For most homeowners, roaches are their worst nightmare, especially when they lurk around and lay their eggs in the dark corners of your room.
Aside from your kitchen, attic, and backyard garden, did you know roaches also love going inside pieces of furniture, especially your dressers?
If you ever spot a cockroach crawling in your dresser, let the creature know you’re in control. Please don’t panic; check out our recommendations on getting roaches out of your dresser.
- Install light fixtures in your dresser
- Use herbs and essential oils
- Apply boric acid or a mixture of sugar and baking soda
- Use citrus-scented water
These home remedies are proven effective in keeping roaches out of your wardrobe cabinets to protect your clothes and other essential items.
This guide talks about practical ways to get roaches out of your dressers. We’ll also talk about common reasons why these pests cause an infestation in your furniture.
Four Ways To Get Roaches Out of Your Dresser
As long as conditions permit, roaches will do everything they can to infest any corner of your home.
Fortunately, practical home remedies have emerged, enabling you, as homeowners, to outsmart these vermins.
1. Install Light Fixtures in Your Dresser
Because roaches are pests, they enjoy dark, warm, and moist places where they can hide and nest. And your dressers become potential habitats when you keep them closed overnight.
This is why you must place light fixtures inside your wardrobe cabinets. They may consume electricity, but trust that installing lights is worth it, especially keeping roaches out of your dresser.
Bright lights can cause roaches to panic and run away. However, you should also not inherently place lights in your dresser without knowing the standards.
Light manufacturers and experts suggest placing light fixtures at least six to twelve inches away from your clothes and other essential items. This prevents possible damage from the light’s heat and intensity.
2. Use Essential Oils and Herbs
Another practical and natural way to ward off roaches from your dressers is to use herbs and essential oils. Remember that pests like cockroaches have a keen sense of smell, triggering it will cause them to escape.
Some of the most effective essential oils include catnip, peppermint, and thyme, which have also been proven to repel pests at home.
You can use a diffuser to spread the scent on your dresser. But mixing the essential oil with water also works.
After mixing your desired essential oil with water, you can pour it into a spray bottle and spray the insides of your dresser before placing your clothes. And this 100% works effectively.
On the other hand, effective herbs include cloves, ginger, turmeric, and bay leaves.
Like essential oils, these herbs also have intense smells and flavors, which might be why cockroaches hate crawling in places where they can smell them.
3. Apply Boric Acid or a Sugar and Baking Soda Mixture
Boric acid is a mixture of boron and water, so technically, it’s not an acid. It’s normally in powder form.
And for boric acid to work against cockroaches, they should be able to crawl on them. When they do, the powder sticks to their bodies. As the roaches try to clean themselves, they will accidentally ingest boric acid, which their bodies will absorb.
The absorbed boric acid will eventually affect the roaches’ digestive and nervous systems. And ultimately, it leads to their death.
You can also incorporate boric acid into baits and traps. Because roaches will try to eat anything and everything in their way, the baits with boric acid serve as their food, which can cause death.
One thing to remember about boric acid is that it’s also unsafe for humans and other animals. If you’re using this, keep it away from children and pets.
Aside from boric acid, baking soda also works. It’s less harsh than the former, so it’s safer.
Try mixing baking soda with sugar for that double-kill move. Sugar can normally serve as bait. When roaches crawl near the area with the sprinkled mixture, they will try to consume the sugars, and the baking soda will kill them.
4. Use Citrus-Scented Water
Most individuals might love citrus, but roaches have the opposite sentiment toward it. Pests like cockroaches hate anything citrus so you might use this to your advantage.
Stores have various kinds of citrus fresheners you can spray on your dressers. This will repel roaches in no time.
Mixing citrus with water also works if you want to be more practical. You can squeeze citrus fruits like oranges or dilute citrus peels in water.
One thing to know about citrus is that its intense smell remains even when diluted in water or with other ingredients.
Why Roaches Infest Furniture
Out of all the places, you might wonder why roaches love invading your home’s furniture pieces. One of the main reasons why roaches love furniture pieces is because they have gaps and holes where pests can lurk in.
Moreover, furniture like closets, drawers, and couches are some of the roaches’ favorite because they are dark, warm, quiet, and sheltered.
Also, furniture makes roaches feel safe because the insides are more secluded. It also provides them easy access to food and water in other areas of your home.
You should also know that roaches are not easily detected when they are already inside your dressers or closets.
You can only feel their presence when you physically see them crawling or when they leave their feces or eggs behind. Unpleasant odors can also signify that your furniture pieces are experiencing pest infestation.
Another obvious sign that roaches might be present is when you can smell unwanted odors near your dresser. When you do, it’s time to remove your clothes and check the dressers’ interiors.
Keep Your Dressers Protected
Your dressers should protect your fashion pieces at all costs. You also have to protect your furniture, especially from pests like roaches.
When you suspect these creatures lurking in your closet, clean out the area immediately.
Spray citrus scents or use essential oils and herbs.
These practical solutions are enough to keep them out of your precious clothing pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Roaches Survive on Wooden Furniture?
Roaches are versatile pests that can live anywhere, regardless of surface material.
Always remember that these pests love dark and small areas. When you have furniture leaning against a wall or concrete, you might want to check the area behind it for possible thriving roaches.
Will the Same Methods of Keeping Roaches Out of Dressers Work on Leather Furniture?
While the above measures will also work, mixing water with vinegar and wiping them on your couch is more effective.
Also, remember that leather furniture is more high-maintenance. You should be careful when using chemicals like boric acid on their surfaces.