How to prepare for cockroach treatment

Updated 12 November 2026.

You have booked cockroach treatment, or you are about to, and now you want to know what to do before the technician arrives. Good preparation is the difference between a treatment that knocks the roaches out and one that needs extra visits. Here is what to do in the days before, on the day, and between the first visit and the follow-up.

Book cockroach control online

How do I prepare for cockroach treatment?

To prepare for cockroach treatment, clean up food, grease and crumbs, clear out the cabinets under the sinks and anything else your technician needs to reach, remove cardboard and clutter, and stop using store-bought sprays. Plan for pets and fish tanks. Then leave the treated spots alone until the follow-up visit.

That is the short version. With us, you also get a preparation checklist by email before your visit, written for the treatment we expect to do. Where this guide and your checklist differ, follow the checklist, because it is based on your home and your booking.

Why does preparation matter for cockroach treatment?

Preparation matters because the treatment has to reach where cockroaches hide, and roaches have to eat the bait rather than your crumbs. German cockroaches, the kind in almost every Ottawa kitchen, live in tight gaps behind appliances, in cabinet hinges, under sinks and in wall voids. If those spots are blocked by clutter, the technician cannot treat them properly.

Food matters just as much. Gel bait works because roaches eat it and carry it back to where they hide. A kitchen with grease on the stove, crumbs in the toaster and pet food on the floor gives them easier meals, and the bait competes with all of it. A clean, dry kitchen makes the bait the best food in the house.

Good preparation also helps the technician see how big the problem is, so they can choose between gel and spray. If you have only seen one roach so far, our guide on what to do if you saw one cockroach explains when treatment is needed.

Does gel or spray treatment change how I prepare?

Yes, a little. The basic preparation is the same for both, but a spray treatment needs more cleared surfaces and more time out of the treated areas. Your technician chooses after the inspection:

• Gel bait and growth regulator for light activity. Tiny dots of gel go into cracks, hinges and gaps where roaches feed. You need clear access to those spots, but it usually needs no time out of your home.
• Targeted spray for heavier infestations. Spray goes on cracks and hiding areas. Cabinets and shelves near treated areas need to be emptied, and people and pets stay out of treated areas until it has dried.

If you do not know which you will get, prepare as if it will be a spray. It takes a little longer, and it means the technician can do whatever the inspection shows is needed. Our cockroach control page explains both treatments.

What to do a few days before cockroach treatment

Start two or three days before the visit. These steps take the most time, and they make the biggest difference:

• Deep clean the kitchen. Wipe the counters, backsplash and cabinet fronts, degrease the stovetop and range hood, and clean crumbs out of drawers and from under appliances you can safely move.
• Get rid of cardboard. Roaches hide and lay egg cases in cardboard. Recycle boxes, flattened cardboard and paper bags, especially any kept under the sink or on top of the fridge.
• Reduce clutter. Clear piles of paper, bags and items stored on the kitchen floor, on top of cabinets and in bathroom vanities.
• Fix leaks if you can. Dripping taps and slow leaks under sinks give roaches water. Ask your landlord or a plumber about anything you cannot fix.
• Note where you see roaches. Walk through the kitchen and bathrooms with a flashlight after dark and write down where they run. It shows the technician where to start.
• Do not take kitchen items to other rooms or another home. Roaches and egg cases travel in boxes, small appliances and bags.

Do I need to empty my kitchen cabinets for cockroach treatment?

Usually you need to empty the cabinet under the kitchen sink and the cabinets nearest the stove, fridge and dishwasher. For a spray treatment, empty any cabinets and drawers your checklist lists. The technician needs to reach hinges, corners and the gaps where cabinets meet the wall.

• Put the contents in sealed plastic bins or bags, not cardboard boxes, and keep them in the kitchen or on a hard floor nearby, not in a bedroom.
• Check items as you take them out. If you find roaches or egg cases in a box or package, throw that item out sealed in a bag.
• Wipe out the empty cabinets and shelves, and vacuum crumbs from corners and drawer runners. Empty the vacuum or bag into the outside garbage straight away.
• Put open dry food, such as cereal, flour, rice and snacks, into hard containers with tight lids, or into the fridge.
• Pull the fridge and stove out a little from the wall if it is safe to do so, or tell us when you book if you cannot move them.
• Clear the counters so the backsplash and the gaps behind small appliances can be reached.

How should I prepare bathrooms and other rooms?

Prepare bathrooms the same way as the kitchen: they have water, warmth and pipe gaps, which roaches use.

• Empty the cabinet under the bathroom sink, and the vanity drawers if your checklist says so.
• Clear items off the floor around the toilet and tub, and off the back of the toilet.
• Dry the tub and sink before the visit.
• In laundry rooms and utility rooms, clear the floor around the washer, water heater and pipes.
• If you have seen roaches in other rooms, such as a bedroom or living room, tell us when you book. Roaches outside the kitchen and bathroom often mean a larger infestation, and the technician will check those rooms too.

What about pets, fish tanks and children?

Plan for everyone in the home before the visit. Mention pets, fish tanks and reptiles in the notes when you book, so the technician can plan the treatment around them.

• Put away pet food, water bowls, toys and bedding from the kitchen and other areas being treated.
• Plan where pets will stay. After a spray treatment they must stay out of treated areas until it has dried. A closed room that is not being treated, or a friend's place, works well.
• Cover fish tanks and turn off air pumps during a spray treatment if your technician asks you to, and keep birds and small animals in a room that is not being treated.
• Put children's toys, bottles, dishes and high-chair trays away in sealed bins.
• Gel is placed in cracks and gaps, out of reach, but keep small children and pets from picking at treated cracks.

Do I need to leave my home during cockroach treatment?

For gel treatment, usually not: gel treatment usually needs no time out of your home. For a spray treatment, yes for a while: keep people and pets out of treated areas until the spray has dried. Health Canada's minimum is two hours, and your technician confirms the exact time on the day.

Plan for that before the visit: think about where you, your children and pets will go, and keep coats, keys, phone chargers and anything you will need with you. If someone in your home has asthma, allergies or is pregnant, mention it when you book and talk to a doctor or pharmacist if you have health questions.

What not to do before cockroach treatment

• Do not set off bug bombs or foggers. They push roaches deeper into walls and into other rooms and units, and do not reach where they breed.
• Do not spray store-bought insecticide in the days before. Many sprays repel roaches and can stop them eating the gel bait. If you have already sprayed, tell your technician.
• Do not seal cracks and gaps yet. The technician may want to treat inside them first, then tell you what to seal.
• Do not move kitchen items into bedrooms or take them to someone else's home.
• Do not throw out appliances in a panic. Your technician can tell you if an appliance is too badly infested to keep.
• Do not cancel because you saw fewer roaches. Numbers go up and down; a quiet week does not mean they are gone. Our guide to baby cockroaches in the kitchen explains why the breeding goes on out of sight.

How to prepare an apartment or condo for cockroach treatment

Prepare your unit exactly as above, and also deal with the building side. Cockroaches move between units through plumbing and wall gaps, so treatment works best when neighbouring units are checked and treated at the same time.

• Tell your landlord, property manager or condo board before the visit. In Ottawa, treating pests in a rental is generally the landlord's responsibility, and tenants are expected to prepare the unit.
• Ask whether the units above, below and beside you will be inspected or treated.
• Book a time when someone can let the technician in, and tell the building if it needs notice for access.
• Keep your preparation up between visits. A unit that stays cluttered can let roaches keep breeding even when the neighbours are treated.

We treat units in towers and low-rises across the city, from South Keys and Alta Vista to Westboro and Nepean. Our guide to cockroaches in apartments and condos explains how roaches spread between units and who arranges treatment in a building.

What should I do after the first visit and before the follow-up?

After the first visit, keep the kitchen clean and dry, and leave the treated spots alone until the follow-up visit about two weeks later. The follow-up checks activity and tops up the treatment to catch roaches that hatch after the first visit.

• If you had a spray, stay out of treated areas until it has dried and your technician says it is fine to go back in.
• Put dishes and food back in cabinets only after any spray has dried. Wash dishes and utensils that were left out before using them.
• Do not wipe or clean inside the cracks, hinges and corners where gel was placed, and do not spray cleaners or insecticides on them.
• Keep cleaning counters, floors and the stovetop as normal, and keep food sealed and dishes washed every night.
• Do not bring cardboard back into the kitchen.
• Write down where and when you still see roaches, and share it at the follow-up visit.

Quick answers about preparing for cockroach treatment

How much does cockroach treatment cost in Ottawa?

Our cockroach treatment is one flat price of $299 plus HST for apartments, condos and houses, including the follow-up visit about two weeks later and our six-month guarantee. Whole buildings are quoted separately. You can compare it with our other services on the pricing page.

Book cockroach treatment online

Pick a day and time window on our booking page and mention pets, fish tanks and anyone with health concerns in the notes. Cockroach control includes an inspection of the kitchen, bathrooms, appliances and plumbing gaps to find where roaches hide, gel bait and growth regulator for light activity or a targeted spray for heavier infestations, treatment of appliance areas, cabinet hinges, cracks and voids, a preparation checklist sent before your visit, a follow-up visit about two weeks later, and a six-month guarantee: if activity returns, we re-treat for free.

Have a question first? Read our pest control FAQ or contact us.

Book online See cockroach control ($299 + HST)

Not sure what you're dealing with? Call 343-341-2815 and describe it. We'll tell you what it is and what it costs.

Keep reading

• Baby cockroaches in the kitchen: what it means and what to do
• Cockroaches in apartments and condos

Sources

• Cockroaches, Health Canada
• Pest infestations: tenants' rights and responsibilities, City of Ottawa

General information for homeowners. Every home is different; your technician will confirm what applies to yours.