Around this time of year a lot of Adelaide households find the same thing on a warm morning: a neat line of ants running from the window frame to the sugar bowl, or a cockroach under the fridge when the light goes on. It happens in new units in Mawson Lakes and old stone villas in Norwood alike.
They come for food, water and somewhere to hide, and a kitchen has all three. This guide goes spot by spot through where they find it and how to clean it away. If you'd rather hand the big jobs over, our deep and spring cleaning team cleans behind the appliances and inside the cupboards, the parts of the kitchen most people only reach once a year.
Cleaning won't remove a nest, but it takes away the reason to visit. If the ants or cockroaches keep coming back after a thorough clean, that's the point to call a licensed pest controller.
Why They Turn Up in Spring
Ant colonies go quiet over winter. Rentokil, the pest control company, explains that as temperatures rise the queens start laying eggs again, and the growing colony needs sugar and protein to feed its larvae. Workers spread out from the nest to find it, and once a scout finds food or water it leaves a scent trail for the others to follow. That's the line you see across the bench.
Cockroaches follow the warmth too. The Better Health Channel, run by the Victorian Government, says they thrive in warm, humid and unhygienic conditions, and that they can carry bacteria onto food. Warm weather we can't change. The rest is mostly cleaning.
What Ants Look For
- Sugar, spills and open pantry food
- Grease and crumbs under the appliances
- Water around the sink and dishwasher
What Cockroaches Look For
- Food scraps, including in the pet bowl
- A dripping tap or other water
- Cracks, gaps and stacked cardboard to hide in
Benches and the Scent Trail
The Better Health Channel's first advice is simple: clean up food spills promptly. A smear of jam on the splashback or a sticky ring under the honey jar is enough to bring the first scout in.
Wiping the benches gets rid of the crumbs, but Rentokil notes that household cleaners can't always strip away the scent trail ants leave behind. So when you see a line of them, clean the whole path they were using as well as the spot they were heading for.
When a Line of Ants Appears
- Find what they were heading for and put it away or throw it out.
- Wipe the food spot and the full length of the trail with warm, soapy water.
- Follow the trail back to where it comes in, often a window frame, a gap in the skirting board or the back of a cupboard.
- Dry the bench afterwards, so there's no water left for the next scout.
Go easy with the fly spray. Rentokil says contact sprays only kill the ants you can see, and with some species the colony can split into smaller ones and spread to other rooms.
Behind the Fridge and Stove
This is the part of the kitchen that gets cleaned least. The Better Health Channel recommends cleaning regularly underneath the fridge, stove, toaster and other movable appliances. Rentokil makes the same point from the ants' side: grease splatters behind the cooktop and crumbs under heavy appliances feed them for a long time.
It's also where cockroaches like to sit during the day, in the dark and close to food.
Fridge
- Ease it out, vacuum the floor underneath, then mop
- Wipe the sides of the fridge and the cabinets either side
Stove and Toaster
- Degrease the splashback and the gap beside the cooktop
- Empty the toaster crumb tray and wipe under where it sits
Turn the fridge off at the wall before you move it, and check the manufacturer's instructions if it has a water line for an ice maker.
Water, Pantry and Pet Bowls
Water is a big part of the draw once the weather warms up. Rentokil says spring heat sends scouts looking around sinks, leaking taps and dishwasher drainage pipes, and the Better Health Channel lists a dripping tap among the things to fix. Dry the sink at the end of the day and get a slow drip seen to.
In the pantry, the Better Health Channel's advice is to store food in sealed containers. Rentokil names open cereal boxes, unsealed honey jars and spilled sugar as steady food sources, which covers most of what's usually half open on a pantry shelf.
Pantry Clean-Out
- Empty one shelf at a time, vacuum the corners and wipe it down
- Move opened cereal, sugar and flour into containers with sealing lids
- Wipe the outside of sticky jars and bottles before they go back
Pet Bowls
- Pick up leftover food once the cat or dog has finished
- Wash the bowls and wipe the floor underneath them
The Better Health Channel specifically says not to leave out pet food or food scraps in pet bowls, which is easy to forget with a cat that grazes through the day.
Bins, Boxes and Gaps
The kitchen bin is the obvious one. The Better Health Channel says to empty it regularly and to keep compost bins screened and away from the house. Give the bin itself a wash while you're at it, because whatever leaked to the bottom stays there.
Cockroaches also need somewhere to hide. The same advice says not to stack newspapers, magazines or cardboard boxes anywhere in the house, and to repair holes, cracks and gaps in the walls, skirting boards and inside cupboards. The flattened delivery boxes beside the fridge are worth taking out to the recycling bin.
Cleaning is prevention. The Better Health Channel says a heavy infestation needs professional treatment by a licensed pest control operator, and that regular cleaning afterwards helps stop it coming back.
Book a Kitchen Deep Clean
Pulling out the fridge and emptying the pantry can take a good part of a Saturday. Our Adelaide team covers the city and inner east, the Hills, the western beaches and the northern suburbs, with fully insured and police-checked cleaners. Tell us what the kitchen needs and we'll send a personalised quote.
Behind the Appliances
Fridge, stove and the floor underneath
Pantry and Cupboards
Shelves emptied, wiped and put back
Regular Cleans
A weekly clean that keeps it that way
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Why are there suddenly ants in my kitchen in spring?
Ant colonies slow right down over winter. Rentokil, the pest control company, says that as the weather warms the queens start laying again, the colony needs more sugar and protein to feed its larvae, and workers go looking for it. A kitchen with crumbs, spills and a dripping tap is an easy find.
Q.Does cleaning get rid of ants?
Cleaning takes away what they came for, which is the part you control. It won't remove a nest. Rentokil points out that household cleaners can't always strip away the scent trail ants leave, and that the queen stays safe inside the wall, subfloor or garden bed. If the ants keep coming back after a thorough clean, that's a job for a licensed pest controller.
Q.How often should I clean the kitchen to keep cockroaches away?
The Better Health Channel recommends cleaning the house thoroughly at least once a week, with special attention to the kitchen, and cleaning under the fridge, stove, toaster and other movable appliances regularly. Spills should be cleaned up straight away and the kitchen bin emptied often.
Q.Does MyHomeCleaning do pest control?
No. We clean, including the kitchen jobs that keep ants and cockroaches from settling in, like behind the appliances and inside the pantry. For a heavy infestation, the Better Health Channel says you need professional treatment by a licensed pest control operator.
