Cockroaches are notorious and annoying creatures to any homeowner. As they hide in tiny nooks and corners of your house, it’s challenging to identify and deal with them. And it’s even trickier if you find roaches in microwave. If you’re looking for some specific solutions to this problem, we got your back.
Find out the best methods to get rid of this irritating animal now.
Why Don’t Cockroaches Die In The Microwave?
Many homeowners who witness roaches infestation might be curious why a microwave doesn’t kill cockroaches. The primary explanation is that even when the microwave is in use, about 4-5 parts remain cold.
The microwave emits magnetron radiation, which starts from the edge of the product. The metal covers the inside of the microwave and reflects these radiations into the center. At the same time, the microwave stimulates molecules in water and results in vibration and heat.
As stated earlier, not all parts of the microwave get hot. Some areas remain cool, and cockroaches will use their excess genes to find them. Therefore, whenever you use your microwave, they will escape to a cold place until they can go out safely.
While it’s the main reason why cockroaches survive in the microwave, the microwave couldn’t kill roaches also because this creature possesses very few water molecules in their bodies.
In other words, during the heating process, the cockroaches stay undamaged because there is not enough water in their system for the machine to evaporate from them.
Thus, on paper, cockroaches can easily survive in the microwave. After all, these stubborn, resilient insects did withstand nuclear explosions, so microwave radiation shouldn’t be such a problem.
5 Useful Tips To Get Rid Of Roaches In Microwave
Once you find cockroaches in the microwave, you would want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
However, the process requires lots of attention. If you apply the wrong method, higher chances are that you’ll damage your microwave and even start a fire. Below, we’ll introduce the best five methods to remove these annoying roaches:
Cold Temperatures
If you are on a shoestring or confident that you only witness a small number of roaches, bring your microwave to a wintry area to lure them out.
If you’re living in a cold region, feel free to place your microwave in a cabin or garage. Of course, you can also put it outside completely if you offer enough protection from external factors like rain or fog. In details, please follow the instructions below:
- Remove your microwave’s power plug.
- Cover your microwave with a plastic bag. Make sure you close the bag tightly to make sure air and water cannot penetrate.
- Make sure the plastic wrap has enough holes for the roaches to escape.
- Place the unit in a cold area like a cabin or a garage.
- Leave the microwave there for four to five days, allowing the cockroach to escape.
The ideal temperature to make it work is from 1.6°C to 10°C. Likewise, any area that is colder than the above temperature will kill cockroaches.
Deep Clean
If you do not want to approach the microwave while the cockroach is still inside, clean it thoroughly to remove all the leftover grease and food crumbs that draw in the cockroaches. As a result, roaches would have to find food elsewhere.
You can easily clean microwave ovens with conventional household cleaners. However, lemon-scented ones are advisable as most insects, including cockroaches, do not like the smell.
Especially, don’t try bleaching as it can damage the inner parts and reduce the efficiency of your machine. You should begin interior cleaning as follows:
- In a microwave-safe container, squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon into a glass of water. Then, mix in the white vinegar and pour the solution into the container.
- Place the bowl in the microwave and turn on maximum power for a few minutes. It’s a must that you boil the solution and steams the appliance.
- Let your microwave cool for five minutes, remove the container, and use a clean sponge to clean the interior.
About the microwave tray:
- Take out the tray and place it in the dishwasher with hot water and dish cleaning detergent.
- Incubate for 1 hour.
- Clean the leftover oil and dirt and rinse.
- Spray and clean with specific grease-removing solutions.
- After cleaning everything, put the tray back in the appliance.
About the appliance’s door:
- Soak a clean sponge in the baking soda and water solution, then thoroughly clean the edges of the door.
- For glass windows, mix water and white vinegar in a 1:1 proportion. Wipe the door with a sponge, rinse it, and spray with a degreaser.
- To remove the marks, wipe the door with a microfiber cloth.
When there is no roaches-attracting food debris in the microwave, keep the microwave clean after use.
Dust Trap
Once you remove the dirt and food residues in the microwave, cockroaches that may still live in or migrate back to the microwave will need to go out to find food. As a result, dust traps can well poison cockroaches that step on them.
Although you can directly use the trap on roaches, it works best to apply it to the surroundings. Moreover, you wouldn’t want to use the trap in the microwave, so move the device to a safer, secluded area and surround it with the powder mixture of the trap. Be sure to spray the powder in front of the outlet to prevent cockroaches from escaping.
Once cockroaches go out and search for food, they fall into the trap and poison themselves. The method works best on large swarms. Since the cockroach was dead, other cockroaches would eat the dead body. In turn, they would eat the poison, and they would die as a result.
Bait Traps
Like the mentioned dust trap, bait traps, which you position near the appliance or its surrounding areas, are also an excellent method to get rid of cockroaches.
Ready-made bait traps are tasteless and gel-like, which draws cockroaches in even more. At the same time, they are also safer for your appliances because they will not enter the nooks and corners like the dust ones.
For the best outcome, surround your microwave with the trap and leave it for several hours until the poison gets to the roaches.
In case you want to make the trap yourself, refer to this video for more information:
Professional Help
There are many removal methods that you can try for yourself, but if you have huge spreads, you may need expert assistance. Although you can dismantle the microwave and remove the infestation manually, higher chances are that you will damage the device.
In this case, we recommend contacting pest control. Experts can inspect cockroach spreads and come up with the most effective solution. You can also find the easiest and safest way to get around electrical appliances.
Read More:
How To Freeze Fish In Ziplock: 3 Easy Steps & Tips For Everyone
Conclusion
Now you have it, the best methods to remove roaches in microwave. We understand how scary and annoying it is to face these stubborn and irritating creatures in your house. And we hope today’s post has helped you clear the path. Good luck dealing with the roaches!
