Bleach can kill roaches on contact. However, pouring it down a drain can potentially release toxic fumes, and cause long-term damage to your system. While the use of bleach may help with a cockroach problem, because of its toxic nature it should never be poured down a drain or toilet.
Baking soda and white vinegar are popular, all-natural cleaning supplies. You can use them on several surfaces throughout your home, including in your sink drains, to kill cockroaches and eliminate lingering odors. Start with ¼ cup of baking soda. Pour it down the drain, then follow with ½ cup of vinegar.
Pouring bleach down the drain is not an effective method for getting rid of roaches. While bleach can kill roaches that come into direct contact with it, it does not address the underlying infestation or eliminate roach eggs, which can survive harsh chemicals.
Simply put, bleach is not an effective roach repellent or killer. While it may kill some roaches on contact, it is not a long-term solution.
The conditions in a kitchen drain are conducive to cockroaches: damp, dark, cool, with easy access to bits of food and water. Discourage roaches from hanging out in this area, and coming further into your home, by pouring boiling water down the drain often. This kills any insects, as well as eggs, that may be hiding.
Good old-fashioned soap and water is a safe, reliable, and inexpensive method. Create a soapy water solution that you can spray with a bottle. It will only take about 2 – 3 sprays to kill any roaches, as the soapy solution will cover their breathing pores and suffocate them.
Cockroaches are repelled by the smells of peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, citronella, and cedarwood oils. These scents can be used as natural deterrents to keep them away from your home.
For homemade cockroach control, you can make a simple bait using boric acid, sugar, and water. Mix equal parts of boric acid and sugar, then add a bit of water to form a paste. Place this mixture in small containers or on pieces of cardboard and put them in areas where you have seen roaches.
White vinegar is a reliable resource to use that deters cockroaches and makes them stay off your property.
Standing water attracts roaches in the drain. Seal crevices and holes around your drain pipes with caulk, plaster, or cement.
Soap and Water Spray
Getting rid of roaches with just soap and water can be effective. Simply place a few drops of soap into a spray bottle filled with warm water and shake it well. The roach might continue to run after being sprayed but will die after a minute or so.
Don't try flushing a cockroach into a toilet bowl. You might see them resurfacing again! Cockroaches can hold their breath for 40 minutes, giving them adequate time to crawl up and escape. Your home is still not safe from cockroach infestation even when always kept clean.
Boric acid
They'll eat it while preening. As long as it stays dry, boric acid kills roaches indefinitely.
Does Pine Sol kill roaches? Pine Sol can kill roaches on contact, though it's not a practical solution for a wide-scale infestation.
Exterminators commonly use Pyrethrin and pyrethroids. Pest control professionals employ these powerful chemicals to get rid of cockroaches. Roaches are paralyzed and eventually killed by this chemical insecticide.
Baking soda is a fast and effective way to kill roaches. When a roach ingests baking soda, the baking soda expands inside them, causing the roach to explode. Simply sprinkle baking soda on food, such as an onion, and leave it near where you've seen roaches overnight.
Syngenta Advion Cockroach Gel Bait
When searching for roach killer solutions, Advion Gel Bait is widely praised, and for good reason.
Boric acid is a stomach poison that is picked up by cockroaches walking across dusted areas. The boric acid adheres to the cockroach cuticle so when the cockroach grooms itself it ingests the boric acid and soon dies.
Cockroaches are blessed with an amazing sense of smell. This is what they use when seeking food and mate but at the same time, this is also their weakness. A cockroach's sense of smell can be used to get rid of them.
Rosemary is considered one of the best roach repellents because it's actually highly toxic to the insects. Even better, this plant can be found at your local nursery, hardware store, or plant shop and requires little water. Just make sure you place it in direct sunlight.
Leaving the light on doesn't deter cockroaches effectively because they can navigate in low-light conditions. While they're mostly active at night, they may still come out in search of food or water. During the day, cockroaches hide in dark areas not directly exposed to light.
Spraying window cleaner directly onto small insects like ants or mosquitoes will kill them within a few moments. For cockroaches, window cleaner can make them temporarily unconscious so that you can squash them. This works on initial contact, but Windex will not continue to kill bugs after it has dried.
Key Takeaways. Baking soda is believed to kill roaches by causing gas buildup in their stomachs, which damages their digestive system. It usually takes 24 to 48 hours after consumption for cockroaches to die from baking soda.
Actually, their method of ‟swimming” is better described as ‟floating.” While it's not common for roaches to ‟swim” up through floor and toilet drains to enter structures, it does happen. Roaches simply close their spiracles so that no water can enter their bodies, and then travel up the drain.