The soapy bubbles clog up their roachy book lungs which usually kills them in under 90 seconds, unlike roach sprays that have them twitching for 5+ minutes after you spray them. The soapy water works especially well on roaches because it prevents them from climbing walls.
It will only take about 2 – 3 sprays to kill any roaches, as the soapy solution will cover their breathing pores and suffocate them. This is a great rodent extermination method for individual cockroaches, but it won't keep them out of your home or prevent them from entering your home.
It's easy to spray in small nooks and crannies and won't leave any residue. Soapy Water: Surprisingly, dousing a cockroach in soapy water will suffocate and kill it. Filling a spray bottle with dish soap and water, shaking it, and spraying a roach from above will kill it quickly.
Vinegar is a natural household ingredient that can repel and kill cockroaches. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water, and then spray it directly onto the roaches when spotted. The strong odour and acidity of vinegar can be effective in eliminating them instantly.
Cockroaches will eat soap, so it is not toxic to them. However, if you cover them sufficiently with a soapy solution, it will disrupt their ability to breathe through their spiracles and they will suffocate. So yes, Dawn soap will kill a roach when used correctly and accurately.
Boric acid is a powerful natural home remedy for getting rid of roaches overnight. Mix equal amounts of boric acid, flour, and sugar until it becomes a dough-like consistency. Place small pieces where the roaches can feed on them.
Lemon. The idea behind this DIY roach control option is to clean your home using a solution of water and lemon juice, as cockroaches cannot stand the scent of lemon.
Smells that roaches hate: a quickfire summary
Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too. And surprisingly, lower concentrations – 2.5 parts per hundred – seem to work best as deterrents. Just don't bother with lavender.
Citrus. You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
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.
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.
This one's a myth. Salt doesn't kill cockroaches. However, epsom salt (a.k.a. magnesium sulfate) is toxic to roaches. Use it just like baking soda.
One of the best methods for how to keep roaches away is to clean up food scraps, including tiny crumbs that you might overlook at a glance. Armed with a broom and a vacuum, give your floors a thorough cleaning regularly. Make sure to pull appliances away from the wall to clean underneath them.
These pests are also quickly adapting to strong pesticides, making them harder to kill with typical chemicals. The infestation won't die overnight, either. It can take around two to three weeks to eliminate all of the roaches in your home.
Soapy water A lot of people don't know this, but using soapy water can be great when you want to kill roaches. You can spray them with soapy water and this will suffocate them. The focus here is to create a thin film of soap around the roach's body and that will suffocate him.
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.
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.
If your home smells like mildew, but you don't find any leaks or mold, it may be a good idea to check for termites. Cockroaches have a telltale smell that's uniquely oily and musty. Unless you've encountered an infestation before, odds are you won't recognize this odor until it's too late.
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.
Eucalyptus essential oil has a fresh fragrance that, surprisingly, seems to confuse or alarm cockroaches. This stuff is strong and you'll only need to mix a few drops with water and spray it around the cockroaches' hotspots to repel them. Research has also shown that eucalyptus essential oil is toxic to roaches.
Some suggest crushing bay leaves and placing them in areas where they hide to repel them, Essential Oils - A general idea that cockroaches dislike the smell of essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree as they disrupt and musk their scent trails in food finding.
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.
Home remedies like diatomaceous earth, baking soda, boric acid, citrus, essential oils, and borax can be effective ways to get rid of roaches. If you want to take a more aggressive approach to eliminate roaches, glue traps, bait stations, and liquid roach deterrent concentrates are all excellent options.