If roaches haven’t visited your household and irritated the hell out of you yet. In that case, you’re probably living on a different planet. These unhygienic scavengers are well-known for damaging our favorite outfits by sneaking into our closets, destroying bookbinding, and stealing our foods from the pantry.
But can they actually get inside your refrigerator, contaminate the food, or hinder the cooling mechanism? Also, can roaches damage a refrigerator, and how do you get rid of roaches in the refrigerator motor? If you’re looking forward to the answers, you are the perfect reader for this article! Please feel welcome and have a seat.
Table Of Contents
Can Roaches get inside a Fridge?
Not just foodies like you and me, but insects like bugs and cockroaches get mesmerized by the smell of food from inside a refrigerator and thus get drawn towards it. They will desperately look for cracks or openings to access food, especially sugary ones; this attracts them the most. Not just the smell of food, though; roaches can also sense any moisture coming from your refrigerator and feel tempted to check that out. Now you may ask, how the hell is moisture supposed to be leaking out of my fridge?
Well, don’t be so surprised; this is a common phenomenon and can happen if your refrigerator’s water lines have gone worn out or depleted or they have become frozen due to the accumulation of ice or any blockages in the defrosting drain.
But hey, what if there is no moisture coming out? Can roaches still get in, and how? There are lots of other ways, honestly. Without further ado, let’s look at some of the popular cunning tricks of roaches to sneakily infest your refrigerator in the coming paragraph.
How do Roaches get inside the Refrigerator?
Cockroaches can sneak into your refrigerator mostly in the following ways:
Loose Gaskets
So, what does the gasket do anyway? It’s what keeps the seal around your refrigerator door air-tight. The gasket is like a, let’s say, protection amulet that is supposed to prevent insects and bugs from finding their way inside.
However, if you’re using an incredibly old refrigerator with worn-out gaskets. In that case, the air-tight seal likely loosened, an invitation for roaches to get in.
Leaving the Door Open
This happens to many of us, doesn’t it? We mistakenly or subconsciously don’t close the refrigerator door properly in a rush, creating some sort of gap. Not only does this let the warm air from outside get in, but roaches can make use of this opportunity too.
Cleanliness Issues
Roaches love creeping and crawling in filth and dirty areas. If your refrigerator is in an unclean state, not only will this attract pathogens but cockroaches too. And once they’re there, they may find cracks and openings in no time, especially if there might be some notches at the back of the refrigerator.
Can Roaches survive in the Fridge?
Cockroaches generally prefer living in humid places because they can’t breed in temperatures below 40° Fahrenheit. On top of that, they won’t be able to survive in areas with temperatures over 120° Fahrenheit. This means that roaches won’t be able to stay inside the refrigerator for long and reproduce because of the cold temperature. Speaking from our experience, the motor at the back of your refrigerator is more like an ideal place for roaches to live, breed, and grow a family.
So, if you see one or more cockroaches inside the refrigerator. In that case, they likely have come to collect food supplies and will return to their habitat at the back with all that food and have a feast.
And unlike us, roaches don’t really need three meals a day. Once they eat to their fill, they’re good to go for a whole week and have sufficient energy to breed rapidly. Soon in no time, your refrigerator could be infested with an entire community of roaches which would be alarming.
Can Roaches damage a Refrigerator?
Roaches are a common pest that can be found in many households. They are most often found in kitchens and bathrooms, but they can also be found in refrigerators. They can cause various problems, such as contaminating food and infesting homes.
As for damaging a refrigerator, yes, they can. Roaches can crawl into the coils of a fridge and mess it up. They can also cause electrical fires by chewing through the wires leading to the motor that cools the refrigerator.
How to get rid of Roaches in the Refrigerator Motor?
Once your refrigerator motor becomes the shelter for a swarm of roaches, getting rid of them won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible either. Here are some of the things you can try out:
#1. Use Insecticides
You can spray Aerosol, HIT, or other similar insecticides around the motor. If you don’t want to use a spray, you can also go for silica dust. Sprinkle these powders all over the area. You can also spread boric acid in places where the roaches hang out.
#2. Seal any visible cracks
Check all around the refrigerator and the back; if you see any cracks or openings, try to seal or caulk them up after getting rid of all the roaches.
#3. Natural solutions
We have seen many people do it, and they benefitted too. Collect some fresh neem and bay leaves and scatter them around your refrigerator motor. You can store some inside your fridge pocket as well. Roaches can’t stand the smell of these leaves.
If you are not a big fan of leaves. In that case, you can also go for peppermint, neem, and cedarwood oil as natural alternatives to insecticides.
#4. Place cockroach traps
Like mouse traps, there are similar ones available for trapping roaches and getting rid of them. You should be able to find them in the local stores.
#5. Homemade remedy
If you mix baking soda and sugar, spray the mixture all over the places near the refrigerator motor for a couple of days. In that case, you are expected to see good results.
How do I protect my Refrigerator from Cockroaches?
Cockroaches tend to be attracted to electrical appliances like refrigerators because they are used regularly and thus heat up. If you want to protect your refrigerator from falling into the hands of roaches. In that case, you should follow all the above suggestions and keep your refrigerator as clean and hygienic as possible.
Always drain out the pan that collects water. Always check if the coils have become dusty or not.
Closing
Refrigerators are meant to be for housing foods and drinks only – not roaches! Don’t wait for an actual cockroach infestation in your refrigerator to motivate you to take action; start being cautious from today!