Raid Ant & Roach Killer Insecticide Spray was found to be one of the most effective at killing cockroaches. A can is helpful for the times when you spot a roach in your home and you don't want to get too close. A roach spray should kill the bug almost instantly.
Roach Repellents
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
Mix baking soda with sugar to make a killer combination
A concoction of baking soda and sugar is an effective cockroach killer and controls the multiplication of these pests. Sugar acts as a bait to attract cockroaches and the baking soda kills them.
Baking soda and sugar
You can try this method to eliminate the producers of the eggs. In a small container (or a bottle), make a mixture of equal parts baking soda and sugar. Sprinkle it at places where you've seen cockroaches. This is one of the easiest roach killers.
A typical homemade cockroach repellent uses one teaspoon of liquid dish soap and one cup of water. However, this is only effective if it can be sprayed directly on the roaches. Adding baking soda or Borax to the mix will effectively kill the roaches where they live.
While bleach is ineffective when it comes to killing cockroaches, it does repel them. But, bleach should only be used with extreme caution, as it is toxic when ingested, and has the potential to bleach or damage anything it touches. When it comes to deterring roaches with smells, bleach may not be the best option.
Roaches are deterred by scents that humans enjoy, such as citrus. For kitchen deterrents, cockroaches dislike the smell of cinnamon, bay leaves, garlic, peppermint, and coffee grounds. If you want a strong-smelling disinfectant, choose vinegar or bleach.
Moisture. Roaches need moisture to survive and this search for water will bring them into even the cleanest of homes. Leaky pipes and faucets are one of the most common attractants for cockroaches and is one of the main reasons you often see them in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
You can combine flour and boric acid with a substance that will attract roaches—such as sugar—to make a roach-killing recipe. Boric acid is a strong compound so be careful to handle it according to its package instructions. You can also try non-chemical traps or even try repelling roaches using sound waves.
The most common places for a roach nest in the house are in kitchens or bathrooms, particularly behind refrigerators, in cracks and crevices, and under furniture. Roaches prefer a warm, humid environment, so these places should be considered first, especially if they are close to a food source and water supply.
Boric Acid and Peanut Butter
Boric acid tops even baking soda when it comes to killing cockroaches. With little more than a sprinkle on the floor, boric acid acts as an all-natural poison to take down dirty roaches in just days.
The smell of lemons repels cockroaches to a great extent, keeping them away from areas that reek of the fruit. Hence, it is advisable to mop floors with water that has a few lemon drops in it.
Mix sugar and baking soda in a bowl. You could also add to a jar, put the lid on, and shake. That way you have it for easy storage. Pour homemade cockroach killer directly onto the floor wherever you've seen roaches, or pour some into a shallow pan and place on the floor.
There are a couple of options when using coffee grounds as a DIY solution for cockroaches. One is to make a trap using a jar, water, and coffee grounds in order to drown them. Another is to sprinkle coffee grounds around your home to repel them.
A spray bottle mixed with three parts fabric softener and two parts water can be an effective way of eliminating cockroaches. The chemicals within the fabric softener suffocate the roaches. This method only works if the cockroaches come into direct contact with the mixture.
Add some food like a small piece of meat or some sweet stuff like chocolate on the roach bait in the bowl. Keep the bowl near one of the hiding places of roaches. To cover all the hiding places, you'll need multiple bowls with sticky roach trap and food. The smell of the food will draw the roaches out.
Daytime Dens
Because cockroaches dislike light, they disappear during the daytime to dark places, including the undersides of appliances like stoves and refrigerators, underneath sinks or other installations, near plumbing, inside light switches and behind wall paneling or doorjambs.
Seeing roach feces or droppings.
Seeing an unusual number of droppings in a specific area will also help you track where the roach shelters are. Best to cut off any water or food source near this location so prevent further infestation.
These pests are so resilient, it's been said that they'll be the sole survivors of a nuclear war. Needless to say, they're not easy to get rid of, even if you correct the conditions that attracted them in the first place. Here's why it's nearly impossible for a cockroach infestation to go away on its own.
If you see a cockroach or three, you're likely have hundreds—or thousands—living in a nearby nest. But if you act fast before the population has taken hold, you may be able get rid of cockroaches within a week to ten days. And most of them will be gone in a day or two.
Cockroach infestations are naturally hard to get rid of, mainly because roaches are master hiders, and able to conceal themselves in a wide range of areas. They also have a very high reproductive potential and can breed prolifically (female roaches don't always need a male to reproduce).
At night, cockroaches crawl on humans. They are inclined to seek warm, humid environments. Also, they are fond of the soft tissues of the human body. Thus, if there is a chance for the cockroach to crawl on you, they will most likely do so.