While many pests are more commonly seen in your home in the winter when they're trying to seek shelter from the cold, others try to dodge the heat in the summer. This could mean that more bugs are finding their way into your house as heat waves continue to raise temperatures nationwide. Experts say that there's one thing you're doing in the shower that could be letting unwanted pests into your home—especially cockroaches. Read on to find out what you should never do after you shower in the summer.
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Never leave your drain uncovered after you shower.
According to Terminix, cockroaches can easily crawl through your drain, but there's a simple action you can take to prevent this from happening. Entomologist Don Miller told Action News Now that covering your drain when you're not using it can help keep the roaches out. That means you should never leave the drain uncovered after you take a shower.
Terminix also notes that cockroaches are mostly nocturnal and will likely come out at night. That's why it's especially important to at least cover your drains with a "stopper or screen" before bed to help prevent the roaches from getting in overnight.
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You could also swap out your drain for one with smaller holes.
If you're concerned about cockroaches making their way through the drain while you're in the shower, or you don't want to have to remember to cover it after you've rinsed off, you could simply swap out your drain. Do It Yourself suggests purchasing a new shower drain cover that has smaller holes, so that roaches can't squeeze through.
Cockroaches can also come up through your kitchen sink drain.
Roaches aren't relegated to crawling through your shower drain—they can come through any drain opening, including your kitchen sink. The kitchen sink may be especially enticing to cockroaches due to the bits of food often left behind in the pipes. Terminix suggests that you regularly rinse your kitchen pipes and garbage disposals with hot water and a kitchen sink cleaner to rid them of debris and food particles, which can attract these pests. You should also cover this drain at night, or look for one with smaller holes.
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You can pour a solution down the drain to kill any cockroaches.
If you've experienced cockroaches coming up through your drain, you can take proactive action against them. Clegg's Pest Control suggests using a mixture of baking soda and distilled vinegar to combat the critters in your kitchen sink. They advise pouring half a cup of baking soda down your drain, followed by half a cup of distilled white vinegar. After covering the drain for three to five minutes, pour several cups of boiling water down.
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