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I know there are a bunch of threads about rats and roaches here. And, sprinkled about are a few replies here and there about how to avoid them. It's my hope that in creating this thread, there can be a centralized, easy to read guide on how to minimize as much as possible exposure to roaches, mice and rats in one's own home. I will copy and paste other's responses into this original post.
What to look for and avoid while searching for a place to live:
Once you have a place to live, things to do and not to do to keep bugs and rodents away:
Keep your apartment clean, and without any odors. Do not leave food stains anywhere, and no dirty dishes ever. There cannot be a trace of food anywhere. For smells, get some kind of air filter to suck it all up. Do not leave any dirty laundry anywhere. Be minimal with furniture because the bugs like to hide in places where you cannot see them. Less furniture means less places to hide.
The best way to keep rats and mice away is to get a cat. You can also get bug spray from Home Depot, and regularly spray around.
Best way to keep roaches out is to get boric acid and put a thin trail of it by baseboards, fill any cracks and holes with it, put it behind appliances and anywhere else you may find roaches. You can buy it at drugstores for the purposes of roach control. Only caveat is to keep it out of the way of pets if you have any.
Possible examples-that I have no idea if they hold any validity or not-:
Ex. Look for a place several floors up from the ground.
I don't know if that makes a difference or not.
Ex. Look for a newer building.
Again, I don't know if this really matters or not.
Is a basement apartment where your bedroom window, at ground level, looks out onto a garbage-filled alley more likely to have a mouse/roach problem? I would think so, but maybe it's not really any different.
Keep your apartment clean, and without any odors. Do not leave food stains anywhere, and no dirty dishes ever. There cannot be a trace of food anywhere. For smells, get some kind of air filter to suck it all up. Do not leave any dirty laundry anywhere. Be minimal with furniture because the bugs like to hide in places where you cannot see them. Less furniture means less places to hide.
The best way to keep rats and mice away is to get a cat. You can also get bug spray from Home Depot, and regularly spray around.
Best way to keep roaches out is to get boric acid and put a thin trail of it by baseboards, fill any cracks and holes with it, put it behind appliances and anywhere else you may find roaches. You can buy it at drugstores for the purposes of roach control. Only caveat is to keep it out of the way of pets if you have any.
OP is updated. Anything on tips in finding a place to live?
I'm looking at places on airbnb and came across one with mostly great reviews but it's a basement apartment where you walk through a "courtyard" alley where there are lots of garbage bags laying around. Some reviews mention roaches and one mentions a mouse. Kind of a deal-breaker IMO.
Of course, the real solution to the problem-especially the rat problem- is to stop having the stupid practice of leaving trash strewn on city streets in flimsy trash bags. Copying the San Francisco method of having sturdy, rat-proof mega-containers is the real answer.
Whenever I moved to a new apt. while living in NYC I'd buy a few tubes of silicone caulking, a caulking gun and then carefully seal every single crack,opening and/or hole I could find under the sinks, along the baseboards & anywhere else. I'd also install a door bottom extender that seals off the space under the door to the hallway.
Moderator cut: Off-topic: This is not the politics forum.
Last edited by bmwguydc; 05-04-2012 at 07:59 AM..
Reason: off-topic
Any feedback on what to look for or avoid when searching for a place to live?
New York City should be embarrassed by the rat problem. It does NOT have to be like it is. Popular, public parks in the middle of the city do not have to be overrun with rats the way a Tompkins Square park is. Subway tracks and platforms do not have to be overrun with rats. It likely all has to do with the stupid practice of leaving trash bags lying around the streets and everywhere. Please call for a mandate to move to solid, trash bins that are rat proof. The flimsy trash bags lying in the street thing needs to become a thing of the past.
[quote=HarleyGuyOC;24148632]Whenever I moved to a new apt. while living in NYC I'd buy a few tubes of silicone caulking, a caulking gun and then carefully seal every single crack,opening and/or hole I could find under the sinks, along the baseboards & anywhere else. I'd also install a door bottom extender that seals off the space under the door to the hallway.quote]
I've lived in an apartment in an apartment building's basement for over 20 years. WhenI first rented it, it been unoccupied for 6 months and was totally overrun with roaches. Here's what I did: 1) I set off a 'bug bomb' in the place to kill everything in it. 2) I did what the poster quoted above did. 3) I set off another bomb once it was sealed off.
Whenever I see one roach, as I would occasionally do from time to time (maybe once a year - they could have gotten in from a shopping bag I carried in, or whatever), I put out those Combat roach bait traps according to the directions (other brands make them; they usually come in packs of 12). They are extremely effective.
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