What to use to get rid of cockroaches
Gabriel Cooper
Updated on April 11, 2026
Borax is a readily-available laundry product that’s excellent for killing roaches. For best results, combine equal parts borax and white table sugar. Dust the mixture any place you’ve seen roach activity. When the roaches consume the borax, it will dehydrate them and kill them rapidly.
How do I get rid of roaches permanently?
Borax is a readily-available laundry product that’s excellent for killing roaches. For best results, combine equal parts borax and white table sugar. Dust the mixture any place you’ve seen roach activity. When the roaches consume the borax, it will dehydrate them and kill them rapidly.
How do I get rid of cockroaches in my home?
Mix three parts boric acid with one part powdered sugar. The sugar lures the roaches, while the boric acid kills them. Although the boric acid isn’t toxic to people or pets, it can be irritating so keep it away from counters and places where little fingers and noses can reach.
How do you get rid of roaches overnight?
- Make a Boric Acid Roach Bait. Our first suggestion is to make your own roach bait using boric acid, sugar, and a bit of water. …
- Keep Your House Clean. …
- Clear Out the Clutter. …
- Create a Barrier with Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth.
What smell will keep cockroaches away?
Roach Repellents Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
How does baking soda get rid of roaches?
Method: Take equal parts of baking soda and a pinch of sugar in a shallow bowl, then place it near to the cockroach-infested areas or in where roaches are usually roaming at your house. The sugar attracts the cockroaches while baking soda will kill them.
What is the best roach killer?
- Syngenta 383920 Advion Cockroach Gel Bait.
- Rockwell Labs Invict Gold Cockroach Gel.
- Raid Ant and Roach Killer.
- Ortho 0196410 Home Defense MAX Insect Killer Spray (Our Top Pick)
- Black Flag Roach Motel Insect Trap.
- HARRIS Boric Acid Roach and Silverfish Killer.
- Combat Roach Killing Bait.
Does bleach scare roaches?
Household bleach is commonly used as a cleaning agent and gives off a strong smell that cockroaches hate. … Because of this smell, cockroaches will just scurry away from the trap instead of getting tempted to drink it.Does vinegar attract roaches?
Vinegar has a strong scent that roaches are not fond of. However, it’s not the best cockroach deterrent. If used alone, roaches may ignore the smell of vinegar. If you mix vinegar with essential oils, you can boost the strength of your repellent spray.
How do I get rid of cockroaches in my kitchen?Just take some hot water, mix 1 portion of white vinegar and stir well, wipe slabs and clean around the cook tops with this solution and pour this solution in the kitchen drains in the night, this will disinfect the pipes and drains and would keep cockroaches from climbing up into the kitchen.
Article first time published onHow do you get roaches out of hiding?
You can lure cockroaches out of hiding with sticky traps, bait, or DIY lures. Commercial bait traps are made of high-grade poison that has a tempting aroma. This lures out roaches that eat the bait, bring traces back to their colony, and then die.
What is boric acid powder?
Boric acid is a water-soluble white compound and occurs naturally. Boric acid is a water-soluble white compound and occurs naturally. It consists of oxygen, boron, and hydrogen. It is claimed to have antifungal and antimicrobial properties. … Boric acid is an effective pesticide for cockroaches, rats, and flies.
What repels roaches naturally?
- Boric Acid. …
- Fabric Softener. …
- Fresh Coffee Grounds. …
- Baking Soda and Sugar. …
- Cayenne, Garlic, and Onion Powder. …
- Bay Leaves. …
- Catnip. …
- Clovite.
What are cockroaches afraid of?
Citrus. You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
Does lemon repel roaches?
The smell of lemons repels cockroaches to a great extent, keeping them away from areas that reek of the fruit. Hence, it is advisable to mop floors with water that has a few lemon drops in it.
Do mothballs repel roaches?
Most roaches will move away from the smell of mothballs, and in rare cases, some roaches affected by the smell die due to inability to breath. In other words, we can say that mothballs mostly repel roaches, and in rare cases can kill them as well.
Can you ever really get rid of roaches?
A particularly stubborn or severe infestation could require this level of treatment. It is possible to completely get rid of roaches in your home with the right type of treatment but they will not stay away forever. Once you eradicate the current infestation you need to stay proactive about keeping them away.
Do roaches like garlic powder?
Garlic Powder Sprinkling this around your home is an effective, if not smelly, roach repellent. Roaches hate the smell of garlic and will avoid it.
Do roaches hate baking soda?
Baking soda and sugar is a tried-and-tested natural way to kill roaches. The pests are attracted to the smell of the sugar, while the baking soda ensures they won’t survive.
What causes roaches in a clean house?
Roaches need moisture to survive and this search for water will bring them into even the cleanest of homes. Leaky pipes and faucets are one of the most common attractants for cockroaches and is one of the main reasons you often see them in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
Do roaches hate bay leaves?
Bay leaves are another supposed natural cockroach repellent. … However, the scent produced by bay leaves is not powerful enough to repel cockroaches. Cockroaches will quite happily dive into a dinner consisting of animal feces, so the smell of bay leaves should be no problem.
How fast does boric acid work on roaches?
Boric acid is an effective but slow-acting roach killer. It can take up to 72 hours after ingestion before a cockroach dies. Use remaining boric acid as a light dust near areas of infestation. Roaches don’t just die from ingesting boric acid, but from walking through it, too.
How do you make boric acid killer with roaches?
Mix one part powdered sugar and three parts boric acid. The great thing about this recipe is that you can either choose to put it in a container or just sprinkle it in roach infested areas. Since it’s made from dry ingredients, it won’t stain or do anything messy to your house.
How do you use boric acid for roaches?
Spread the boric acid all over the kitchen cabinets, drawers, countertops and sink. Make sure you apply it under the sink, oven, refrigerator and dishwasher. Be careful not to inhale the boric acid when applying it. For best results, apply the boric acid at night (when the roaches come out) and leave it until morning.
How do you find a cockroach nest?
The most common places for a roach nest in the house are in kitchens or bathrooms, particularly behind refrigerators, in cracks and crevices, and under furniture. Roaches prefer a warm, humid environment, so these places should be considered first, especially if they are close to a food source and water supply.
Where do cockroaches hide during the day?
During the daytime, cockroaches typically stay hidden in dark, moist areas around your home. If spotted crawling around, you likely have dozens and dozens hidden elsewhere. The most common areas where roaches rest in your home during the day are as follows: Underneath or behind appliances like stoves and refrigerators.
Why do cockroaches keep coming back?
The main contributor to cockroach problems is the availability of food. Remove potential sources of sustenance by making sure that any and all food is cleaned up promptly and stored properly.
How can I make boric acid at home?
Take 25 ml of hydrochloric acid and dilute it with 75 ml of water. Next take 6 – 7 gms of borax and dissolve it in boiling water. Now add equal amount of hydrochloric acid. Crystals of boric acid will start forming.
Is borax the same as boric acid?
Boric acid is made from the same chemical compound as borax and even looks like it. But while borax is commonly used in cleaning, boric acid is mainly used as a pesticide. Boric acid kills insects by targeting their stomachs and nervous systems.
Can you purchase boric acid?
Ask your pharmacist for the right type of boric acid; it might come in capsule form or as a small container of powder. Purchase Borax for cleaning at your local grocery store or drugstore. This boric acid can also be used as an insecticide if necessary.
What does cinnamon keep away?
“You can use cinnamon on any indoor or outdoor space as protection against pest infestations.” Cinnamon doesn’t only scare away ants, but also cockroaches, spiders, fruit flies, rats, wasps, earwigs, silverfish, mosquitoes, and even bed bugs, according to Barrett.