Cockroach Stains on Walls? What to Do

We all know that cockroaches are dangerous and dirty. When a homeowner has a cockroach infestation, they are usually desperate to get rid of it. But many homeowners forget that the cockroaches themselves are not the only health risk of a cockroach infestation. Cockroaches leave behind other health risks, such as cockroach stains.

What are cockroach stains?

Cockroach stains are black or brown smear marks cockroaches leave behind them as they crawl throughout your home. You can usually find these marks on walls, especially on dark, moist, and undisturbed areas. But you can also find these marks on cabinets, countertops, sinks, upholstered furniture, or anywhere else cockroaches may crawl.

Cockroach stains are usually feces, oil, or water smears.

• Feces. Cockroach droppings can be as big as capsule-like cylinders or as small as coffee grounds, depending on the size and species of the cockroaches infesting your home. Cockroaches traveling about can smear these droppings around your property.
• Oil or water. Cockroaches are often oily and wet because they like being around moist areas and objects. They smear the oil and water around your property as they travel.

Cockroach stains are not just unsightly. They are also dangerous. You should clean them up as soon as you see them.

Why should you remove cockroach stains?

Cockroach stains are dangerous because they are health risks. And no, you don’t even need to touch them to suffer the health consequences. Their mere presence can pose a health risk and make your cockroach infestation even worse.

• They are dirty. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but cockroaches are not the most sanitary animals in the world. They also eat anything that is organic, so their feces are particularly dangerous. You will never know what contaminants they have.
• They can trigger asthma. Do you notice that cockroach infestations have a particular musky smell? That’s all thanks to cockroach droppings and the stains all over your property. These can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks.
• They attract more cockroaches. Cockroach droppings release pheromones that attract other cockroaches. This is obviously a disadvantage because it can worsen the infestation in your home. But many professional pest controllers use this to their advantage too. They place baits and traps near cockroach droppings to attract and kill more cockroaches.

You don’t even need these risks to convince yourself that you should remove cockroach stains. These stains are just straight-up unsanitary and should be removed even just because of common sense.

How do you clean cockroach stains?

Here is a step-by-step process on how to clean cockroach stains on your property. For this process, you will need the following items:

• Brush or sponge
• Disinfectant, preferably in a spray bottle
• Disposable cloth
• Protective gear, like face masks, gloves, and goggles
• Soapy water

1. Wear protective gear first

Remember that the stains are made of droppings, oil, and water from unsanitary creatures. You don’t want to interact with them in any way. Wear protective gear to protect yourself. Wear a face mask and a pair of gloves. Also consider goggles since you are going to clean the stains using liquid materials that may accidentally go into your eyes.

2. Vacuum the affected areas

Use a vacuum cleaner to remove solid materials on the surfaces first, like whole cockroach droppings. These droppings can stick to the higher parts of the walls too. Start vacuuming on the highest point and work your way down.

Once you are done, remove the bag from the vacuum cleaner and dispose of it. Consider throwing the bag in a trash can that is outside your home. The problem with throwing it in a trash can inside your home is that it can potentially attract more cockroaches. Close the lid of the trash can properly.

3. Apply a disinfectant

Pour a disinfectant into a spray bottle and spray the affected areas. There are many DIY and natural disinfectants out there like lemon and vinegar mixtures. But just to be on the safer and proven side, just use commercial disinfectants. Cleaning cockroach stains is not the time to be stingy.

Leave the disinfectant on the affected areas for about 10 minutes to let it do its thing. Then use a disposable cloth to wipe the affected areas dry.

4. Scrub with soap and water

Once the affected areas are dry, scrub them with soapy water. There is no particular recipe for soapy water. Just combine soap like laundry detergent and water until you are satisfied with the mixture. Use a brush or sponge in scrubbing.

Scrub until you don’t see the cockroach stains anymore.

5. Disinfect and scrub again

Repeat the two previous steps to make sure you have completely disinfected and removed the stains on the affected areas. Apply the disinfectant again, leave it to do its thing for a few minutes, and dry the affected areas with a disposable cloth. Then scrub again with soapy water.

After the second passage of disinfectant and soapy water, dry the affected areas with a new disposable cloth. Check the areas again if you have missed any spots.

What about cockroach stains on fabrics and upholstery?

The process can be a little different for cockroach stains on fabrics and upholstery. But the idea is the same – scrub the affected areas and clean up afterward.

• Fabrics. Remove solid droppings with a blunt knife. Soak the fabrics with soapy water, preferably with one tablespoon of ammonia or the recommended amount of a commercial stain remover. Rub the fabrics gently to remove stains and let them soak for a few minutes. Then wash them as you normally would.
• Upholstery. Use a cloth soaked in soapy water to sponge the stains. Continue blotting until the upholstery absorbs the liquid. Just repeat this process until the stains disappear. You can try adding a drop or two of ammonia to help get rid of the stains. Once the stains are removed, dry the affected areas with a new cloth.

Remove cockroach stains now

Cockroach stains are health risks. They can also make your cockroach infestation worse by attracting more cockroaches in the area. Remove them now. Your family and property will thank you for it.

But don’t forget to wear protective gear and disinfect and scrub twice to make sure that you have completely removed the stains.