The Roaches Become Your Pets
Written: Mar 03 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use and takes up little wall space.
Cons: Really doesn't work as a long-term solution for killing bugs.
The Bottom Line: If you have a Riddex, get RID of it and try roach gel/other pesticide product.
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| doehlberg's Full Review: Riddex Plug-In Pest Repeller Unit - L1112 |
When I saw Riddex listed on the Epinions website, I KNEW I had to let others know my personal experience with the product. In the past four years, I've had anywhere from 2 to 4 working Riddex plugged in my house. My house is less than 1600 square feet.
I purchased Riddex, because I didn't want chemicals used in the house. Not only do I have terrible allergies, but I had a baby at that time. Not just any baby, either. My son used to be really horrible about putting all kinds of non-foods in his mouth.
We live in the city limits. We have about 36 houses total on our street. Some neighbors are cleaner than others, to put it politely. But, even with supervigilance about cleanliness, roaches are going to be a problem. On top of that, I have the sewer cap in my backyard (lucky me!) My house is perfect, except for that luck of the straw.
I hate roaches. We used to have 4 huge pine trees in the front yard. We had those removed. We had seen the roaches hide in those, so we thought that would completely get rid of them. NOT!
The previous owner, my mother-in-law, had used roach bombs. That was a temporary and nasty solution which we tried once and once only. I don't like the thought of sticky chemicals flying through the air coating my dishes, walls, and everything else that I touch in my house.
So, while watching QVC, I noticed the Riddex advertisement. Not usually one to fall for gadgets, I fell for this hook, line, and sinker. The Riddex guaranteed a clean way to get rid of pests, very appealing. The Riddex promised not to harm anything but the nervous systems of the unwanted bugs. The more I hear, the more I am excited. I know that if it doesn't work, I can return it to QVC, a very reputable company.
We used Riddex for a long time. For a long time, I was brainwashed into thinking that we HAD to put up with roaches. What really happened with the Riddex is that it made the bugs stupid and acting like household pets. The roaches no longer stayed in corners, hid and ran. They came out AWAY from the plugs and toward people. I would watch one roach time and time again run itself crazy in circles. If you didn't catch it, yet, it would eventually die belly-up. The roaches would seek human contact. I won't even scare you with how many times I've screamed when a roach has made a sneak attack on me while on the couch, in the bed, sitting up and watching TV, etc. My scalp still crawls when I think about it. It's pure hell.
If you think constant cleanup of the roaches after Riddex works is easy, I hate to disappoint you. I think that the Riddex was supposed to keep them from breeding, but obviously in my house, this didn't happen. I was constantly picking them up, dead or alive. I usually was removing them alive. IF I didn't squish them when I flushed them down the toilet, then all I was doing was helping the roaches find more ways to breed. Roaches love water. They don't drown. They can also crawl back up through the toilet and open drains.
Meanwhile, I was in the middle of trying to help for my special needs son, who has since dramatically improved. But, he was always putting stuff in his mouth like pennies and paper clips, yet refused most food. The day I wanted to die as a mom was when I caught my baby putting a roach in his mouth. I screamed so loudly that he never did that again. In fact, thanks to me, he now cries if he sees one crawling.
Well, finally I got to the point of depression over this. I didn't want chemicals, but those bugs HAD to go! I found out that roach gel existed. I had tried roach traps, but never roach gel. Roach gel can be applied in the cracks where roaches breed and hide. Roach gel can be placed where no one sees it.
I tried roach gel. Within a month, I saw results. Within 2 months, the nightmarish infestation was gone. Occasionally, I will find a DEAD roach, and throw it away. I estimate that I used to throw away hundreds of roaches with Riddex.
Even though I have no proof, it is my opinion that my son's sensitivities and sensory issues may have been worsened by the Riddex. If you listen closely, you can hear the dull constant "thud" sound it makes. I do believe it scrambles the electrical powers some kind of way. I just wonder what research in the future is going to show about the homes that used these devices.
However, to each his own. I feel like a "pro" with this device. Maybe I can keep someone else from making the same mistake that I did. Also, if you have roaches, that doesn't necessarily mean that you are at fault. You may be just dealing with some else's problem that has spilled onto your property.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
doehlberg
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Member: Debra Oehlberg
Location: SC
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 39 members
About Me:
Baptist, refunder, couponer, sweeper, teacher
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