Can I offer you some unsolicited advice, since you are in an excellent place to take advantage of it?
Insect proof your apartment by caulking the baseboards, it'll significantly reduce/fix any roach problem that may be there, and meaningfully protect against, and if --god forbid -- you get them it'll make bed bugs much easier to handle.
I would recommend getting a power duster, filling it with boric acid, and shooting it into under the baseboards any any other major gaps that connect your apartment to the outside world. Then caulk over the baseboards and those gaps. Having done that in my previous apartment, I managed to get rid of them. I have had ZERO in my present apartment (knock on wood), which prior to my arrival had a roach issue.
Again, this is unsolicited advice, but I really think it is helpful and since you're moving in and don't have furniture down yet, and are seemingly willing to pay someone to do labor, you can remove a lot of future insect related stress.
Oh, and boric acid isn't bad for your health. It may be, if you ate copious amounts of it, but not in how I suggested you use it.
Here is an amazon page for it, but it is much cheaper at your local walmart. But the first one listed (the suppository) should give you an idea of how safe it is:
Also, when I was young, I used to be on a swim team, and would get an occasional stye. They made a boric acid eye wash.
This is the kind of duster you would want to use to dust inside your cabinets and stuff.
I've never used it inside, but I understand the right way to do it is use an applicator to spray it behind trim moulding and baseboards and stuff
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_fabt1_eOEQFbDMC5DEA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Nope. As long as you get Food Grade diatomaceous earth, you could put it on your own food and suffer no ill effects. In fact, farmers put it on their livestocks' feed to help kill intestinal parasites; doesn't harm the animals at all.
The only thing that I've found with diatomaceous earth is that it's best to wear eye protection when you're using the puffer to apply it: https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Diatomaceous-Powder-Duster-Extension/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/ref=pd_lpo_86_t_2/144-7095227-0753800
It won't harm your eyes, but it will really dry them out. Just rinse with water and you're good.
I use this one (there are probably others but this one’s inexpensive and thats what i wanted). It works decently though it will spread out some clumps before you can get used to how you have to do it. It also works better if it’s full. I’ll usually only let it get down about 1/3 and then add a little more. But it definitely makes things a ton easier. Good luck
You can dust the place with a little bit of diatomaceous earth. It's harmless to humans/pets but deadly to most things with exoskeletons (bugs, insects, etc). Just be sure that when you dust, it's very light.
Here's a one with an applicator on Amazon
i always clean my ps4 with a swifer :)
its really cheap and its the besst what ive found :)
Do this shortly before you move, like a week or two. You can apply it immediately, but reapply it before you move.
Buy a really good vacuum cleaner, one with a Hepa filter or one specifically for pet hair/fur, if you don't already have one. DE (see below) is highly abrasive and the particles are very, very fine.
Buy a 10lb to 20lb sack of food grade diatomaceous earth (DE from here on) off Amazon. This one comes with an applicator. Use the applicator to apply it around all the baseboards, kitchen cabinets and drawers, dresser drawers, etc, etc, etc. Next take a dishtowel or similar cloth, lay it flat on the counter and put a handful of DE in it. Wrap it up so you have kind of a cloth bag full of DE. Now take this around to all the carpeted areas and pat the bag as you walk around. You want the DE to "poof" out into the air and form a cloud, then settle on the carpet.
You can get the DE into your electronics, but you'll want to take them apart and blow them out with compressed air after you move.
DE is not harmful to humans, you can stick a finger into it and suck the DE off the finger. It is safe for children and pets but lethal to most insects.
If you want a cheap non-toxic solution, get some Diatomaceous Earth like HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade, 4lb with Powder Duster Included in The Bag. Its food grade so you can eat it, safe around pets but kills Ants, Spiders, etc. I dust it all over the place when I see ants, leave it for a bit then either blow the excess away with my Blower outside or vacuum inside. It does the trick and they stay away. You can also put some on your dog or cat to kill and keep fleas away as a non-toxic solution.
Diatomaceous Earth works VERY well. But I'd like to add an addendum for your safety. Some grades of Diatomaceous Earth contain crystalline silica and is unsafe to inhale if it's airborne. Such as when applied with a duster.
Secondly, you need to make sure to buy FOOD GRADE in case one of your cats puts some in their mouths. It's safer for ingestion.
You can pick it up on Amazon.
I wish you the best!
so I bought this cheaply and removed the yellow part and use the bellow part to force the fines out of my coffee grinder. works great.
Where are you located?
Where I am in the US, you can order food grade diatomaceous earth from Amazon and get it in a day or two. All pet and seed and feed stores sell it also, as well as nutrition stores and some vets, as they use it to treat fleas and mites on birds and mammals. It is non-toxic, quite safe.
Just wanted to say - I had a roommate one time who adopted a cat and refused to take care of. Eventually got fleas and that led to flea infestation in our apartment.
Even if the cat is treated for fleas, if she had them when you took her in, there's a good chance you've got some in your couch, bed, or other areas, they can feed off your blood too and they're pretty difficult to get rid of once in the house.
The only thing that seemed to work for me was food grade diatomaceous earth. Just sprinkle it all over the affected areas every day for a couple weeks, then vacuum/wash sheets and linens to clean up. It's completely non toxic to animals and humans, since we have skin and insects do not.
Insect proof your apartment by caulking the baseboards, it'll significantly reduce/fix any roach problem that may be there, and meaningfully protect against, and if --god forbid -- you get them it'll make bed bugs much easier to handle.
I would recommend getting a power duster, filling it with boric acid, and shooting it into under the baseboards any any other major gaps that connect your apartment to the outside world. Then caulk over the baseboards and those gaps. Having done that in my previous apartment, I managed to get rid of them. I have had ZERO in my present apartment (knock on wood), which prior to my arrival had a roach issue.
Get this and dust the ever living shit out of everything. Puff it into all the nooks and crannies you see termite holes in.
The one I bought came with like a lil duster that blew out the powder. I just coated all the leaves with it, they looked like powder donuts for a while lol. But never saw the lil bastards again so 😌 This is the one I got.
I have the zxy and also a fleshlight (cream). The zxy feels and looks very realistic imho. Although I prefer my fleshlight, it feels more stimulating and is easier to clean. I highly recommend getting something like below, makes drying a lot easier.
6 pcs Microfiber Stick Duster for Cleaning https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07P6BYCMH/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_PE67S0Z8S7XMV11MW2H4
I second Boric Acid powder. Get a hand held duster like this:
Harris Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster with 6 Inch Extension Nozzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2M2YPYY6GAQCPZT99XJ3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Place Boric Acid 1/4 full into the duster and then puff it into every single crack or hole you find in your apartment. Remove every light switch plate and outlet plate and blow the dust into the crevices between the outlet boxes and the walls (that’s where roaches can crawl into your home).
The bugs get this dust on their feet, drag it back to their dens and then they all die.
I do this treatment every 2 years and I have ZERO bugs in my house (and we DID have a roach/“water bug” issue shortly after we first moved in).
Good luck and sorry this is happening, I know how gross it feels and what a bummer it is every time you see them.
I highly recommend one of these Harris Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster with 6 Inch Extension Nozzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_QH05B30EVTYPQQZDZ86C?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 to apply the diatomaceous earth powder as a fine dust. It takes a little practice to get it to make a fine "poof" cloud instead of blobs of powder. But, this is what I use after seeing a recommendation in this sub from another user. Can't remember who exactly but, I think their name was u/Notwhoyouthink or something like that.🤨🤷🤦 Good luck tho!😉🙏🤞
Food grade diatomaceous earth. Use the puffer or a flour sifter to dust it all over the concrete. After they are gone, reapply as necessary, or around the perimeter of your plants as necessary. Always reapply after rain.
I’ve just recently won a months-long battle to get rid of German cockroaches. They were bad too- I woke up one morning to one crawling on my arm and decided to declare war. this stuff was my saving grace.
Buy it, pull out the bottom drawers in the kitchen and apply it down there. Apply it behind the fridge, on top of the cabinets, in the cabinets, in the drawer tracks, behind and under the stove, in the cabinet under the sink, and do the same in the bathroom. I went a step further and applied it around the baseboard heaters, windows, electronics, absolutely everywhere I could think of that the little demons could hide. It took a good 2 weeks for them to really disappear, but it did work. For the ones I did see, I just sprayed them with the plant based Raid.
I highly recommend getting diatomaceous earth and an applicator like this one: HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster with 6 Inch Extension Nozzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/
It is safe for humans and pets once the dust settles. And it needs to be applied as a thin layer. "Spray" under sinks, doorways, window frames, etc. It takes time but it is a game changer.
Last time I bout some I got it on amazon.
i’ve only used the powder. a fair covering of the soil (should still be able to see a little bit of dirt, maybe 75% coverage) and gently applying the dust to the underside of the leaves should do the trick.
they have little pump applicators that i use to spread it over the garden (real bad stink bug problems here in the summertime), i would recommend this to hit the leaves as you don’t have to touch / disturb the plant. Applicator thing
Is it possible for you to do away with the feeder and do manual feeding (where the food is normally stored in a sealed container)? Any exposed food will attract roaches.
A good way I found to eliminate roaches (granted they are not as pervasive where I am) is to spray a thin layer of diatomaceous earth on the floor, and sweep it into all the cracks, corners, nooks and crannies. It is very important to clear the area of your cats, and wear a N95 mask, when you spray the powder. Inhaling it will destroy your lungs.
I’ll have to time it but it is faster than my Preciso modded Encore.
I actually purchased a generic bellow (HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster with 6 Inch Extension Nozzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/) and have used that after removing the hopper. That reduces the retention to effectively zero.
There is a purpose build one that I will probably end up ordering (https://lesbrew.coffee/product/single-dose-blow-out-hopper-for-urbanic-080/)
HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Powder Duster with 6 Inch Extension Nozzle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LRMN9ZM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_YN8HT73TTH39S0EXKFB8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I used to use this with my ceado e5p
If the can of air doesn't work I would recommend a delicate duster like the one in the link. I tried the can of air for my studio monitor speakers and it wouldn't remove most of it so I bought this and its delicate enough it hasn't caused any damage.