The best thing I've found to get rid of roaches is Borax. I sprinkled it on my carpets and rubbed it in. Left it for a few days. It was pretty gross waking up and seeing the dead cockroaches all around but every day there were less and less until no more after a couple weeks. We had a slab leak and that's what attracted them. Once we fixed the slab and got rid of the infestation we haven't seen them again. BTW, this also works for fleas.

Maybe put some under the fridge and leave it. ?

i have been reading and i guess the fridge is a complete ecosystem for the roachs. so gross. i am getting boric acid first thing tomorrow. i have two dogs but i can get some into the walls now since we have only a few cabinets in right now....ugh

Go to the dollar store and get the borax in a little air squirt bottle.

I definitely lined the back of my cabinets with borax for preventative measures. Roaches don't like water (so a leak probably isn't your source) so putting the borax in the dry, warm places is your best bet. Obviously the fridge. Back of the stove or any other electric appliances. Behind the cabinets next to the stove.

Just because they tend to hang out under the sink doesn't mean they want water. :) They might like the opening a slab leak provided, but they'll quickly find dark, warm, and dry.

You might want to consider in the cabinets where you store boxed dry goods. Along the back wall, where you won't be touching it yourself. They love cardboard boxes and bags. Many of these things travel to your home via grocery items.

Hate those $!^*@!s

Look for Harris Roach Tablets. They are boric acid.

I use food grade Diatomaceous Earth. It works great for all insects with an exoskeleton. I put it in a dry, empty, water bottle with a pop up top and poof it into cracks and crevices. Or you can use a hand duster. I wear a face mask to avoid inhaling during application. I treated everything as we re-built our kitchen, proofing into wall cavities. It takes care of roaches, silverfish, fleas, spiders, and even bed bugs. Great stuff.

Would that Earth stuff be ok around my cat? Roaches love heat that's why they are behind your fridge.

I just looked up the DE stuff on amazon. Very interesting. Thank u

Your welcome! It's amazing stuff and insects cannot become resistant to it like insecticides and it is pet friendly.

Yes, the food grade DE is safe around pets and humans. It is recommended to dust their bedding as part of a flee control plan.

Just a quick note, it's often better to lure the little buggers in.
(Do this outside and use at least a paper face mask.)
1/2 cup DE
1 cup flour
2 T salt
corn syrup
Mix dry ingredients together then add in syrup while mixing until it has the consistency of peanut butter. This isn't sticky so you have to smear it on things. I use little pieces of card stock with a dollop on them tucked in everywhere I think a bug might be. You can also put it in outlet boxes by pulling off the cover and slipping a little card in there on the bottom. I also take out my kitchen drawers and smear some on the back of them. When it dries it's solid and doesn't flake and they do seem to love it.
Good luck with them.

I just offered up a prayer of thanks that I don't have cockroaches. Ugh. Do they even live on the West Coast?

"Roaches don't like water "

Actually they are drawn to warm, moist areas. The slab issue, as was surmised, was likely the cause of the initial infestation.