How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Naturally & With Home Remedies
Hello Guys! I don’t know if anyone of you likes roaches and other insects, but personally, I don’t like them at all, especially cockroaches. I know, we should love every little thing created by the God, but the thing which disturbs and irritates our daily life and which is harmful too for our healthy life, so how can we love or like these kinds of the creation of God. Here, in this article, I would like to share the ideas of how to get rid of cockroaches fast, naturally and with various home remedies.
Roaches are probably the single most prevalent and resilient pests all over the world, and there is the valid reason for it: They actually need just three bare necessities to stay alive. As long as they have food, water, and a warm shelter, these creatures can survive.
Seeing roaches scurrying around the house is among the top things that upset most homeowners. In fact, some individuals have such an extreme fear of cockroaches – known as Katsaridaphobia– that just the sight of these kinds of unwanted pests sends them into anxiety or makes them break out into a cold sweat.
Despite their loathsome reputation, you have to admit that cockroaches are impressive, as there’s proof that they have survived global extinctions – even those that wiped out the dinosaurs. Evidence suggests cockroach ancestors having walked the earth 300 million years ago. Cockroaches have a talent for survival, and they’ve discovered that cohabitating with human beings gives them access to their most basic necessities.
Nevertheless, keeping a cautious eye out for roaches of whatever breed, whether they be American, Brown-banded, Oriental, or German roaches, is a smart thing to do. While not as dangerous as other bugs, roaches can actually be harmful to your overall health, as they are known to contribute to the spread of salmonella, E.coli, and other bacteria, all of these can lead to illnesses. Their shells and feces may also worsen symptoms in asthmatic people and trigger allergies.
And here is one undeniable fact that many people aren’t aware: Cockroaches do bite people. They usually target your fingernails, eyelashes, hands, and feet, leading to irritation, swelling, and painful wounds. Hence, you must do whatever you can to keep these kinds of insects out of your home.
What’s Causing Cockroaches to Thrive in your house?
Roaches are probably one of the most wide-spread and resilient unwanted pests all over the world, and there is a good reason for it: They actually require just three bare necessities to stay alive. As long as they have food, water, and a comfortable shelter, these creatures can thrive.
Cockroaches are not particular when it comes to what they feed on – they can, actually, eat almost anything. That includes pet food, cardboard, and other inorganic materials like fabric, furniture and even rotting wood. What’s more, they can survive for three months without eating, and that’s why it can be very difficult to get rid of cockroaches.
Even the area you reside in can be a factor in roach infestations. Roaches love warm to humid climates, and that’s why southern states like Florida tend to have increased roach populations compared to states that have colder climates.
Getting rid of roaches naturally could be a slow process. With powerful insecticides, you’ll see results immediately, but you will end up exposing your family to toxic chemicals in the process. Getting rid of roaches naturally not only keeps your loved ones from being exposed to harmful chemicals, but it can also prevent the problem from re-occurring. So how can you do it?
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Naturally
So when do you know that roaches have become your family members and are staying with you all?
Here are some signs to be on the lookout for.
- Cockroach specks or waste material, that have an appearance similar to black pepper
- Shell casings of hatched cockroach eggs
- Seeing them during daytime or hearing them scurrying during the night
- A musty, pungent odor in your house, which is a symbol of a serious infestation
If you’ve experienced these issues, then you must take action to make your home as “uninhabitable” to these unwanted pests as possible. Try these strategies to help in the elimination of the American, German and various other species of roaches without calling a pest control operator:
Clean, clean and clean again.
As with most household pests, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Understood what I mean? You have to ensure that your house is spic-and-span, simply because roaches are attracted to food remains, particularly oil. That means cleaning down the counters each night, never leaving dirty dishes in the sink, ensuring the stovetop is clean and sweeping the floors before going to bed. This may seem like a lot to do every day, but if you start doing these things on a regular basis, a 15-minute cleanup should be plenty at the end of each night to get rid of most residues (unless you have a party – or kids – and then cleaning will take a little longer).
Seal up cracks and holes.
This means inside your pantry, between the kitchen counter and the wall, and in the baseboards. Cockroaches (and other insects) can crawl via the smallest of spaces, so it’s extremely important to seal or close the entries into your house. This may take time, but in the end, it’s worth the hard work and efforts, especially if you live in an apartment and have neighbors who don’t maintain the same standards of hygiene as you do. You may use a tube of caulk and a caulking gun to do the job.
Fix any water leaks.
Cockroaches tend to be attracted to moisture and water from leakages in pipes. That’s why you frequently find them scurrying under your sink. Some roaches can survive for months without food, but only days without water. Close off their water sources by fixing even the tiniest of leaks. Don’t allow water stand in your sink and do not overwater indoor plants.
Make your own, natural cockroach trap.
Blend three parts boric acid along with one part powdered sugar. The sugar attracts the roaches, while the boric acid will kill them. Although the boric acid isn’t harmful to people or pets, it can be annoying to keep it away from counters and places where little fingers, as well as noses, can reach. Sprinkle it under and behind the refrigerator, stove as well as dishwasher, under the sink, and into cracks along the edges of cupboards and pantries.
Bring in the experts.
If you want to eliminate roaches naturally and you’ve got a big infestation, consider contacting a natural pest control company. My pest control company uses a substance known as diatomaceous earth in the walls of my house (inserted through the holes around the wall outlets). Diatomaceous earth is a soft sedimentary rock that may be easily crushed into a fine powder. It is found in several things (including some medicines and skin care products) but is usually used as a mechanical insecticide because it causes an insect to die without using chemicals. Look for a pest control company in your town that uses the substance – it’s not harmful to you and your loved ones and best of all, it’s effective.
Keep your area as cool as possible.
The American cockroach is among the most common roaches in New York City. So when temperatures go up there during the summer season, most of the cockroaches spread their wings and fly. “With more heat, they’ve got more use of their muscles,” the American Museum of Natural History’s resident bug expert, Louis Sorkin, told NYC blog com. Whilst you cannot manage the weather, of course, keeping the apartment or home as cool as possible will at least restrain cockroaches to the ground.
Kill it with kindness … or just kill it.
If you have a cockroach in the house at this time and you don’t wish to spray harmful insecticides inside the house, try spraying a little solution of water and soap on it. (I usually keep this mixture around to clean my kitchen countertops) Because roaches, like most pests, breathe through their skin, the soap basically suffocates them.
Natural home remedies can also work to keep cockroaches out of your living area. Try any of these simple solutions.
Home Remedies to get rid of Cockroaches
Diatomaceous earth
This fine powder absorbs the oil as well as fats from the outer surface of the insect’s hard shell, so it becomes struggling to retain moisture and triggers dehydration – this is what kills the roaches.
Simply apply the powder to locations where cockroaches may be hiding, such as cracks and open spaces, as well as on the outside of your home. You may use a bulb puffer to blow it over houseplants as well as into narrow areas. Diatomaceous earth is best used during dry weather. If it rains, just re-apply the powder to all outdoor locations.
Mint oil
Mix 25 ml of essential oil into a cup of water and put in a bottle of spray. Spray this mixture all over cracks, kitchen cupboards, doorways and hard-to-reach places at least once a week.
Baking Soda and Sugar
A simple yet effective remedy to eliminate roaches from your home. Baking soda plus sugar can effectively help in killing the cockroaches, and you will notice a quick decrease in the population, consequently.
First, You need to know where exactly the roaches are hidden, so it’s crucial to make note of it before planting the bait to enable them to consume.
Here’s what you need to get started:
- Sugar – A bowl or cup
- Baking soda
Baking soda is not very harmful in the same way as boric acid is, as it will start to mix with the roach’s stomach acid, causing it to die after some time.
You’ll need to mix equal parts baking soda with equal parts sugar (1/4 cup of each is an excellent start). Now, all you’ll have to do is sprinkle them in the areas that you’ve seen cockroaches. You’ll need to leave this bait out and repeat your sprinkling of the mix frequently to make sure there is enough to kill the roaches.
Sugar isn’t the dangerous portion of the mixture; but, it will work to attract the cockroaches.
Boric Acid
Boric acid can be found in stores or online, and that is one of the best killers of cockroaches, ants and a variety of other pests. This acid has been proven to be effective at killing cockroaches, and it’s probably the most widely used remedies for this specific purpose.
But boric acid isn’t safe for consumption, so you should keep it away from children and pets.
This is kind of a poison, and long-term exposure may cause you to become ill. Consuming boric acid will lead to poisoning as well. Cockroaches will die if they are exposed to this acid; however, there are a few points you need to bear in mind when sprinkling boric acid in your house:
Only a light dusting is needed (too much, and it will be ineffective). Boric acid is not effective when wet.
The goal should be to have the roaches walk through the boric acid powder, which is challenging if the cockroaches are in tight corners or under the cupboards. Once you’ve placed the acid, the cockroaches will get it on their antennae, legs, and the body. During grooming, the acid will be consumed, which will result in death for the cockroach.
Fabric Softener Spray
A home remedy to get rid of roaches that take a little action on your part. Fabric softener can kill roaches, but it can’t just be placed on the floor in hopes that it will get the job done. Instead, you should make a spray and actively spray it on the roaches you see out and in your home.
Here are the things which are needed:
- Water
- Natural fabric softener
- Spray bottle
You need to combine three parts of fabric softener with two parts of water. For example, you can mix 3/4 cup of fabric softener and 1/2 cup of water in a bottle of spray and blend it up. A simple shake of the spray bottle before usage is all that is required.
The solution will be slightly thick, so bear this in mind when going to spray.
When you see cockroaches, squirt them with the solution. If you notice a cockroach skitter behind a piece of furniture, you can squirt them with greater ease compared to if you tried stepping on them, for example.
Roaches breathe through their skin, so when the thick spray gets on the cockroach, it will suffocate them. This is one of the home remedies for roaches that actually works best if there is an enormous infestation where you’re sharing every inch of your house with these pests.
Dish soap can be used instead of fabric softener, but we found it to be less efficient.
Bay Leaves
Possibly you have a soft place for cockroaches. Perhaps you don’t want to kill them; however, you just want to prevent them from entering your home.
Bay leaves are a natural roach repellent – they simply hate the odor of them. A significant additional benefit is that bay leaves aren’t poisonous to human beings, so you won’t have to worry where you put them.
To get started, you’ll need the following:
- Mortar and pestle
- A handful of bay leaves
Now, you might not have a mortar and pestle available, so simply use a bowl and something to grind the leaves effectively. The back of a butcher knife can grind dry leaves effectively. You may use your hands, too; however, it will take more time.
Simply place the leaves in a bowl and grind them into a powder. The powder will be sprinkled in places that you know roaches are present and possibly nesting.
In case you can’t find bay leaves in the store, ensure that you check the Asian, Ethnic or Indian aisle to see if they’re available. This is an Asian spice, and since the odor is frustrating to roaches, they’ll be repelled by it.
Cucumbers can even be placed around the house (slices or peels) as a repellent against cockroaches.
Lemon Peels or Lemon Juice
The refreshing smell of lemons is often connected with a clean home, and lemon is usually used in the world’s preferred household cleaners. There is no doubt that lemon juice is an effective agent that can cut through oil as well as stains, but what lots of people don’t know is that it can repel roaches, too.
The anti-pathogenic properties of lemon and other citrus foods help keep roaches away. You can do lots of different thing with lemon to keep cockroaches out of your home.
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice (or buy 100% lemon juice) and spray in hard-to-reach areas of the house where you know cockroaches reside. Grind up lemon peels and place the grounds around the house where roaches can be found.
But you can also go to the extremes – which is what we suggest.
You’ll need:
- A bucket or large container
- Lemon juice (bottled or freshly squeezed)
- Rags or towels
Blend the water and juice, making sure that the lemon is not too diluted. This seems a lot more complicated than it sounds, but it’s not. We recommend adding lemon juice into the bucket initially, followed by including water slowly to make sure that the lemon smell is still strong.
Err on the side of more lemon juice compared to water for best outcomes.
Now, thoroughly clean everything from the kitchen countertops to the floor using the mixture. The objective is to thoroughly clean all of the surfaces to get rid of cockroaches forever.
And your home will have a clean, lemon-fresh smell, too.
Coffee Traps
Coffee is also the something that roaches like, too. And the used coffee grounds can also be used for something that is eliminating bugs from home.
You need to use the coffee as a lure to trap the cockroaches and kill them.
You’ll need:
- Coffee grounds
- Jars
Fill a container with coffee grounds and add water so that the cockroaches will die. But roaches can breathe in water for 40 minutes, and if completely absorbed, they can live for 30 minutes, so if you find them crawling out of the container, here is another trick.
Apply petroleum jelly within the container so that the roaches can’t gain grip to climb out of the container. Carefully place the containers around the house where these pests frequent.
We suggest checking these containers every morning to dump out the dead roaches. Repeat the process for a few weeks until you start noticing that no cockroaches are entering the container. If the cockroaches failed to lay eggs, you’d be roach-free.
When you notice even one roach, it’s necessary to take action straight away. Roaches can lay up to 50 eggs at a time, according to the type of roach in the house.
Pesticides and management solutions to get rid of cockroaches
If the roach problem is a repeating issue which means that they disappear and comes back every few months, then Pesticides and management solutions may also be followed. You have to be relentless when it comes to roaches.
Natural home remedies for roaches are less dangerous than their pesticide alternatives, and they often fail when the homeowner stops doing something about it. Even if you haven’t noticed a roach in a month, the eggs they left behind can be ready to hatch at any time.
Insect growth regulators can be used in such cases, or you’ll need to be ready with the remedies as listed above so that you can stop any future problems before they grow into a full-blown infestation.
Other Suggestions to Get Rid of cockroaches:
Proper use of the above home remedies can lead to a happy roach hunting for you. However, some things must be taken into account before their use, such as:
- Always try to prevent the inhalation of the chemicals, which you are using for killing roaches. They could cause lung irritations or difficulty in breathing for you.
- There is every possibility of newborns or domestic pets consuming the baits/chemicals, which you’ve prepared and applied for the roaches. Some ingredients may not be severely harmful, but it is always beneficial to hide them to ensure that they’re away from them. You can try keeping them in a place where they will be available for roaches only.
- If you kill half-dead or knocked out cockroaches manually, then always check to clean up the mess properly. Throw the dead cockroaches away using toilets or simply flushing them.
- It is equally crucial to reducing the attraction of roaches towards your household. So, try to dispose of your garbage regularly and don’t keep any half eaten or rotten products here and there.
- You should maintain proper sanitization and fill entryways (cracks or holes) to control roaches from entering the home in the future. Plus, reducing pathways will be a must for a roach-free future. Reducing water or taking care of leakages and food sources should adhere to.
Summary
The best practice to cope with these roaches is to use top quality pesticides instead of using the regular ones, then there is a possibility that you may be on advantage on the technique of cockroach elimination.
You can even try conventional methods for example solution of water and soap as this solution is capable of piercing through the hard exoskeleton of the roaches and kill them immediately. Just prepare a simple blend and try to splash/spray it directly on roaches, they will die quickly. Or they will get dismantled for you to destroy them manually effortlessly. Instead of using that solution you may replace it with phenyl also, they also have the same effect. But in case of severe infestation, it won’t be feasible to put it on for efficiently kill the roaches.
If all else fails, then you should take the help of a professional pest management agency in your neighborhood. Just be sure to check with a couple of agency to understand the procedure and get the better deal.
PS: If you are using any of the chemicals like spray, gel, or anything else, always be very careful and ensure to read and comprehend the instruction on product label/packet before using.
Hope, you guys soon get rid of cockroaches forever with my shared home remedies. All the very best to all the readers. 🙂 🙂 🙂
