Cockroaches are disgusting, and they can even carry harmful diseases. No one wants to see one in their home… but unfortunately, once you do see one in your home, you can expect to be dealing with an infestation since these pests multiply quickly.
The best way to get rid of cockroaches is to call a pest control service. These professionals will use safe and effective extermination techniques in your house. Likewise, there are a few things you could do on your own to try to eradicate these invaders. Most techniques can be done with items you surely already have in your home, so don’t waste any time and give it a try right now.
Here are the seven best ways to get rid of cockroaches.
1. Seal cracks to prevent cockroaches from entering your home
The first thing you should do when you see a cockroach in your home is inspected your property. Cockroaches don’t have the power to teleport from one place to another. They enter homes by crawling under a door or through any crack.
Inspect your doors, your windows, and your electrical outlets. Don’t forget the space underneath your kitchen sink. Seal any crack or hole you find with putty or a joint sealing compound. This action will not rid you of the cockroaches already inside your home, but it will prevent more from entering.
2. Keep your home dry and clean
Cockroaches love moisture, and they love free food. They will have no reason to stay if they can’t find any in your home.
If there are humid and damp spots in your home, find a way to dry them. You could, for example, get a dehumidifier to keep your basement dry or ask a plumber to ensure there are no leaky pipes anywhere in your home.
You also have to ensure no food crumbs are lying on your countertops or the floor. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink for too long. If you have pets, remove their food bowl after eating each meal.
3. Use cockroach baits and traps
You can buy cockroach baits and traps and install them at a few different spots in your home. Try placing one near your fridge, one under your sink, and one under your washing machine, for example.
Cockroach traps contain poison that will kill cockroaches, but not immediately. Once a cockroach comes in contact with the poison, it will return to its nest and infest other cockroaches and their eggs. They will all die soon, and you will not have to worry about them anymore.
4. Mix baking soda and sugar
If you have pets or young children in your home, it’s best to avoid using poison. In that case, you can eliminate cockroaches with a mix of baking soda and sugar.
In a bowl, mix one part of baking soda with one part of sugar. Place this bowl in an area where you suspect cockroaches might be living and breeding. The sugar will attract them, and they will eat the mixture.
And then, they will die. Why? Because baking soda will expand when coming in contact with water or any other fluid inside the cockroaches and then turn into a gas.
This gas will damage the organs of the cockroach, crack its exoskeleton, and kill it.
5. Mix borax and sugar
Alternatively, you could mix borax with sugar in a small bowl. Once again, the sugar will attract the cockroaches, and they will eat the mixture. The borax will dehydrate their exoskeleton, and it will kill them.
If you try this trick, keep this mixture away from pets and children.
6. Use essential oils to repel cockroaches
Different smells repel cockroaches, so you can keep them away from your home with the help of essential oils.
Cockroaches hate the smell of rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus, peppermint, citronella, neem, cypress, basil, and tea tree. Get one of these essential oils, and add some drops to a spray bottle and water.
You can then use this spray directly on cockroaches or wherever you have seen them in your home. Be sure to spray these areas frequently until you don’t see any cockroaches.
Essential oil sprays are a safe and non-toxic solution, and they will make your home smell great as a bonus.
7. Use a cockroach spray on any cockroach you see
If you are not yet dealing with an infestation, you could buy a cockroach spray and spray any bug you see. It will die instantly.
Some cockroach sprays are designed to stay active for months and kill the cockroaches that come in contact with the surfaces you sprayed. It will be effective but might not be the best option if you have pets or kids.