How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Your Dishwasher

More than a few people have been surprised by a cockroach when opening their dishwasher and find themselves wondering why the bug is there, and how it got into the machine. Unfortunately, your dishwasher is the ultimate cockroach attractant.

Knowing why cockroaches are attracted to the dishwasher can help you take steps to prevent a roach infestation. If you discover a roach problem, you should know a few ways to deal with it before needing to call a professional pest control service.

Why Do Roaches Love the Dishwasher?

Roaches have a reputation for being “indestructible” – as if they were the ultimate pest that is impossible to eradicate. Cockroaches have the same needs as every other animal.

Cockroaches need food, water, and shelter to survive and thrive. Unfortunately, a dishwasher can readily provide all three of these basic needs. 

Food

Dirty dishes provide an ample food source for cockroaches. Even if you are rinsing your plates before you put them in the dishwasher, there is likely still enough food particles left on the dishes to attract cockroaches.

Cockroaches can eat about everything, so even a thin layer of sauce or some tiny chunks of food can provide a decent meal for these bugs.

Any food bits that make it into the dishwasher also need to be washed away, which doesn’t always happen. It’s possible for food to not make it to the drain, and be stuck within the drain tube itself.

Water

There is more than enough water in a dishwasher for them to survive. Water gets left on clean dishes, in the drain, and small drops of water on the inner lining of the device from the high humidity. 

If your dishwasher, or other kitchen appliances like your refrigerator or sink, is leaking at all at the back of the unit or underneath it, that’s another excellent source of water for cockroaches to depend on.

Shelter

As for shelter, cockroaches typically won’t be living in the dishwashing compartment (the area where you load your dishes and utensils). If you find one in there, it’s likely just because the cockroach was temporarily getting food or water.

However, underneath and behind a dishwasher, and crevices in the surrounding kitchen counters, is a perfect place for a cockroach harborage to be. Cockroaches love damp, confined, and dark places.

Some people have also found cockroaches living inside the housing of their dishwasher, for example, inside the dishwasher door.

How Do Cockroaches Get into a Dishwasher?

Cockroaches are not be able to survive in the main wash chamber of the appliance while it is running due to the heat. That said, your dishwasher may have design flaws, loose seals, and tiny gaps that provide entry points for roaches. Cockroaches can also get into your washer if you leave the door ajar and not completely shut while it’s not running.

Most cockroach species have an extremely flat body. This means that they can squeeze themselves through some very narrow cracks.

Cockroaches are Also Under the Dishwasher

You should remember that even if you’re seeing cockroaches in your dishwasher, it doesn’t mean they’re living inside of it.

The most likely scenario is they’re living under the dishwasher.

Most dishwashers have a large void underneath them where the plumbing runs. This makes a perfect harborage for cockroaches because it is a moist, warm, and dark place.

Just making sure you close your dishwasher door isn’t enough to fight the cockroaches because at this point they’ll find other sources of food and water in your home regardless.

While it may seem that the best way to prevent a cockroach problem is by getting rid of your dishwasher, there are some easy methods to getting rid of these pests.

How to Get Rid of Cockroaches

Using the following three-pronged approach, the average homeowner can manage a cockroach infestation in your dishwasher. The key is to be vigilant with each step. Don’t cut any corners, and follow up with the treatments regularly.

1. Traps and Baits

The first step in getting rid of roaches is to kill the adult cockroaches that are present. Cockroach traps and gel baits are cheap and very effective. They’re essential to any cockroach infestation removal strategy, regardless of where they are in your home.

Traps typically use a sticky glue that roaches get caught in. Sticky traps basically look like a thin sheet of cardboard, with a very sticky adhesive on one side. Most of the time these can be slipped underneath a dishwasher or at least at the base of it to catch cockroaches that come and go.

Sticky traps also help track an ongoing cockroach infestation to see what kind of progress you’re making.

Roach baits are basically food that cockroaches find attractive laced with powerful insecticides that cause the cockroach’s nervous system to malfunction — leading to death. 

Baits are extremely effective because cockroaches will share food, eat each others vomit and feces, and even eat other dead cockroaches. One cockroach that takes the bait will pass it on to several others.

You can bait around your dishwasher, in the cabinet under your kitchen sink, and anywhere else near your dishwasher you can reasonably access.

Be sure to check and replace the roach bait every day or two. If cockroaches aren’t taking the bait after three days, wipe it up and try baiting elsewhere. Roach bait gets stale, and cockroaches prefer fresh bait.

2. Check Your Dishwasher Seals/Leaks

A well-maintained dishwasher is less likely to attract new roaches than a damaged or malfunctioning dishwasher. Most dishwashers have a small panel on the front, just below the door. Remove this panel, get a flashlight, and check the space under the appliance for leaks, roaches, or any signs of roaches (like feces, food scraps, or cockroach eggs).

You should also check all the seals on your dishwasher. Typically, dishwashers only have two areas where roaches can reasonably access the inside. The main seal on the door can become weak and damaged over time, or may have a design flaw that stops the door from fully sealing to the outside. Secondarily, some dishwasher drain lines do seal completely with the drain they dump into. Small cockroaches can sometimes make their way into the unit via this drain tube. An easy diy fix here is to reseal damaged areas with caulk.

3. Clean up, then add some Dust!

Roaches find and join harborages based on smell. All the nasty feces, dirt, food scraps, and cockroach smells underneath your dishwasher are likely attracting more roaches.

The best place to start is to vacuum out the mess. If you can, spray some bleach and wipe down the surfaces under and around the dishwasher. This should remove the attractive smells the cockroaches have created.

Next, get some Insecticidal Dust. There are many types on the market, from Diatomaceous Earth and borax to dust products that contain synthetic insecticides. These products generally work by destroying cockroach exoskeletons (and those of other pests), which eventually leads to them drying out and dying.

Using a billow duster, you can shoot some dust under and behind your dishwasher, which will kill cockroaches that cross its path for months and years if left undisturbed.

You Can Evict Cockroaches

Once you find them, it can be difficult to get rid of roaches, but you can evict these unwanted tenants with diligence. These pests love cold, damp, and dark places. Often, roaches can easily fit into small crevices in and around your dishwasher, kitchen counters, and other kitchen appliances.

You can get rid of them by following all the steps and maintaining rigid cleaning habits. You should use roach bait (or traps) so the bugs can take poison back to their nests to share with other members of the colony. Spreading dust, like diatomaceous earth will help to kill them as well.

Vacuuming up any of their debris and cleaning with bleach after will help remove their scents. This prevents roaches from easily returning to an area. Remember not to spray any harmful chemicals in your dishwasher, as leftover chemicals will likely make their way onto your dinner plate.

If you have exhausted all efforts to remove these bugs from your home and the roaches persist, it may be time to call the exterminator. Allowing roaches to remain in your home can result in some serious health conditions for you and your family members, including pets. I recommend working to get rid of roaches as quickly and diligently as you can.