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.
Filling a spray bottle with dish soap and water, shaking it, and spraying a roach from above will kill it quickly. Traps: Most cockroach traps will kill cockroaches quickly. Glue traps or poisonous roach traps will capture them and kill them fast, so by the time you throw away the trap the roach is dead.
If cockroaches get enough borax on the outside of their bodies, it actually damages their exoskeletons. This causes them to rapidly dehydrate and die; a thick coating of borax will certainly get rid of roaches overnight.
Diatomaceous earth is a great choice when it comes to killing cockroach eggs. We recommend trying this method when you are sure there is already an ongoing infestation in your house. It's made of marine phytoplankton, which is toxic to roaches and can dehydrate the ootheca. Make sure to buy the food-grade version.
Sprinkle the diatomaceous earth around areas where roaches travel and frequent. The sharp particles of diatomaceous earth damage the waxy, protective exoskeleton of the roach, causing it to dehydrate and die, typically within 48 hours of contact.
Cockroach gel baits, at Walmart are a popular solution that can get rid of roaches within a couple of weeks – simply apply dots of the gel over cracks, seams and corners, along baseboards, around appliances and so on.
One popular DIY method is to mix boric acid with equal parts powdered sugar as a lure. Apply as a fine layer under appliances, behind cabinets and along crevices. Roaches ingest the mixture and die within a few hours.
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. Or, spread a dusting on a paper plate and bait it right in the middle with a piece of orange peel.
Left out food, waste, garbage, clutter, moisture, heat, and darkness are all things that attract roaches. As you might expect, this means they're most likely to be found in areas like kitchens, basements, and cluttered or dirty areas. But—you don't have to have a dirty home to have cockroaches.
Your best bet is to combine baking soda with another granulated attractant, like sugar. Mix equal parts baking soda and sugar in a small dish and apply it to kitchen cabinets, baseboards, crevices, water sources, and other places roaches like to hide.
Boric acid can quickly kick a roach infestation to the curb. It's extremely toxic and can kill multiple generations of roaches. Mix a combination of equal parts of boric acid, sugar and water to make a dough. Roll that dough into balls or cylinders and place them where roaches will find them.
Tea Tree Oil. Many homeowners report that roaches don't like tea tree oil. You can combine 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water with a few drops of tea tree oil and apply the mixture with a spray bottle to deter cockroaches from specific areas.
Even if your home is clean of excess food or moisture problems, cockroaches are crafty enough to find food on their own and thrive in even the most hostile conditions. And once you've got them in your Roseville home, cockroaches aren't so eager to leave. Cockroaches won't go away on their own.
You will find roaches year-round in California. In other states, the warm and moist spring and summer months are the roach's favorite time for foraging and breeding. But, in states like California with wEarth climates, the cockroaches have no off-season.
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.
To get rid of any pests, eliminating their food source is crucial. Without a food source, cockroaches won't stick around. Be mindful of where you have your food and how you store it, including any pet food. Any room where food is stored, prepped, or enjoyed should be cleaned thoroughly.
Bleach's Effect on Roaches
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.
With the highest quality pest control treatments, you'll likely see a reduction in roach activity within days, while total control and complete elimination of your infestation may take months.
Boric Acid
Boric acid is believed to be one of the best home remedies for cockroaches. For best results, dust a little bit of this powder in corners and floors and let it sit while roaches come in contact with it and die. Boric acid is not effective when it is wet.
Cockroaches are not truly social insects (like honey bees or termites). As such, they do not have a queen. However, they are considered 'gregarious' and tend to congregate during rest times (generally the daytime). Depending on the size of their refuge, groups can number in the millions.
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!
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.