To keep your house cockroach-free, you must eliminate their access to food, water, and shelter and use appropriate control methods if you have an existing problem. A combination of thorough sanitation, exclusion techniques, and pest control products is generally required for effective, long-term results.
Empty trash daily and keep garbage cans sealed. Clean trash cans regularly. Remove clutter--cardboard, papers, and stacks where roaches hide. Store infrequently used items in plastic bins with lids. Fix any standing-water sources: repair leaky faucets, drain trays, and condensation lines; keep sinks dry overnight.
6 ways to get rid of cockroaches in and around your house
Roaches hate strong, pungent smells that disrupt their senses, like peppermint oil, eucalyptus, citronella, lavender, citrus (lemon/orange), bay leaves, and coffee grounds, with essential oils and spices being common deterrents that overpower their antennae, though these usually require professional extermination for serious infestations.
Natural home remedies for roaches, such as citrus, peppermint, essential oil sprays, and catnip, are often suggested as a DIY approach to repel them.
To get rid of 100% of roaches, you need a multi-pronged attack: deep cleaning (remove food/water), sealing entry points, and using baits/dusts like boric acid or diatomaceous earth, plus professional help for severe cases. Focus on eliminating food sources, sealing cracks, and applying baits strategically in hidden spots, repeating treatments and maintaining cleanliness for long-term control.
Leaving the light on doesn't deter cockroaches effectively because they can navigate in low-light conditions. While they're mostly active at night, they may still come out in search of food or water. During the day, cockroaches hide in dark areas not directly exposed to light.
You shouldn't squish a cockroach because it spreads harmful bacteria, releases pheromones that attract more roaches, and creates a messy, smelly stain, potentially triggering allergies or asthma, with better, cleaner options like traps or professional pest control available for proper management.
Liquid Dish Soap and Water Spray: A mixture of dish soap and water suffocates cockroaches by clogging their breathing pores. Spray this solution directly on roaches to kill them instantly and keep your home pest-free.
Cockroaches are drawn to three main things: Food: Crumbs, leftovers, unsealed containers, pet food, and garbage. Water: Leaks, damp areas, condensation, and wet bath mats. Shelter: Warm, dark cracks and crevices in kitchens, bathrooms, and basements.
A cockroach is a nocturnal insect and is typically most active at night. They are most likely to be active approximately four hours after dark.
Dependence on Water. Of all their needs, a cockroach's reliance on water is perhaps its most significant vulnerability. While a cockroach can live for up to a month without food, it can only survive for about a week without water. This makes moisture control a critical component of any effective pest control plan.
There's no instant or overnight solution for a cockroach infestation, but there is one fix that's more effective than all the others: calling a pest control specialist. Because cockroaches are so difficult to kill and infestations are tough to control, it's best to rely on the pros to get rid of them.
Getting Rid of Roaches: The Do's and Don'ts
Rinse all recyclables clean and take them out every few days. Put garbage in tightly covered containers and keep them outside. Wash dishes, tables, counters and stove tops every day.
IGR for roaches should be part of any effective plan to eradicate roaches from your space. Roach IGR products will prevent young roaches from maturing, preventing them from reproducing.
Simple DIY Roach Bait
Mix equal parts of: Powdered sugar. Yellow cornmeal (use fine cornmeal) Borax or boric acid*
To get rid of 100% of roaches, you need a multi-pronged attack: deep cleaning (remove food/water), sealing entry points, and using baits/dusts like boric acid or diatomaceous earth, plus professional help for severe cases. Focus on eliminating food sources, sealing cracks, and applying baits strategically in hidden spots, repeating treatments and maintaining cleanliness for long-term control.
Unfortunately, cockroaches are not loners. If you see one, there are likely many more that you can't see. Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures, so you'll most likely spot them late at night, especially if you walk into your kitchen and turn on the light.
German cockroaches absolutely dominate when it comes to rapid reproduction. These prolific breeders produce 5-8 oothecae during their lifetime, with each case containing 35-40 eggs. The timeline is what makes German roaches so problematic. Females form a new ootheca every 20-25 days under typical indoor conditions.
Here's it is in a nutshell: cockroaches eat decaying matter, trapping nitrogen in their poop, which is then released into the soil when they go number 2. Without that nitrogen-rich poop feeding our environment, we'd be in serious trouble. Think of no plants, crops, food…
Follow Up Fact Hub Cockroaches are so repulsed by humans that if they're touched by a human, not only do they ran away but also wash themselves.
Cockroaches are among the sturdiest and most challenging pests to eliminate. This is because their body is designed to endure a variety of physical stresses, such as pinching, squeezing, and squashing.
This usually happens around 4 hours after the lights go out. They emerge to feed on whatever they can find in your house including food that's been left out, pet food in a dish, crumbs on the floor, garbage, sludge between the stove and counter, or any other source of fresh or rotting food matter.
So you now know what do cockroaches hate the most: strong natural scents like peppermint, clove, eucalyptus, and even common kitchen spices.
Here's how to attract a cockroach out of hiding: Use sticky traps or gel baits near warm, dark areas like behind the stove, under the fridge, or near drains. Using a bait or attractant is the best way to lure them out.