Sprinkle boric acid in areas the roaches frequent; when they walk through it, it sticks to them. They later ingest the boric acid, which then kills them. When using boric acid, be sure to limit your exposure; don't place it anywhere that children or pets might find it, as it's toxic when ingested.
Mix equal parts water and dish soap in a spray bottle and spray it directly onto the cockroach. The soap will suffocate the insect, killing it instantly. However, it's important to note that soapy water is only effective when applied directly to the insect and may not be as effective as other methods.
Cockroaches are most likely to be active about four hours after dark and enter a period of immobility just afterwards. This immobility period is similar to what humans would call “sleeping.”
Cockroaches have a strong sense of smell. Using natural scents works best to deter roaches. Plants such as eucalyptus, lavender, and mint are smells roaches hate.
It's a fact that cockroaches are afraid of humans and other mammals or animals that are bigger than them. They see us as predators and that fear triggers their instinct to scatter away. However, they dislike strong and distinctive scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender and vinegar.
Taking a deep drink of household bleach would kill anything, roaches included. But the same strong odor that keeps people from taking a swig of bleach repels roaches as well. So though it could work, in reality, it will not. It is very difficult to kill an entire roach infestation yourself.
Again, it's uncommon for roaches to be found on mattresses, but it's not uncommon for them to hide in your bed frame and bedside furniture. When you remove your mattress and dismantle your bed to move, check for signs of cockroaches and remove or sanitize items as necessary.
The World Health Organization also advises against crushing them, for reasons of hygiene. According to the body, which classes cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements”, squashing them can spread bacteria into the environment that can lead to asthma, allergies and illnesses.
Windex is toxic to most pests, especially spiders. 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.
That being said, if you only have the occasional cockroach, then Lysol might be enough to take care of your small infestation. Because Lysol has weaking killing power, but Lysol's smell can repel roaches, it might be enough!
Dryer Sheets: Mostly False
Linalool is an alcohol derived from plants, and it gives dryer sheets their distinctive scent. In sufficient concentrations, linalool can indeed be used as a pest repellant, but your average dryer sheet doesn't contain enough of it to actually work on roaches.
Turning up the AC may not look good on your energy bill but at least your house will be cockroach-free. There's a reason why we see roaches in the summer, and they vanish during the winter – cockroaches hate the cold. Always turn up the AC. To save energy, you can turn on an overhead fan or buy a large fan.
Thus, sleeping with the light on can keep cockroaches away from your bedroom. When you leave your lights on, the cockroaches will not even try to come out. Predators are also attracted by the light and will begin to actively hunt down the cockroaches when it's bright in the room.
Sugar. Sugar is by far the most attractive substance to a cockroach. They love sugar and can smell it from anywhere. This means you'll want to keep your sugar containers, fruits, and other sweeteners sealed in air-tight containers that are up off the floor.
Pine Sol, like many household cleaners, such as bleach, is capable of killing a cockroach on contact. In the pest control world, we call these contact insecticides.
The best way to get rid of roaches fast is to sanitize your home, eliminate hiding spots and stagnant water, store food in airtight containers, and use glue strips, bait, boric acid, or liquid concentrates.
When treating roaches it all depends on how bad the problem is as to how many times you have to treat. Once the problem is under control and you do not see any more roaches, it is recommended to spray something once every 30 to 60 days inside and outside your home to help keep the problem from coming back.
What attracts cockroaches to your bedroom? Cockroaches are typically attracted to food and water, and it is unlikely that there is a source of water in your bedroom unless it is attached to a bathroom. There is most likely a source of food or something that smells like food that cockroaches are being attracted to.
All About Vinegar
Unfortunately, it doesn't actually kill these problem insects. It's more of a cleaning tool than anything else, and it won't actually help eliminate your roach problem. It can, however, help deter roaches and get rid of germs in the kitchen when used as a cleaning agent.
While bleach is ineffective when it comes to killing cockroaches, it does repel them.
Distilled vinegar does not kill or repel roaches, making it completely ineffective. Distilled vinegar will help keep your kitchen clean, giving cockroaches less to snack on. However, roaches can live for months at a time without any food at all, and they will eat almost anything to survive.