How To Deal With Cockroaches In Drains And Sinks

Roaches coming out of drain are quite common especially when there’s steady food supply there.

So, if you have a roach infestation, your drains should be one of the spots to check or apply treatment.

You’ll want to read on as we discuss all about roaches in sinks and drains.

Do Roaches Come Up Through Drains?

If you’re dealing with a roach infestation, one of the questions you might ask is where these pests hide during the day. It’s a well known fact that roaches are mostly nocturnal creatures.

That is why you hardly see them during the day time. Sometimes, you might stumble across these pests in the most unusual places.

Here, we’ll be talking about one of such places; your drains.

Why Am I Seeing Roaches in My Drain?

There are multiple reasons why roaches end up in drains.

Of course one of such reasons has to do with food availability. Other reasons why you may have roaches up your drain include rising water levels. There’s usually a rise in water level with heavy rainfall.

These pests crawl up to escape drowning.

What more? Drain environments are usually suitable for roaches to thrive in. cockroaches do well in moist, dark, and warm surroundings. More importantly, food supply is the ultimate attraction for these pests.

While the reasons discussed above might influence roach presence in drains, they are only made possible when there are cracks or holes in your pipes.

This serve as entry points through which roaches access your drains.

How to Stop Roaches From Coming Up the Drain

It’s common to hear homeowners applying all sorts of methods for roach extermination in drains. While this is expected, not all strategies work effectively.

Some strategies might give you the much desired result while others simply won’t. It all depends on what measure(s) you apply.

• What To Pour Down Drain To Kill Roaches: Bleach?

In your quest for a possible solution to your roach problems, you might have heard about the use of bleach. Bleach will eliminate roaches on contact.

However, it’s not a reliable solution for removing or exterminating roaches in drains. In other words, you shouldn’t pour it down your drains. Also it is not effective to pour ammonia down drain for roaches.

Doing so will likely do extensive damage to your drainage system due to chemical reaction. Plus, little to nothing is achieved in terms of keeping roaches at bay.

So, what are the most effective ways to deal with roach issues in drains? There are quite a number of helpful tips.

These include fixing faulty drain pipes, fixing holes in walls, replacing damaged pipes, and stopping all leakages. Also, have all gaps around drain lines sealed up.

Let’s discuss each of these possible fixes for roach problems before getting into the preventive aspects of roach control.

• Fixing Faulty Drain Pipes

One of the ways roaches get into your drain lines is through holes or cracks on such lines.

So, when roach presence is established, the most logical approach to take will be to find and fix such cracks. This will require the services of an experienced technician or plumber.

When cracks are absent, such technicians are still able to figure out how roaches gained entry into the drain system. With the right professional, the problem gets addressed.

• Fixing Holes in Walls

Holes in walls serve as suitable hideouts for roaches.

While these walls may not be associated with drains, roaches coming from your drains are likely to harbor or find suitable nesting spots around your home. This is especially true when there’s a lot of clutter around.

Filling up such holes with an appropriate material like insulation foam etc, will help to keep them out. This is one action you can take while also fixing any issues with your drain.

• Replacing Damaged Pipes

After calling for professional help, the first action usually taken by the plumbing technician is to inspect your drains. This assessment helps determine the level of fixes to be administered.

Your roach-infested drain might need some repairs or complete overhaul.

Overhauling requires replacing all damaged pipes. As expected, this is a bit more extensive work compared to fixing damaged drain lines.

However, there are obvious benefits which include having a roach-proof drain that serves for longer.

• Stopping all Leakages

Leaky faucets can encourage roach presence in drains. This is because roaches thrive in areas with moisture. Even the little drips or water leaks are enough to add to the problem.

It’s necessary to have all leaks fixed as part of the solution.

• Sealing all Gaps around Drain Lines

Gaps and crevices around drain lines are likely to cause all sorts of problems including cockroach presence.

Coupled with cracks on exposed drain lines, these pests easily squeeze through and nest within your drain.

One of the ways to fix the problem will be to seal all gaps and cracks around drain lines however little. Doing so serves to keep roaches and other pests at bay.

Preventing Drain Roaches

In order to keep roaches completely out of your drains, it’s necessary to also adopt preventive action.

Preventive action in this sense involves a number of strategies that include covering your drains at night, improving kitchen and drain hygiene, as well as cleaning up all appliances.

Of course you’ll need to ensure that all food crumbs and spills are wiped off clean before going to bed. You’ll do well to empty your garbage can in addition to maintaining a treatment schedule.

• Cover your Drains at Night

We earlier mentioned that roaches are nocturnal creatures. So, to limit their spread, it’s best to have your drains covered at night. This restricts their foraging or feeding activity at night.

• Improve Kitchen and Drain Hygiene

Hygiene is crucial for roach control. In order to limit the possibility of their presence in your drains, you’ll have to form the habit of proper hygiene.

Clean your kitchen area as well as bathrooms as frequent as possible. This eliminates food sources that could attract roaches.

• Empty Garbage Can

Garbage cans serve as ready attraction for cockroaches. One of the ways to prevent such problems is by having your garbage emptied and the can cleaned frequently.

• Maintain Treatment Schedule

Pest management services provide comprehensive pest control for different types of pests including roaches.

By maintaining a treatment schedule, incidences of roaches in your drains are likely to be reduced.

Cockroaches in drains are among pest issues a lot of homeowners deal with. We’ve mentioned why this happens as well as possible ways to resolve the problem.

Also discussed are ways to prevent roach presence in drains.