the only thing i want to do it lay in bed and recoupe for the next day. Not have to deal with cockroaches running all over the place. Geting into my food and crawling all over the dishes i drink and eat out of.

Its the landlords responsibility to have the place properly cleaned ready for the new tenants not mine.