Picture the scene. You’re driving down the highway with a good tune blasting through your speakers and the sun shining on the road ahead.
It’s a good day, you’re feeling positive, and ready to face the day ahead, when you see something moving on your dashboard just out of the corner of your eye. You take a second glance because you really can’t believe what you saw, but you were right the first time, it’s a cockroach.
You might think that you’re the only person to experience a cockroach in your car, but it is actually a lot more common than you may think. Furthermore, you are probably only used to seeing roaches in buildings and houses, but it is also very common for cars to develop roach infestations.
With that in mind, we’ve put together this guide to how to get rid of roaches in your car. So with no further ado, let’s get started.
How to find roaches in your car
If you have seen one roach in your vehicle, the chances are that that bug is not alone. Roaches tend to live in groups, so once you have found one, you will need to take a look around your car to find his friends.
As hard as it is to accept, if you have roaches in your car then it is down to something you have done. It might be something as innocent as leaving your window slightly open at night, but more commonly it is due to you leaving leftover food and crumbs in the foot well of your vehicle. This leftover food, and even crumbs, are exciting for roaches which is why you might end up with an infestation in your car.
So, when you are looking for Roaches in your car, the best areas to look are anywhere where you may have left food. This includes the foot wells, glove compartment and door compartments, as well as underneath your seats. Find the food, and you will likely find the cockroaches in the same place. But also look for any roach droppings.
As unpleasant as it is, you will usually be able to tell how bad the infestation is by the smell in your car. So, if the stench is particularly bad this is an indication that there are lots of roaches in your vehicle.
Why is it bad to have roaches in your car?
Aside from the obvious reason that roaches are disgusting, there are lots of other reasons why having an infestation in your car isn’t a particularly good thing. Roaches are not only disgusting, but they are also dangerous which is why you need to deal with an infestation as soon as you identify it.
Roaches can be very dangerous because they carry lots of different bacteria. In fact, they carry over 30 different types of bacteria, all of which can be very dangerous to humans. They will also shed all sorts of disgusting things from their bodies, including feces, skin, and other bodily fluids which will quickly build up inside your vehicle. The more this builds up, the more difficult it will be to remove the roaches from your car.
Roaches have been connected with lots of nasty health conditions in humans including salmonella food poisoning, typhoid and polio. So, as soon as you notice a roach in your car you need to find the source and get rid of it. And not just because they are disgusting.
How to get rid of roaches from your car
So now that you have found the roaches, let’s take a look at how you go about removing them from your car. There are some organic methods that you can use to prevent roaches from infesting your car, including using catnip and boric acid. But these are less effective in removing an already existing infestation. So let’s take a look at how you do this.
Removing roaches from your car is in no way a pleasant job, but it is rather easy. In fact, the method that we’re suggesting only takes 3 steps to get rid of the roaches and prevent them from returning.
1. Vacuum your car
The first thing that you should do is give your car a good clean. As we have mentioned, you have probably developed an infestation of roaches because the inside of your car had crumbs or leftover food inside it. So you should begin by vacuuming up any of this mess using a handheld vacuum cleaner.
Once you have vacuumed all the inside of your vehicle you should also throw out any rubbish or wrappers that you find in your search. If you want to prevent the roaches from returning then you will need to keep your car spotless. However difficult that might be.
2. Use Novacide
Any insect killer will do the job, but in particular we would recommend using Novacide. This insect killer is great as it kills adult roaches and also sterilizes them. So, if you missed any roaches during the clean-up process, this insect killer will get rid of them.
Ensure you follow the instructions on the bottle of Novacide that you are using, and always keep the windows of your car open while you are cleaning. Spray all the inside of your car with this, and then leave your car well-ventilated until the insecticide has dried.
3. Check again
Even if you are confident that you got all the roaches the first time, it is always best to check again. In this process you might come across the dead bodies of some of the roaches that were killed by the Novacide.
So, it is best to keep your vacuum at the ready so that you can get rid of them. Once this is done, your car will be clear of any roaches.
Summary
In conclusion, this is a complete guide to how to get rid of roaches in your car. Including why it is bad to have roaches in your vehicle and where to look to find them.
