Cockroaches Gone Natural: 10 Powerful Home Remedies to Eliminate Roaches

Few things are more startling and alarming than stumbling across a cockroach skittering across your kitchen floor or countertop. These resilient pests are not only unsightly and startling, they also carry a wide range of bacteria and pathogens that can spread illness and contaminate food surfaces. Anyone who has encountered a roach infestation knows just how difficult it can be to get rid of these critters once they get established.

While professional extermination is sometimes necessary for severe roach problems, chemical insecticides come with their own set of concerns. Many people prefer exploring natural and non-toxic home remedies first, especially when treating indoor areas where family members and pets spend time.

In this guide, we’ll cover 10 of the most effective home remedies for killing cockroaches using common household items and inexpensive natural ingredients. Get ready to take the eco-friendly fight to those buggy intruders!

Boric Acid

The Heavyweight Champion When it comes to natural home remedies for fighting roaches, boric acid is king. This incredible powder has been used as a powerful yet low-toxicity insecticide for over a century.

How Boric Acid Works Boric acid is coarse and abrasive, damaging the exoskeletons of roaches through physical contact. Even worse, if ingested, it disrupts their digestive systems and causes fatal dehydration as they can no longer process nutrients and water properly.

Using Boric Acid There are several ways to deploy boric acid’s roach-killing capabilities:

• Mix with sweeteners like sugar or jelly to make an attractive roach bait
• Combine with bread crumbs, peanut butter, or other food for protein baits
• Lightly dust boric acid in areas where roaches travel, like under sinks, around pipes, and in cabinets
• Create boric acid “bombs” by punching holes in bottles or tubes filled with the powder to disperse it in enclosed areas like attics and walls

When using boric acid, be sure to keep deposits away from areas where children or pets could access, as it can be mildly toxic if ingested in large quantities. With strategic and persistent application, this humble powder delivers a knockout blow to cockroach populations.

Soapy Solution

A simple mixture of soap and water can have surprising insecticidal effects on cockroaches. The soapy solution works in a few key ways:

• Coats the bodies of cockroaches, causing dehydration by depleting their outer protective layer
• Clogs their breathing spiracles, causing asphyxiation
• Some soap formulas like peppermint or citrus can also act as repellents due to their strong smells

Making a Soapy Roach Killer Mix together 1-2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap with 1 quart of warm water, stirring vigorously to incorporate plenty of suds. This can be sprayed directly on live roaches or used to wipe down surfaces where roach activity has been spotted.

For an extra roach-repelling punch, add a few drops of peppermint, tea tree, or other potent essential oils to the soapy mix. Reapply the solution every 2-3 days until the infestation subsides, as the effects are not lasting.

Diatomaceous Earth

This fine white powder is made from crushed fossils and has an incredible anti-roach ability. While relatively harmless to humans and pets, the tiny sharp edges of diatomaceous earth are devastatingly destructive to the exoskeletons and bodies of cockroaches.

How DE Works When cockroaches come into contact with diatomaceous earth (commonly called DE), it laceraterates their body covering. This damage causes severe dehydration that will kill roaches within a couple of days. Ingesting DE is even worse, as it will shred their delicate insides.

Applying DE for Roach Control Use a paintbrush, duster, or powder applicator to lightly but thoroughly coat problem areas with a layer of DE. Pay special attention to cracks, crevices, wall voids, and other roach hiding spots and travel routes.

Keep in mind that DE loses its insecticidal properties when it gets wet. Be sure to reapply after any cleaning or mopping. DE takes time to fully eliminate an infestation but is one of the safest and most effective natural options.

Baking Soda

Bait That humble box of baking soda in your cabinet has a surprisingly lethal application as a potent roach-killing agent. Mixed with other simple ingredients, baking soda can be turned into an irresistible roach bait that will deliver fatal results.

Baking Soda Roach Bait Recipe:

• 1⁄2 cup baking soda
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar or jelly
• 1-2 tbsp water

Step 1: In a bowl, mix together the baking soda and sugar or jelly until fully combined into a thick paste. Add just enough water to help bind the ingredients.

Step 2: Form the bait mixture into small balls or flat patties and place them in areas of roach activity. Inside cabinets, under sinks, along baseboards, etc.

Step 3: The roaches will be lured by the sweet scent and consume the baking soda, which will cause internal injuries and death within a few days.

Refresh the baking soda bait every 4-5 days until the population is gone. As an added bonus, baking soda will also help absorb any lingering unpleasant roach smells in your home.

Essential Oils

Certain essential oils have potent, roach-repelling and insecticidal properties thanks to their powerful natural aromas and biochemical compounds. Three of the most effective essential oils for killing roaches are:

Peppermint Oil

Perhaps the most notorious roach assassin in the essential oil world, peppermint oil contains pulegone and menthone that are highly toxic to roaches. It also has an overwhelmingly pungent smell that cockroaches are intensely adverse to.

Tea Tree Oil This oil contains insecticidal compounds like terpinene that disrupt the exoskeleton development of roaches. The strong medicinal aroma is also a natural repellent.

Citrus Oils

Oils like lemon, orange, and grapefruit emit smells that cockroaches intensely dislike due to the high limonene content. This will drive roaches away as well as damage their respiratory systems.

How to Use Essential Oils For repellent and killing effects, add 20-30 drops of the essential oil of your choice to 1⁄2 cup of water in a spray bottle. Shake thoroughly and use the solution to spray down surfaces, cracks, and entry points where roaches travel.

You can also combine several roach-repelling oils like peppermint and lemongrass for an enhanced formulation. Spray weekly and after mopping or cleaning any treated areas.

Borax

This common laundry detergent booster has a surprisingly deadly effect on cockroaches when used properly. Similar to boric acid, borax powder leverages its coarse texture and toxicity to exterminate roaches effectively.

Using Borax Against Roaches:

• Create a borax solution by dissolving 1⁄2 cup of borax powder in 1 gallon of warm water
• Use a spray bottle or brush to generously coat surfaces where roaches travel with the solution
• Reapply weekly, concentrating on areas around pipe entries, wall cracks, under appliances etc.

When roaches consume the sweet-tasting borax or are exposed to large amounts on their bodies, it will dehydrate them until they perish. Borax takes time to achieve full extermination, but is safer and cheaper than most other baits and traps.

Catnip Believe

Catnip Believe it or not, the herb catnip (Nepeta cataria) is incredibly effective at repelling and killing cockroaches. Its aromatic terpenoids act as an insect neurotoxin that cockroaches cannot tolerate.

Using Catnip to Kill Roaches The two most popular methods for deploying catnip’s anti-roach powers are:

Dried Catnip Sprinkle liberal amounts of dried catnip leaves and stems in areas where roach activity is noticed. The strong aroma drives roaches away and any ingestion can induce paralysis and death.

Catnip Tea Soak dried catnip in hot water for 10-15 minutes to create a potent catnip tea. Allow to cool, then use as a spray or soak for direct roach treatment in cracks or on vertical surfaces.

Reapply or refresh the catnip every 3-4 weeks to maintain its pest-repelling effects until the infestation is gone. Grow your own catnip plant for an endless supply of this natural bug-killing herb.

Cucumber Peel/Slices

Who knew that the humble cucumber was also incredibly toxic and repulsive to cockroaches? The peel and flesh contain a compound called cucurbitacin that triggers severe physiological reactions in roaches, eventually causing paralysis and death.

To use cucumber as a control method, simply slice or peel portions of a cucumber and scatter the pieces around areas of roach activity. The scent and toxin will both drive away and kill any roaches who consume it. Replace with fresh cucumber every 5-7 days.

Bay Leaves

While commonly used as an ingredient in cooking and potpourri, bay leaves have insecticidal properties that make them a highly effective natural roach killer.

Bay Leaf Roach Treatment Crumble up dried bay leaves into a powder using a spice grinder or blender. Then liberally sprinkle the powder in areas where roaches shelter, breed, or travel like:

• Under sinks and appliances
• Along baseboards and in corners
• Inside cabinets and pantries
• Around drains and pipes

The powder contains natural pesticides like cineole and eugenol that disrupt the roaches’ nervous systems and ultimately lead to death by dehydration and starvation. Renew the bay leaf powder every 10-14 days to maintain effectiveness.

Fabric Softener

For an easy and inexpensive roach killing solution, look no further than common liquid fabric softener. The chemicals in fabric softener like liquid fabric softener coat the bodies and breathing holes of roaches, causing fatal dehydration.

To Use:

• Fill a spray bottle with 1⁄2 water and 1⁄2 liquid fabric softener
• Shake vigorously to fully blend the solution
• Generously spray down areas where roaches are active, ensuring a complete coating

The oily solution will cling to roaches and begin to dessicate them within a day or two. Reapply the fabric softener spray every 3-4 days until the infestation is eliminated, as the effects are not residual.

As you can see, nature provides an endless bounty of safe, affordable, and effective solutions for eradicating cockroach infestations. While each of these home remedies takes some diligence and consistent reapplication, they are powerful alternatives to potentially harmful insecticides.

The key to controlling roaches with natural methods is patience and persistence. It may take several weeks to fully break the life cycle and eliminate all adult roaches, nymphs, and eggs. However, by using a combination of these eco-friendly techniques, you can prevail and reclaim your home from these noxious pests in an environmentally responsible way.

So before reaching for the nuclear option of harsh chemical bombs and baits, give these trusted homemade roach remedies a try. You may be pleasantly surprised at just how potent some common household products can be when it comes to defensive pest control.