Help! Roaches in son's apartment

[DizneeCM]

Hi, my son just moved into an old apartment building in NYC and unfortunately discovered that the apartment has a roach problem (roaches in bedroom as well as kitchen and bathroom). To complicate matters, he suffers from asthma and so pesticides (especially in spray form) can trigger an asthma attack.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a product(s) that might work in this situation? I known it's difficult to get rid of roaches when there are shared walls, etc. but if he could at least try to keep them out of the bedroom it would be helpful.

I thought he could try some sort of roach trap but was also wondering if anyone has tried any of the "natural" type of spray? Any recommendations for either? Thanks!

(He is in the process of contacting the leasing agent but is trying to do something in the meantime, plus they would have to use "asthma-friendly" products.)

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

Buy a box of borax at the grocery store and line around where the floor meets the wall. Also put little bowls of it behind the stove, fridge, etc. It will kill them when they walk through it as it sticks to their legs.

I feel for him, roaches are disgusting!

 

[leebee]

Mix boric acid with peanut butter and put out little "samples" of it. (Put it on something like on the liner cap of canning jars.) I have an acquaintance who used to run a taste-testing lab and she swore by this for getting rid of roaches.

 

[crisi]

Unfortunately, in an apartment building roaches is likely to be a losing battle - Make sure all food is in tupperware or glass and sealed properly. Rinse dishes before using them. Make sure everything is clean - it isn't a bad idea to even keep your clothing in tubs.

Borax will help and keeping the food sealed and no where to nest (i.e. no clothes) will make his apartment less attractive than the one next door.

 

[rock_doctor]

I support the borax. Just sprinkle it along the walls and under the furniture. It works a treat...Harris also make pellets of the stuff. They are in a yellow box with brown writing. The problem is, if the whole building is infested, his apt will the be the killing zone for the whole building...but the borax is what i would do. Just sprinkle it everywhere out of the way and live with it. Since it is basically soap (sort of, not really, but is used as a soap) it will not trigger his allergies. I had toxicity poisoning for a while and it did not cause me any issues. It is also ok for pets (dogs and cats). It will make them sick but nothing more...

 

[floridafam]

I'd try the Borax. I think rush droppings can aggravate asthma so I'd try to take care of the problem ASAP.

 

[DizneeCM]

Thanks Altoqueenkelly, rock_doctor and leebee for the borax/boric acid-peanut butter suggestions - sounds like they will be good non-toxic products for him to try.

Also, thanks Crisi for suggesting that he keep his clothes in tubs, I didn't think about that! I know it will probably be an on-going battle to try to keep the roaches at bay, but I hope he can at least decrease the population significantly.

If anyone else has any other ideas I would love to hear them! Thank you!

 

[Lehuaann]

We've always used boric acid, not Borax (equal parts boric acid and sugar)... cockroaches gobble it up. It appears that you can also use Borax, however, boric acid is more concentrated and finer in texture.

Both are toxic, so sprinkle in well hidden areas to keep out of reach of animals and children.

Good luck!

 

[DizneeCM]

Hi Floridafam, yes, I've heard that too and I'm worried that just the roaches/their droppings will aggravate his asthma. Hopefully with everyone's suggestions he can get them under control a bit. Thanks again

Hi Lehuaann, good to hear that the boric acid worked! Thank you for sharing your experience with it!

 

[MAJPLO]

Buy a box of borax at the grocery store and line around where the floor meets the wall. Also put little bowls of it behind the stove, fridge, etc. It will kill them when they walk through it as it sticks to their legs.

I feel for him, roaches are disgusting!

This!!! My mother used to do this when I was a kid. We moved into a house that had been a foreclosure-flip and it had roaches. Mostly only outside and in the garage but a few here and there in the house. Soooo disgusting. HATE roaches!!!!

 

[crisi]

Also, thanks Crisi for suggesting that he keep his clothes in tubs, I didn't think about that! I know it will probably be an on-going battle to try to keep the roaches at bay, but I hope he can at least decrease the population significantly.

Just don't ask how I know - shudder

 

[Eastern]

I have lived in 2 older apartment buildings that have had roaches, and they were not cheap, either! I am going to add that one morning I sat up in bed and a roach fell off my head. That's when I knew it was time to move. Imagine that!!!

It's really impossible to totally get rid of the problem, but there are things you can do to minimize the problem. The boric acid tips are good: also apply it along the threshold of the front door as they may be coming in from the hallway if there is a common trash room/chute.

Keep ALL food in tupperware containers. Or keep vulnerable boxed food in ziploc bags. Beans, rice, spaghetti, boxes of mac and cheese, etc. Wipe down the counters every time you prepare food on them. Little crumbs along the edges will attract roaches.

Keep the sink absolutely clean and clear: do NOT leave dishes sitting with water in them. Stay clean and organized as they will hide in piles of stuff.

I requested bug bombs a couple times, but it only works for a little while. You leave the apartment and they set off a container of spray. The apartment has to be closed for several hours before you can return.

I feel bad for your son. It's really annoying having to deal with a roach problem.

ps I would definitely complain in writing/email to management. They need to try to lessen the problem. Often a poorly-kept trash room is the main source of the problem and if they aggressively treat that, it would help.

 

[Jaime4004]

I found out we had roaches the day we moved into an apartment in Boston. I don't do bugs. I just happened to be leaving for vacation the next day so my roommates dealt with it (I'll love them forever for that.). The landlord insisted that there were no roaches because no one had never complained about them before. My roommates gathered up a bunch of roaches in tupperware and brought them to the landlord. Also contacted the rest of the people in the apartment to confirm that they all did have roaches. I guess they had complained previously but nothing was ever done. Roommates threatened him with something (I think it was not paying rent and board of health) and he agreed to have the whole building professionally sprayed. Never saw another roach the entire year we were there!

 

[DizneeCM]

Thanks to MAJPLO, Eastern and Jaime4004 for the additional comments. I appreciate your taking the time to share your experiences and suggestions Will definitely have him try the borax/boric acid. Hopefully he and his apartment-mates will work diligently to keep the place clean and crumb-free.

Crisi, I can only imagine what you had to deal with! I helped my son move-in so I got to see the creatures first-hand

Thanks again to everyone who commented. You've given me hope that my son can get this bug invasion under better control!

 

[georgina]

Good luck to your son. My son just moved into an apartment in NYC a week ago. The management company has pest control in once a month so I am hoping he won't have a problem (he doesn't have asthma so spraying is OK for him). I lived in a few roach infested apts in my younger days and I know how gross it is.

 

[NotUrsula]

The Boric Acid (NOT Borax; too weak) bait will help, but probably will not eliminate them entirely. Here are some tips about living with them to the extent that you have to (I grew up in the subtropics where it was impossible to eliminate them entirely.)

The first rule is that he wants that apt. dry as a bone. No potted plants, no aquariums, and most especially, nothing soaking anywhere. Roaches like sink traps, so you want the water down to trap level at night if you can get it there. Keeping a container of boric acid by the sink to hit the drain with a bit every night is a good idea.

Second, make sure all containers are stored upside-down. Contrary to popular belief, plastic containers will not stop them unless they have a vacuum seal. Don't bother trying to box up the clothes, but do keep shoes on a rack, toes up. They don't normally mess with clothing unless there is bodily fluid on it to eat, but they like to nest in damp shoes.. Damp cloth needs to be hung to dry; NEVER throw sweaty clothing/towels in a hamper; roaches will chew holes in it if they get to it while it is damp with sweat (and not to offer TMI, but other body fluids on cloth also attracts them. Laundry needs to be done OFTEN.)

Any kind of food that is in powder form should be stored in sealed glass containers; lots of thing that he might not have had the habit of keeping in the fridge now probably should find a new home there.

 

[Eastern]

Crisi, I can only imagine what you had to deal with! I helped my son move-in so I got to see the creatures first-hand

omg you saw them in the daylight? At least mine had the decency to sneak out when it was dark.

I would add Combat traps to the shopping list.

I would advise them against having any pets. Too hard to keep the food and water areas clean and dry.

 

[lvillotta1]

I would never let my daughters live in these conditions. Time to find a nicer and better apt complex. Totally disgusting.

 

[emma'smom]

Welcome to NYC baby! Seriously, it comes with the territory.... I lived in student housing, I lived in upscale housing---it's just part of city living. The roaches have been there since they beginning and they'll be there forever.

In any apartment we moved into in NYC, we dumped boric acid everywhere out of sight we could...under stove and fridge, under sink cupboard, etc. We also put down the roach buttons.

I second everything you've read about keeping things dry and avoid piles---especially piles of paper. That's where we would find them sometimes--in the recycling.

The good news is after a good hard attack, they usually disappeared for the most part. I imagine they just moved on to the other apartments in the building where folks weren't as vigilant!

Also, I worked in a school that was just crawling with them (I'm talking falling from the ceiling in the middle of class infested...). I made a point of NEVER bringing my work bag inside the apartment. I just left it in the hallway (It was a brownstone so only 6 apartments and I wasn't really worried it would get stolen as all the tenants knew it was my "teacher bag"--and there wasn't anything of value in it anyway).

The great news is when he moves on in life to bigger and better living situations---he will look back on these days and appreciate where he will be then!

 

[DizneeCM]

Thanks Georgina! Good luck to your son too!

Thanks for the tips Notursala. I'll pass them on, especially stressing the importance of keeping things dry and not leaving damp clothes/towels around.

Yes, Eastern, we saw some scuttling along in a few dark, quiet spots. I think that is why it was unsettling - they were out and about before sunset and weren't confined to the kitchen and baths

Hi Ivilotta, yes it was not pleasant. We would love it if he could break the lease, but I don't believe roach problems are a valid reason for doing so. We're hoping he'll see some improvement in the situation soon.

Thanks for the welcome, Emma's mom, lol. Good to know about their fondness for piles of paper - he can warn his apartment-mates too. He went to college in NYC but didn't really see roaches in the dorms (and he definitely has some room to move up in the world of housing, lol).

Thanks again to everyone!