Do you have a cockroach infestation in your home? Check out our article for 12 natural ways on how to get rid of cockroaches permanently. Cockroaches are unsanitary pests that can be quite bothersome in any household.
The expensive and unpleasant odour of most pesticides on the market makes them equally hazardous. Avoid toxic chemicals and use these 100% natural methods to keep cockroaches out of your home.
After reading this article, readers should be well equipped with how to get rid of cockroaches permanently without the use of chemicals.
How To Get Rid Of Cockroaches Permanently In 12 Natural Ways
When getting rid of cockroaches, you need to know where your target infestations usually start. Below is a list describing how to get rid of cockroaches permanently in 12 natural ways:
Read also: Where do Cockroach Live? Discover their Habitat
- Inspection and Cleaning:
When eliminating any pest, the first step you take is inspection and cleaning. You have to know why and where the infestation starts before you go on with the elimination process.
In most cases, most pests prefer dark, hard-to-clean spaces behind or under cabinets and appliances.
So make sure you keep your kitchen thoroughly clean before and after cooking and that no food is left out on the counters or spilled in the cabinets.
Cockroaches are attracted to garbage, meat, cheese, and sugary foods, and grease keeps that stuff out of their reach, so they shouldn’t show up in the first place.
- Bay Leaves:
Bay leaves have a repulsive effect on cockroaches due to their smell. You probably already have bay leaves on hand, but if not, they’re easily found in any grocery store.
Try placing bay leaves or a club in hard-to-clean areas; this natural method requires patience.
- Garlic or Cayenne Powder:
Many spices have strong odours, which can repel roaches effectively. You can use garlic or onion powder and sprinkle it around the places where they typically hang out.
You can even mix both powders for a stronger effect. This is one of the best ways to get rid of cockroaches.
- Lemons:
Lemons can be an effective repellent to get rid of cockroaches. Simply cut a lemon in half and squeeze it over surfaces where cockroaches tend to appear.
You can also mix some lemon juice with a little water in a spray bottle and target those hard-to-reach areas. The lemon juice will effectively repel the pests, and your kitchen will smell amazing.
A bonus is that lemon juice is a natural disinfectant, which is crucial since cockroaches carry dangerous bacteria and viruses.
- Vinegar with Peppermint Oil:
So many insects cannot stand the smell of vinegar and peppermint oil mixed together. To get started, get a medium-sized spray bottle with mostly vinegar and add enough drops of peppermint essential oil.
This will ensure that you can get the perfect smell and also give it a good mix by shaking it. After, get to your target hideout in your kitchen and bathroom and go to the corners of your floor.
Spray on all the nooks and crannies, and roaches won’t come anywhere near your house.
Read also: How Long Do Cockroach Live? Cockroach Lifespan
- Neem Oil:
This one keeps away a lot of insects and pests because it contains a certain chemical that’s poisonous to them. It’s found in many sprays and lotions, but pure neem oil will do the trick.
You might have to spend a little extra cash, but it’s still cheaper than an exterminator. You can mix it with water in a spray solution or just sprinkle the powder where needed.
- Soap Solution:
Find a soap that contains borax so that your solution packs an even better punch. Borax is a natural antiseptic and cleaner that’s used in powdered laundry detergents and soap mixes.
Add the soap to a little hot water and spread it thickly on your kitchen counters near any infestation points.
Cockroaches and similar pests breathe through the pores of their shells and skin, so when they start crawling around in this soap, the borax will get the job done.
- Catnip Leaves:
A cockroach infestation can’t remain the same with some fresh catnip leaves in a sachet. Those little sheer drawstring bags usually used for steeping tea will do the job; place them around popular roach hideouts like cabinets, corners, and whatnot.
Just remember to change out the leaves when needed so that your anti-roach balls keep their potency. If you grow catnip in your garden, that’s even better since you’ll always have an endless supply on hand.
Now, besides all those DIY natural treatments, there are also cockroach traps that you can make yourself with ingredients you likely have in your kitchen right now.
Once you’ve put them together, place them in the spots where you think the roaches are coming from. Below are these traps that can help get rid of cockroaches permanently:
- Baking Soda and Sugar Trap:
To begin the process, find the lid of a gallon of milk or juice and put a mix of baking soda and sugar in it in a one-to-one ratio, then set another equally small container full of water near it. The sweet, sugary smell attracts roaches, so they eat the pie.
The powder mixture is what they take; however, with a drink of water, it reacts with the baking soda, and well, let’s just say the roaches get so bad a case of bubble guts that they don’t walk away from it.
Keep checking your trap to clean it up and replenish it when necessary.
- Duct Tape Trap:
To make a duct tape trap, take a strip of duct tape from the roll that is about the length of your forearm. Place the strip sticky side up and fold down each end so it’s easy to pick up. This will create a trap that can catch small insects and pests.
Later on, you will need bait to trap cockroaches. Remember that cockroaches love not only sweet, sugary stuff but also fatty foods. So, a small piece of cheese or a dollop of peanut butter with some sugar on top will be perfect to place in the middle of the strip as bait.
The idea is that the roaches will go after the bait and get stuck in the duct tape along the way. Just don’t use a sweet liquid as your bait; this will dissolve the tape’s stickiness.
- Slippery Jar:
Grab an empty pickle jar or one of a similar size and make sure it is completely clean and dry. Put some bait in the bottom, like that hunk of cheese, sugar, peanut butter, or even support.
Spread some petroleum jelly all over the inside of the jar, especially around the inside of the mouth. The Cockroaches will climb in to go after the bait, but they won’t be able to climb back up the slippery surface to escape.
You can even make it easier for them to climb in by covering the outside of your jar with painter’s tape. Feel free to make several of these traps and place them throughout your house.
- Coffee Trap:
To implement the coffee trap, grab a clean, dry glass jar, take a small styrofoam or plastic cup, and fill it with wet coffee grounds.
The cup should be small enough to easily fit in the jar. Sturdy enough to be unaffected by water, place a small cup of wet coffee grounds.
Down inside the jar, fill the rest of the jar with water, stopping a little below the surface of the bait cup. Cockroaches are drawn to the smell of coffee too.
So they will climb in after the grounds but won’t be able to get out since they’re not the greatest swimmers. Repeat as necessary, and your population of roaches should eventually be gone.
Read also: Cockroaches; Facts About 8 Different Types of Cockroaches
Conclusion
Finally, you should recognize when this infestation is beyond your control Cockroaches might seem like introverts hiding in isolation. So if you see one or two, you probably have lots more where they came from.
Roaches are probably living in colonies throughout the house, including the walls, roof tiles, sewage system, under the bathtub, and any other dark, hard-to-reach places. They are also nocturnal insects.
They scavenge mostly at night, so seeing them during the day indicates a significant issue.
If you have tried any of these natural remedies over time but haven’t seen any improvement, it is probably time to call a professional.
If you learned something new today, then how to get rid of cockroaches permanently is one of them. Thank you for reading!
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