Most kitchens do not get pests because they are dirty in an obvious way. They get them because small things add up over weeks: a few crumbs, a damp sponge, a bin that is never quite empty. Pests need food, water and somewhere to hide, and a kitchen supplies all three at once. Appliances such as the fridge and cooker also produce warmth, and the gaps behind cupboards give them dark, narrow shelters. The University of California’s cockroach guide puts it plainly: store food in sealed containers, fix leaks and moisture, and limit hiding places and access to living areas. The routine below turns that into habits.
The five-minute evening routine
- Wipe crumbs and drips from the worktop and around the hob.
- Do not leave dishes in the sink overnight. If you must, drain the water.
- Clean around the plughole with soapy water and leave the sink dry.
- Empty the bin if it is nearly full, and leave it with the lid closed.
- Take up the pet’s food and water bowls, or at least wipe round them.
- Put fruit and bread away instead of leaving them out.
The weekly night check
Species that move at night are best caught by looking at night.
- Turn off the kitchen light and wait ten to fifteen minutes.
- Switch it on suddenly.
- Look quickly under the sink, around the cooker and fridge, near the bin and along drawer edges.
- Note where, when and roughly how big.
- If you want more evidence, put down sticky traps and check them after a few days.
If you find something, our guide to cockroach species helps work out what it is, and the page on cockroach control explains the usual signs.
The twenty-minute weekly clean
- Fridge: wipe the back of the shelves and the door seal, and throw out anything spoiled.
- Cupboards: check that dry-food containers are closed and sweep up crumbs.
- Oven and hob: remove built-up grease and crumbs.
- Bin: wash inside and out and let it dry.
- Floor: sweep between furniture and along the skirting.
- Drain and trap: scrub with a brush and hot water.
- Recycling: rinse bottles and cans and do not leave them standing.
Food storage: the simple rules
- Keep dry food such as flour, sugar, cereal, pulses, pasta and nuts in hard plastic, metal or glass containers. The University of California suggests insect-proof containers such as glass jars or re-sealable plastic containers.
- Do not leave fruit and vegetables on the worktop, especially ripe or bruised ones.
- Close opened packets tightly.
- Keep pet food in a lidded tub.
- When groceries arrive, check the packaging and take off cardboard and crates straight away.
Damp and leaks
A weeping trap, a dripping tap or a damp cardboard box under the sink attracts cockroaches, silverfish and flies. Look under the sink once a month, take out soggy cardboard and sponges, and check the hose connections on the washing machine and dishwasher. The guide lists fixing plumbing leaks and other sources of moisture as one of the basics.
Behind and under appliances
The back of a fridge, dishwasher or cooker is the least disturbed place in the kitchen. Warmth, crumbs and darkness come together there. Every six months, if you can move the appliance, pull it out and sweep behind it, and check the cable and pipe entries. Fat and dust building up in drawer runners and along the sides of the hob also draw cockroaches and ants. Wear gloves while you do this and wipe up the dust straight away.
Bins, bags and outside containers
Make sure the lid fits properly and the pedal works. If liquid collects in the bag, double-tie it. In apartment blocks, report an outside bin store that is left open, because scattered rubbish brings flies, rodents and ants. Scrubbing the inside of the bin once a month with soapy water also cuts smells.
Coming in from outside
Some kitchen pests arrive from outdoors. Ants and flies in particular come in along door thresholds, window sills and pipe entries. Check these places at least once a year and repair screens and door seals. Ants are the commonest visitors, and our guide to the types of ants in the house explains how to read their trails and where they are coming from.
A monthly kitchen self-check
Answer yes or no once a month:
- Are all dry-food containers closed?
- Have you cleaned behind and under the fridge in the last two months?
- Are the drain and trap dry and clean around the edges?
- Does the bin lid close fully?
- Are the window and door screens free of tears?
- Is the space under the sink free of leaks and damp cardboard?
- Is pet food lifted at night?
The more noes you collect, the higher the risk. Use the list to decide what to do first.
Common mistakes
- Killing only the insects you see and never looking for the source.
- Leaving the bin full overnight.
- Failing to close food containers firmly.
- Keeping piles of unused cardboard boxes.
- Leaving pet food out all night.
- Ignoring the drain.
A weekly routine removes most of these.
Small kitchens
When a kitchen is tiny, everything is close together and crumbs and drips build up faster. Wipe the inside faces of cupboard doors, the corners of shelves and the gap between the hob and the worktop. Stackable containers keep a cupboard tidy and reduce the corners you miss.
Commercial kitchens
A restaurant, café or guesthouse kitchen needs more than the home routine: surfaces cleaned at the end of each shift, store shelves kept away from the wall, rubbish taken out every day and written records. If you run a guesthouse, our guesthouse pest control checklist shows how to organise this across rooms, kitchen and outdoor areas.
Small things on the worktop
The inside of a bread bin, the bottom of tea and coffee cups, the underside of a sponge and unwashed glasses are all food for insects. Wipe out the bread bin weekly, wring and dry the sponge and cloth each evening and wash cups straight away. That is all it takes to avoid making the kitchen attractive for no reason.
Sharing the plan at home
If only one person runs the routine, it lapses whenever they are away. Write the three evening jobs on a note on the fridge and fix a day for the weekly check. Give children a task at their own level, such as closing the bin lid or wiping crumbs. A routine that everyone can see is harder to forget and does not depend on one person.
When the routine is not enough
Insects turning up in the same spot at night, or signs spreading to other rooms despite the weekly routine, are worth having someone look at for hidden sources. A free inspection can be requested via our contact page.