Sasha CampbellIt can be very frustrating to find cockroaches inside your home. They may be in your kitchen, bathroom, or other areas. Roaches also give off an unpleasant odor.
These common pests can be challenging to get rid of. However, many home remedies and natural methods can help control them.
Here’s how to get rid of cockroaches naturally:
1. Baking Soda and Sugar
A homemade concoction of baking soda and sugar can kill cockroaches. Moreover, you may already have these ingredients at home.
To make a homemade cockroach killer using baking soda, combine sugar and baking soda (50:50) in a shallow bowl. Next, place the bowl near cockroach-infested areas.
The roaches will likely come out of hiding and eat the bait. If that happens, the baking soda will kill them within 24 hours.
You can also get rid of roaches coming up the drain by pouring half a cup of baking soda down there.
Follow up by pouring half a cup of vinegar immediately afterward and covering the drain for about five minutes. Finally, pour a pot full of boiling water down the drain.
2. Borax and Sugar
Another excellent home remedy is a borax powder and sugar mixture. Once the roaches consume it, they will eventually die.
Therefore, mix a 50-50 ratio of borax powder and white sugar and spread it in the corners of your apartment.
Alternatively, you can make a homemade borax spray for roaches. Mix two tablespoons of borax, two tablespoons of sugar, and two cups of hot water for the spray recipe.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply it to the affected areas of the house.
The roaches won’t die instantly or overnight, but you should start seeing results in a week or two. This remedy works great on palmetto bugs.
3. Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is deadly to many insect pests. When sprinkled onto the exoskeletons of roaches, DE causes dehydration, which leads to death.
Ingesting DE will also have a deadly impact. However, it works better if it gets directly onto their bodies.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in areas where these insects like to crawl. This safe and natural product is available at most garden stores and online.
4. Essential Oils
The smell of peppermint, eucalyptus, cedar, tea tree, and oregano oils repels roaches. Rosemary oil is also an excellent natural cockroach treatment, as it is very toxic to them [1].
To make a DIY essential oil roach spray, combine 10 or 15 drops of rosemary, peppermint, or any of the above oils with water in a spray bottle.
Shake well and spray directly onto the critters and in places where they usually hide.
5. Clean Up
The best way to keep cockroaches away is to clean up food preparation and dining areas. Also, sweep away crumbs and vacuum more often than usual.
Thoroughly wipe floors, sinks, and surfaces. This approach will significantly help deter roaches. Keep all food covered or sealed, and regularly clear out the trash can.
6. Boric Acid
This product is one of the best home remedies for a heavy roach infestation. However, it should be kept away from pets and children.
To kill roaches, sprinkle boric acid in areas where they are likely to crawl. They will try to remove it by cleaning themselves as they crawl through.
Ingesting the powder will kill them.
I’ve also learned that the Oriental and German cockroaches will eat the carcasses of their dead [2]. So, in this case, the dead roaches may become poisonous bait for other roaches of their kind.
You can also sprinkle it on roach eggs. Though it will not affect the eggs, it will kill the baby cockroaches (nymphs) that hatch.
Boric acid is a homemade roach killer that works if applied correctly.
7. Seal Cracks and Holes
Seal over any cracks in the walls, near doors, windows, or vents to prevent cockroaches from entering the house.
Check the attic and roof as well. Fly screens and screen doors will also help keep them outside.
8. Neem
Neem oil is a natural insecticide, and you can purchase it as a concentrate for spraying.
It kills young roaches and inhibits the adults’ egg-laying process [3].
9. Bay Leaves
If you can access a bay laurel tree, pick and crush a few leaves and place them around the home where cockroaches appear. They hate the smell!
10. Use Your Shoe
It’s unpleasant, but smashing a cockroach with a shoe is one of the fastest ways to eliminate it. Afterward, clean away the remains to avoid attracting other insects.
11. Fix Water Leaks
Cockroaches need water to survive. These pests also like to hide and breed in moist places.
Leaks from faucets or broken pipes, particularly under bathroom and kitchen sinks, could be the reason for your roach issue.
Therefore, seal or mend leaking pipes as quickly as possible.
12. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly can be used to make a sticky trap for roaches. Find an old jar and smear the inside with the jelly.
Next, put some crumbs or food scraps in the jar. The critters will climb in for the treat but won’t be able to climb out.
Alternatively, spread petroleum jelly on pieces of cardboard and sprinkle sugar on them. Place the cardboard in the pests’ hiding spots.
13. Vinegar
White vinegar is a great deterrent, as roaches hate it. Spritz it around the infested areas.
However, because vinegar is likely to repel rather than kill, you may have to use it alongside other potent home remedies for cockroaches.
14. Catnip
Catnip is a powerful repellent plant that will keep away many pests. It contains a compound that repels roaches.
Boil water, place the catnip in it, and steep it for about 10 minutes. Finally, allow it to cool and spray it on surfaces, crevices, and cracks.
15. Pyrethrins
These are compounds found naturally in some chrysanthemum flowers. When appropriately applied, they paralyze the nervous systems of roaches and other insect pests.
While you can make a DIY cockroach killer by grinding up the dried flower heads, it is best to buy a pyrethrin-based insecticide.
16. Coffee Grounds
The smell of coffee repels roaches, but the product will not harm them.
Therefore, some coffee grounds should be placed where these pests will likely hide or appear.
17. Lemon Juice
The smell of lemons and other citrus fruits is a natural repellent against cockroaches and other pests.
So spray approximately half a cup of lemon juice and two cups of water. Use it wherever there are signs of cockroaches.
18. Get a Cat
A cat will happily hunt down and eat a roach if it sees one. So, get a cat if you do not already have one.
19. Soapy Water
It is a good idea to keep a spray bottle with soapy water around to spray any roaches that crawl out of hiding.
The solution kills cockroaches shortly after, as the soap creates a film that prevents them from breathing properly.
20. Orange Guard
This product is OMRI-listed as an organic insecticide that can deal with cockroaches. It kills on contact.
Orange Guard is also effective against a wide range of other insect pests.
21. Enoz Trap-N-Kill Roach Traps
The Enoz Traps are extra-large sticky traps with strong food-based bait to attract roaches. The sticky glue traps the insects.
Takeaway
No matter how clean the house is, cockroaches sometimes appear out of nowhere. Besides, if you see baby roaches in the bathtub or kitchen, you’re most likely dealing with a German cockroach infestation.
However, these natural remedies may eliminate the problem without an exterminator. Try them out to see which one works best for you!
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