How to Get Rid of Roaches Naturally and Cheaply

Having cockroaches invade your home can be a downright horrifying experience. As you may know, by the time you see one in the kitchen, you probably already have many more lurking behind your walls. Obviously you can use commercial applications to get rid of roaches, but why not use natural ingredients? Getting rid of cockroaches naturally is safe for your family, your pets and the environment.

This article will cover the most commonly used natural ingredients for getting rid of cockroaches, such as boric acid and diatomaceous earth (DE) as well as other natural cockroach repellents. In additions to these, you will find guidelines and measurements you can easily take to prevent cockroaches from coming into your house.

How to Prevent Cockroach Infestation

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so keeping a tidy home free of food debris and other “cockroach lures” can help prevent roaches from calling your house their home in the first place.

• Sweep and mop floors regularly, including under and behind kitchen appliances.
• Remove any corrugated cardboard from the home, and any collections of plastic grocery sacks, as roaches love to hide here.
• Clean surfaces with vinegar to sanitize them, and keep food in airtight containers.
• Don’t let the rubbish bin sit for too long and make sure the lid is closed.
• Cockroaches are thirsty creatures, so make sure to repair any leaky faucets around the house.

However, sometimes in spite of our efforts to clean and disinfect regularly, even the most spotless of homes can experience a cockroach invasion. Here are some safe and natural ways that can help you to get rid of cockroach infestation, and prevent a new one.

Use borax and sugar to kill cockroaches

Making a mixture of borax and sugar in a 3:1 ratio (3 parts borax to 1 part sugar) is an incredibly effective way to get rid of cockroaches and waterbugs.

The sugar lures the roaches out of hiding and fools them into nibbling at the borax, which is lethal to insects but exponentially less toxic to humans—to the extent that the substance is often marketed as a laundry and dish washing aid.

Nevertheless, use caution when setting out the cockroach bait, placing it in areas easily accessible to roaches but unlikely to receive human or pet traffic. (Note: never purposefully ingest borax or other boric acid products!) Mix up this bait trap and set it near nooks and crannies where you have caught roaches entering or escaping your living space, and they will soon be gone.

How to get rid of cockroaches with boric acid

As an alternative to using borax and sugar, natural cockroach baits can be created using boric acid, flour and cocoa powder in a 1:2:1 ratio.

Like the sugar bait, this mixture can be placed near crevices where roaches have been seen entering and leaving the area.

Common areas to find hidden roaches include behind and under waste bins, behind and beneath the refrigerator, and in cracks along the baseboards in the kitchen or bathroom.

Be sure to re-set the cockroach bait every week to get rid of roaches, and to replace any bait that has become wet, as the method is only effective when the bait remains dry. You can also use boric acid baits to get rid of German roaches and to eradicate termites.

Get rid of roaches with coffee grounds

Coffee drinkers will be glad to learn that coffee grounds make an amazing cockroach repellent.

If you have a cockroach problem, try taking the used grounds from your filter or coffee press and placing them outside your home in areas where you suspect the roaches to be entering from.

Look for cracks and crannies near the foundation of the home, or get into the crawlspace if your home has one and look for areas of possible roach access, placing the used grounds in these locations. This will prevent roaches from entering your living space.

How to get rid of cockroaches with Diatomaceous Earth (DE) food grade

Diatomaceous earth, or DE, is a natural substance with inherent scouring properties, often used in cleaning powders and even once quite common in toothpaste.

You can find more information about this substance in my article about the most extraordinary Diatomaceous Earth uses and benefits.

Diatomaceous earth also happens to be a marvelous insect control substance and I’ve mentioned it in my articles on how to get rid of ants and on how to get rid of fleas. It poses zero risk to humans and pets when used properly and it is a natural way to get rid of roaches.

Purchase food-grade Diatomaceous earth from a home improvement store, grocery store, or online (note: the DE must be labelled as “food grade” to be considered safe for use in the home!), and sprinkle it outside the home, around the perimeter. Wear protective mask when applying DE to avoid inhaling the fine particles.

Diatomaceous earth can also be placed against windowsills and the bottom of outer doorways. Within two days, the DE will work its magic and begin ridding your home of unwanted roaches.

Like the boric-acid-based roach baits, DE becomes inert when it gets wet, so make sure to make another round along your home’s perimeter after a rain.

Natural cockroach repellent – soapy water

By giving running cockroaches a spritz with a spray bottle filled with soapy water, you can kill the cockroaches and easily clean up afterwards, making this method a one-two punch in roach control.

However, this is an active method of pest control, requiring that you spray the roaches as you see them—it cannot affect any cockroaches lurking between floorboards or behind walls. Nevertheless, it is an effective and efficient method if you should happen to see stray cockroaches around your home while waiting for a bait or trap method to become effective. Spritz the roach, then wipe up the mess. It’s a very simple way to naturally get rid of cockroaches.

Use catnip to get rid of cockroaches

Nepeta cataria, commonly known as catnip, catswort or catmint is a plant of the mint family with pungent smell which is attractive to cats.

Catnip is useful for more than just attracting cats and making a nerve-calming tea for people. You can also use catnip to get rid of roaches (and it is also one of the top 10 natural ways to repel mosquitoes).

Prepare the catnip as you would for a tea (you can use the tea for cold and flu), using approximately 1 teaspoon of dried catnip per 8 ounces of water and allowing it to steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

Fill a spray bottle with this tea and apply the mixture along baseboards in the home, near crevices where roaches may hide, behind and under appliances, and anywhere else you suspect roaches may be congregating in your home.

How to kill cockroaches with soda bottle traps

You can create an effective cockroach trap using an empty two-liter soda pop bottle, a pair of scissors, a roll of duct tape, and a cup of sweet fruit juice—guava and mango juices work extremely well for this.

Cut the top one-third of the bottle (the end that you pour from) off using the scissors, then invert it and place it back inside the bottle, so that it creates a funnel shape pointing down into the bottle.

Tape the cut-off top to the rest of the bottle, then fill the bottom portion of the bottle with the fruit juice of your choice, pouring it through the funnel and into the bottle.

Leave the bottle in a place where roaches are likely to hang out, and wait. That’s all there is to it! Cockroaches will smell the yummy juice and come running, but will be unable to escape from the bottle, and thus become trapped – in that way you’ll be able to kill the roaches.

This method works well when you have a few maverick roaches running around rather than a large-scale infestation.

How to get rid of roaches with essential oil spray

Science has proven that the use of selected essential oils can work well as an insect repellent and as infestation preventative. A 2001 study performed by researchers at Auburn University found that mint oil was incredibly toxic to more than one species of cockroach.

To create a natural cockroach repellent, fill water into a spray bottle and add 20 drops of peppermint or spearmint or cypress essential oil.

Vigorously shake this concoction (some versions add 2 tablespoon of salt or use soapy water) spraying your roach “problem areas”— any nooks or spaces between the wall and baseboards, areas behind and beneath home appliances (washing machine, microwave, refrigerator).

Not only will this method kill existing cockroaches and deter new roaches from moving in, it will also leave a fresh, crisp scent behind in its wake! Now that’s a winning combination.

How to Get Rid of Cockroach Bites

Cockroaches are also known to bite humans, and their bites can leave you with a painful lump on your skin. There are many natural ways to treat and prevent cockroach bites – read about them in my article: Cockroach Bites: Facts, Prevention and Simple Treatment Options.

If you are interested to learn more about essential oils you can find useful information in my e-book Magical Aromatherapy. This e-book will help you to discover the power of essential oils and the most effective ways to use them.

Read my other related posts:
1. How to Get Rid of Flies Naturally
2. How to Get Rid of Ants Cheaply and Naturally
3. How to Get Rid of Spiders Naturally
4. 10 Natural Ways to Repel Mosquitoes