Cockroaches and Clothing
Cockroaches top the list of nasty pests that you don’t want in your home for many people. They smell, spread disease, and the image of them skittering away when you turn on the light can haunt your nightmares. To make matters worse, some studies suggest that they are evolving to a point where they will become almost impossible to kill.
The thought of cockroaches in your clothing probably makes your skin crawl. A creature like that so close to your skin (and potentially infesting your underwear drawer) may make burning your house down seem like a reasonable solution, but fortunately, cockroaches are manageable with the correct steps.
Do Cockroaches Hide In Clothes?
Cockroaches, fortunately, have little interest in living in your clothing. Their preference for hiding spots is usually cracks or crevices in the walls, under furniture, or other areas that run little risk of being disturbed. Clothing is frequently picked up and put on by large, scary humans, so roaches stay away from clothing for the most part.
However, there are always exceptions. Cockroaches may not pick clothing as their first hiding place, but it possible for cockroaches to end up in your clothing. If you have an untreated cockroach infestation, they will keep spreading to all the hiding spots that they can find. Anywhere that has access to food, water, and shelter is fair game for a cockroach. Sometimes this includes areas that also store clothing.
Cockroaches may end up in your dresser or closet. These areas give the cockroaches the dark environment that they love, with a quiet and undisturbed place to hide. There is nothing exceptionally attractive about clothing to cockroaches, but their search for a home may result in the roaches living in your clothing if this also meets their other criteria.
If you are dealing with a cockroach infestation, you should always check furniture pieces such as dressers. Cockroaches such as the American cockroach, Brownbanded cockroach, and the German cockroach are known to hide in the drawers or under a dresser’s bottom. This does mean that they will come in contact with your clothing. Fortunately, you can wash your clothing to get any traces of the nasty roaches out of them once you have treated your home for the pests.
Do Cockroaches Travel in Clothes?
Unlike certain other pests like lice, bed bugs, or fleas, cockroaches will not usually hitch a ride with you on your jacket or scarf. It is theoretically possible for a cockroach to hide in a piece of clothing (maybe a pocket) and go from one location to another, but the odds of this happening are virtually zero.
The cockroach would have to ignore its fear of humans, aversion to bright light, and not move the entire time that the person in question is traveling from one place to another. A much more likely scenario is that a roach may temporarily hide in a piece of clothing from somewhere else in the house, but as soon as it is picked up, the cockroach will abandon ship and scurry away.
Cockroaches are cowards by nature. It is part of the reason why they are so hard to kill. Clothing is not their home of choice because it will not remain undisturbed for long periods. If you have a pile of dirty clothes that sits in the dark for weeks, you may see cockroaches begin to use it as a home, but normal laundry practices prevent cockroaches from ever setting up shop in your clothing.
Odds are, if you notice cockroaches in your home, they are most likely not from a visitor’s clothing. You probably have a hidden infestation somewhere in your house. Cockroaches are masters of hiding in places you will not expect. If you see signs of roaches in your home, check under your furniture, especially in the kitchen or laundry room. They enjoy humidity and dark places with easy access to food and water.
Wallpaper, under the fridge, electrical covers, behind pictures, and other pieces of furniture are all fair game for cockroaches to hide behind. Thoroughly examine your home for any of these environments that would support cockroaches much easier than a simple piece of clothing.
How Do You Keep Cockroaches Out of Your Clothes?
Cockroaches are disgusting. They can spread disease, leave droppings, and lay eggs wherever they go. They also bring with them an unpleasant musk that will turn your stomach. You most likely do not want them anywhere near you, let alone in your clothes.
Well, the good news is that it is pretty simple to keep roaches out of your clothing. All you have to do is remember what roaches look for and make your clothing as far from their preferred environment as possible. You can also take steps to exterminate cockroaches in your home to eliminate them before they get anywhere near your clothes.
Cockroaches want food, water, and a dark place to hide from threats. The best way to stop them from coming into your home is to get rid of as many of these elements as you can. While you will always have places in your home that are dark, such as under the couch or behind the wallpaper, you can actively work on getting rid of available food and water. Clean up any spills, even if it is just a few crumbs.
Drain any standing water you may have lying around your home. If you have a leaky pipe, you are providing adult roaches with a steady water supply. Get it fixed as soon as possible. Performing basic home maintenance and regularly disinfecting your house decreases the odds of cockroaches wanting to move in drastically. You should also keep places like your basement and attic clean and clear of any clutter.
If you notice that you already have roaches in your house, you can buy roach treatments at the store. Diatomaceous earth and boric acid are two common treatments that will kill roaches pretty quickly. If you think that your infestation is too large to be dealt with on your own (or you don’t want to deal with the little critters), you can always hire a pest control expert to get rid of your roach infestation.
