“That was the turning point for me,” says Sydney mum Franki, recalling the moment she left her son on the kitchen floor to avoid the cockroach. “As a mum, you’d do anything to protect your child, but my fear of cockroaches overcame any sense of logic. I just went into panic mode and automatically jumped up high. Of course, I did get back down eventually and make a hurdle through the kitchen clutter, saving my son and making a beeline for the front door – eventually. But I knew as a mum, as a protector, it was an eye opener filled with mother guilt – I knew I had to work out ways to manage my fear, without screaming the house down and passing those fears onto my son in the process.”

Here, Franki shares her top tips to avoid creepy crawlies in your home.

1. Install screens on doors and windows

Keeps cockroaches, bugs, mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies outside!

2. Make an unwelcome home

Prevention is better than cure. Use an automatic insect control system, such as Mortein NaturGard Auto Protect Indoor in Eucalyptus. Just set this clever device and forget about it! The system contains natural Eucalyptus extract and a 100% natural active ingredient, as well as synthetic ingredients, which dispenses no more spray than a single 3-4 second spray of regular fly spray over 24 hours, and it lasts for up to 30 days.

3. Keep food sealed up tight.

No more bread bags loosely left open on the bench, crumbs on floors and cakes left out attracting creepy crawlies.

4. Clean up after your pets

Messy feeding areas and pet food can be a magnet for bugs. Try to keep the area clean and feed pets away from the house.

5. Prune trees and shrubs and clean up your yard

Cut back hanging branches from your windows to avoid bugs moving in.

6. Take out your trash

Avoid fuelling a feast habit for critters.

7. Rinse recyclables

This can help control ants, cockroaches and other sweet tooths.