How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Naturally

The scent of aromatic herbs will keep cockroaches away. Place some crushed bay leaves or a little mint in the areas where they usually appear.

Cockroaches are disgusting “guests” and it can be an enormous challenge to eliminate them completely from the home. Most troubling of all is that cockroaches can hide nearly anywhere in the house, and tend to be active at night when we’re not about. How to get rid of cockroaches? We’ve got the solutions!

These insects, aside from being repulsive, carry diseases and can contaminate food stores without you even noticing.

Are you ready to get rid of your cockroaches? There are lots of options today for exterminators that can quickly and easily eliminate these pests in seconds. But the products they use are usually very toxic to both your health and that of your pets.

In today’s article we’ll share some homemade treatments for cockroaches, made from natural, highly effective, and inexpensive ingredients.

Where are cockroaches hiding in your home?

• In the cracks and crevices of kitchen and bathroom cabinets and furniture
• In wooden furniture
• They come in from the outside through small openings in the doors and windows
• They’re found in drain pipes and faucets in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room, in gas outlets, heating and air conditioning ducts, electrical boxes or ceiling panels, and more
• They love to hide behind or under the refrigerators, ovens, blenders, microwaves, and other appliances.
• Cardboard boxes, storage containers, piles of paper, and pet food are favorite areas.
• Underneath wooden flooring
• Wherever there’s debris, discarded building material, or trash.

How do you get rid of cockroaches?

Homemade insecticides are a great option to get rid of cockroaches and keeping them out of the house. But before you apply any of these “treatments,” remember that the state of cleanliness and tidiness of your home are the most important factors in fighting this pest.

• For starters, you should seal any gaps around your dishwasher, sinks, showers, and bathtubs. It also helps to ensure that the kitchen and bathroom stay dry.
• Clean the areas underneath furniture often, such as chairs, beds, mattresses, pillows, rugs, and, above all, the spaces between furniture and the walls.
• Empty and clean all the drawers or shelving where you store books, binders, or clothing.
• Avoid leaving dirty dishes in the kitchen sink or any leftovers that will attract cockroaches. Also remember to seal your food containers, especially pet food.

Anti-cockroach “home remedies”

• Bay leaves: one simple remedy is to place chopped or crushed bay leaves in areas where you suspect cockroaches reside. They hate the smell of this herb and usually leave the area immediately.
• Onion and boric acid: this treatment is very popular thanks to it being both highly effective and very inexpensive. Firstly, make a paste using a finely chopped, medium sized onion, half a cup of plain flour, a little water or beer, a pinch of sugar, and 3 to 4 teaspoons of boric acid powder (you can find it in hardware stores). Then mix all the ingredients in a bowl and use a spoon to distribute it throughout your home wherever you suspect cockroaches travel. We recommend you keep this mixture away from pets, as it may be toxic to them.

More remedies

• Baking soda and sugar: mix a cup of baking soda with a cup of sugar and then sprinkle this powdered mix throughout your house. Cockroaches are attracted to the sugar and will eat the mixture. The baking soda will cause gas bubbles to form inside, killing them.
• Borax: this natural ingredient is often used to make soap for washing clothes. All you need to do is sprinkle borax powder around your house, especially in areas where you suspect roaches are hiding. When they walk through the borax it dehydrates and kills them. Cockroaches can’t retain moisture if their shell is damaged.
• Catnip: sprinkle some catnip around your house. Catnip has the same effect as bay leaves – cockroaches hate the smell, and they’ll stay away.