Here is my response to “what are some home remedies to kill roaches?”.

I was helping my friend Tom move out of his townhouse and roaches were crawling around like they owned the place. There was a roach infestation and the roaches had taken up residence everywhere. Tom seemed embarrassed and reluctantly asked me “are there any remedies to kill roaches?”. I said yes, and explained that home remedies would be safer for him, his family, and pets.

What are some home remedies to kill roaches that work? Boric acid is by far my most favorite and the most effective natural home remedy for killing roaches that you can use. There are other natural ways to get rid of roaches in your home. I will cover a few of the best options with you here today.

Now before we go any further there is something important, I want to point out.

If you ask any pest control professional, they will swear these natural remedies to kill roaches do not work.

Why?

Because they have a vested interest in telling you so. They want to come to your home and exterminate your bugs with chemical pesticides which again are harmful to you, your family, and pets too. This is their business model and how they make money.

What The Pest Control Companies Don’t Want You To Know

Your local pest control company has a dirty little secret they don’t want you to know about. They keep this secret closely guarded and hidden away from you, me, and the rest of the public too. If the secret got out, it would be the end of business for these companies.

I say this because they build their business model around the fact the average person cannot rid themselves of roaches. They make the job of getting rid of roaches seem nasty, hard, and something you should not do on your own. So you have no choice but to call in and ask the professionals to do the job you won’t do.

Back to the secret that is hiding in plain sight. You want to know what it is, don’t you?

The little roach problem we sometimes have can be treated fast and without any toxic chemicals. You heard me right, you can kill off and get rid of those pesky little critters without having to pay a professional exterminator to come into your home and spray harmful insecticides and pesticides.

You just need to know what home remedies there are and how to get the job done. That’s what I will discuss next.

Natural Home Remedies To Kill Roaches That Actually Work

I once read that if you see 1 roach in your house, there could be 800 more nearby but out of sight. This is exactly why you need to act and act fast if you have a problem with roaches. You need to kill them off as soon as possible and below we offer you a few of the best home remedies we believe will help you kill off any roaches that may be living in your home.

Vacuuming For Pest Control

Believe it or not, vacuuming is one of the safest, simplest, and quickest ways to control roaches. You’ll need a HEPA filter vacuum with a suction hose so you can suck up your troublesome pests at first sight.

It’s best to go after roaches at night when they are most active. At night, when the house is completely dark use a flashlight with a red or yellow lens so you can see the roaches without them running away. For daytime removal, flush out the roaches with compressed air cans and then vacuum them up. You should caulk any active cracks or crevices where you see activity.

After you are done sucking up the roaches, immediately remove the vacuum bag and place it inside an airtight plastic bag. Freeze the bag overnight to permanently kill the roaches, then throw out the bag with your regular trash.

Personally, I didn’t like the idea of using my family vacuum for this dirty job so I spent some money and bought myself a pest control vacuum cleaner. It was worth every penny I paid. I no longer have problems with roaches, but from time to time I use the vacuum to help out a friend who has roach problems.

Boric Acid Cockroach Bait

Boric acid is highly toxic to roaches. As such, it is our most favorite and the most effective way to terminate a roach population. We like to mix the boric acid with food to create tasty but deadly treats for the roaches to eat.

You can make roach cookies using boric acid mixed with sugar, flour, and Crisco. The ingredients mix nicely to form a dough which you should place wherever you have seen roaches. The roaches will feed on the cookie and then die.

Another method would be to mix boric acid with peanut butter. Place this out just like you would the cookies and expect similar results.

Be safe when you use this product around kids and pets you don’t want them to eat this.

Use Borax to Dehydrate and Kill Roaches

Borax is totally different from boric acid so please do not get these two confused. Like boric acid, borax has a dehydrating effect on roaches and also damages the roach’s digestive system causing a painful death.

We like to mix borax with powdered confectioner sugar and lightly sprinkle it where roaches are likely to travel. The sugar attracts the roaches and the borax will poison them to death.

You want to apply borax in places you have previously seen roaches moving around and about. Place the prepared borax powder near baseboards, cracks, crevices, under the sinks, in the bathrooms, behind an appliance, etc.

Monitor your kids and pets as this can be toxic.

Diatomaceous Earth The Natural Cockroach Killer

Experts call diatomaceous earth the natural cockroach killer and I’d have to agree. It’s an organic and low-cost way to control and eliminate cockroaches. Best of all it is safe to use around children and pets as long as they don’t inhale large amounts–they should not eat this either.

Food grade diatomaceous earth will kill roaches dead in their tracks. All you need to do is sprinkle a thin layer of the powder anywhere you have seen roaches. The roaches will walk through the powder which sticks to their bodies and carries it back to other roaches.

The only downside is that this is not a quick, set and forget solution. It’ll take 2-3 weeks of continuous application for this to work.

You can get even better results if you mix this with foods for roaches to eat as I mentioned above with the boric acid.

Natural Home Remedies For Roaches That Don’t Work

I found something else that was very interesting while researching how to get rid of and how to kill roaches. Many of the recommended home remedies are more effective at repelling roaches and less effective at wiping out any cockroach infestation you are living with.

I’ll list a few of the most common remedies I found below. They may appear and sound like good ideas, but they are far from effective and they will not entirely get the job done.

• Cucumber Slices or Peels – not sure why this was ever mentioned as a home remedy. In any case, cucumber will not work.
• Bay Leaves – are said to have a scent that roaches don’t like. We have found the approach to be ineffective.
• Listerine – it’s thought that roaches won’t enjoy the taste, which is probably true. That said, the roach will avoid this and not have a drink especially if there is another water source.
• Dish soap – some folks think using a little dish soap and water will kill roaches. This is also not true. Good luck trying to get roaches to consume this in lethal doses.

How to Prevent Cockroaches From Overtaking Your House

So how do you keep cockroaches out after killing them off or prevent them from ever invading your home in the first place? Here are a few of the simplest ways to go about control roaches.

Eliminate food sources – if you deny roaches food and water they will die off or find some other place to live. So you’ll want to not leave food sitting out on countertops, take out your trash daily, and only store your food in airtight containers. Rinse your recyclables clean with water and air dry them before placing them in the recycling bend.

Remove your pet’s food and water – your pet’s food and water attract roaches. So you’ll want to remove their food and water before nightfall, placing these items somewhere where roaches cannot feed.

Related Questions

How do roaches get into homes? If you’re like most people, you do not know where roaches come from. Even worst most people mistakenly believe roaches are a sign of an unclean and dirty home. This is not always the case because roaches can enter your house through a number of ways and set up residency. They can enter through sewers, drains, and plumbing. They can hitchhike on and gain entry to your home in luggage, grocery bags, cardboard, newspapers, and furniture.

How do I keep outside cockroaches from getting into my house? It’s a never-ending battle to keep outdoor cockroaches from entering your home. In addition to being totally aware of this fact, you have to seal up all entry points the roaches may take when trying to get in your home. You can do this by using sealants to plug up all cracks and holes in your walls and foundations. This should lessen the likelihood of those pesky invaders getting in.

How do I prevent cockroaches? Your best preventative measure is to make your home unappealing to cockroaches. You can do this by denying them access to what the want most – food, water, and a place to hide. Eliminate all food sources they can easily feed on. Keep your kitchen spotless. Wipe down and keep clean all surfaces that come in contact with food. Take out the trash more often. Don’t let things pile up where roaches can hide, so keep your house decluttered of clothing, boxes, and newspapers. Caulk any cracks and crevices cockroaches may use to get inside your house. If you have pets do not leave their food and water out overnight.

What do roaches like to eat? Roaches are not picky eaters and will eat just about anything. They will eat whatever food source they can find in your home but have a natural preference for sweets, meats, and starches. Since roaches are nocturnal, they mostly scavenge for food at night when you are asleep, lights are off, and the house is quiet. In addition, to eating all food in sight roaches need a continuous supply of water to stay alive. So removing their water source is another great will to get rid of roaches. With no water, the roaches will die off in a week or two.

How do you make a homemade roach killer solution?  The homemade roach killer we recommend is a boric acid paste. To make the roach killing paste just combine 3 teaspoons of boric acid, with 3 teaspoons of sugar and 3 teaspoons of water. Mix the ingredients well, until a paste consistency is formed. Now just apply the past in areas you have seen roaches. Any cockroach that eats the paste will become dehydrated and die off. Wait two weeks and if you see any more roaches prepare more roach killing paste and re-apply where you still see roaches. These home remedies to kill roaches really work.