The Gross Reason You Should Never Bring Cardboard Boxes Inside

Few things are less fun than spotting an uninvited guest…or guests…scurrying around your home. And some of the least welcome guests of all are cockroaches. Those crafty little guys can reproduce fairly quickly and spread before you even know you have a problem. And once they’re in, it can be tricky to get rid of them. “Roaches are adept at finding food sources and hiding. That is why a small problem can grow into an infestation without people even noticing,” says Jeffrey Chase Wallace, Thumbtack Pro and owner of Paragon Pest Control.

There are a lot of ways these pests can get into your lovely abode, including through plumbing and drains like your shower drain or dishwasher, especially in a multi-unit building. But did you know that your online shopping habit could be contributing? Unfortunately, roaches also love hitching a ride on your cardboard boxes.

Delivering Roaches

Think about where that box has been before it arrives at your door. It’s likely passed through a warehouse, delivery vehicle, and many other steps before it makes its way to your door. It’s possible that the box could have come from a warehouse that has an infestation, or that it’s come in contact with other boxes carrying bugs. “Cardboard can also invite other bugs—pantry pests, moths, beetles, silverfish,” he says. The biggest culprits are food packages, since those also provide a source of nutrition for the bugs, but any box can become a roach motel fairly quickly. “They hunker down in the boxes during transit, where you might not even see them. If there are nymphs and adults in the boxes, as soon as the motion stops and everything becomes quiet and still, they will come out and start looking for food sources, usually finding their way into your kitchen,” he says.

Jeffrey Chase Wallace

“Cardboard can also invite other bugs—pantry pests, moths, beetles, silverfish.”

— Jeffrey Chase Wallace

Why Roaches Love Cardboard

Cardboard has small pockets of air, and these little spaces create the perfect place for German roaches to nest. “They love tight, dark spaces, and cardboard provides exactly that—like a perfect nursery,” he says. These roaches can lay 30-40 eggs in one shot, and these are typically what’s deposited between the layers, where they’re hard to see. In the boxes, they remain protected, and with a little bit of time, they can hatch inside. Keeping a cardboard box around the house increases your risk of that happening on your watch. Oof.

How to Prevent Them

Keep those beloved delivery boxes outside or in a garage. If that’s not an option, avoid unboxing in common roach areas like your kitchen or bathroom. “These rooms offer most of a roach’s favorite things: dark, tight spaces, water, shelter, heat, and food. It’s like a spa resort—except for unwelcome guests that sneak in for free,” Wallace says. Once you open delivery boxes, move them to the recycling or trash as soon as possible.