Fabuloso is an excellent multi-purpose cleaning solution that protects your home from germs. If you're particularly looking to repel or kill roaches, go for lavender-flavored Fabuloso. Lavender separately can kill roaches.
Pine-Sol and Fabuloso are strong, all-purpose household cleaners. Similar to bleach, these products kill roaches on contact. Some homeowners suggest spraying Pine-Sol around the outside of your house to keep cockroaches away.
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.
Remove hiding places from the floor
Keep the floor clean of cardboard, paper, or other items that can serve as shelter for roaches. Avoid leaving storage boxes, pet food containers and other items in the kitchen where cockroaches are most likely to exist.
They now make trash bags pre-scented with mint or other scents known to repel cockroaches, mice, and other common trash invaders. These bags may prove effective because peppermint, winter mint, and spearmint are among the strongest odors to deter various bugs and rodents.
All About Vinegar
It can, however, help deter roaches and get rid of germs in the kitchen when used as a cleaning agent. A clean house, especially a clean kitchen, is one of the best lines of defense against cockroaches.
The best way to keep cockroaches away permanently is to make the home less inviting. Make sure to keep the home clean, clean up food messes, take out trash at the end of the day, seal any cracks or gaps around windows, doors and the foundation, and fix any issue that might lead to high moisture content within the home.
Mopping with bleach will not eliminate cockroach infestations. However, good sanitation is always recommended as this will help eliminate food sources and harborage areas for the cockroaches to seek refuge.
It's a fact that cockroaches are afraid of humans and other mammals or animals that are bigger than them. They see us as predators and that fear triggers their instinct to scatter away. However, they dislike strong and distinctive scents such as citrus, peppermint, lavender and vinegar.
Mint. For best results, mix mint oil and water in a spray bottle and spritz anywhere bugs can enter your home. Mint, such as peppermint oil, contains a compound called menthone that can kill cockroaches. And since menthone is what gives the oil its smell, it works great as a deterrent.
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.
Listerine and Washing up Liquid
Mix equal parts listerine and water and add a few drops of washing up liquid. Give it a good shake in the spray bottle and either spray around the house or directly at the cockroaches. This will send them on their way and potentially kill them if aimed straight at them.
The combination of white vinegar and water is a great natural bug spray. Not only will it kill bugs on the spot and work to repel the others, but it's an all-natural cleaning solution for countertops and floors.
White vinegar works particularly well for this. Add a cup of it to a bucket of wash water for mopping floors or put an equal amount of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle to wipe down most other surfaces in the home like cabinet shelves, closet shelves, and bookshelves.
Wash hard washable surfaces with cleanser (ammonia and water works well). Dust out of sight spaces with boric acid powder. Dust and seal any cracks and openings closed with caulk. Use roach baits near hiding places like behind pictures and wall hangings, under sinks and undersides of furniture.
Dirty houses are certainly more prone to attracting cockroaches and causing other types of pest infestations. However, even a clean house is not immune. In other words, you don't have to be a hoarder to have a roach infestation.
Vacuuming can easily remove many roaches, but it raises dust. A special filter (called HEPA) is available for many brands of vacuums to help control dust. Most roaches will be killed by vacuuming, but it's a good idea to change the vac- uum cleaner bag often and dispose of it in a double garbage bag. KEEP THEM OUT.
Bleach: Bleach kills everything! Spraying cockroaches with bleach or an ammonia mixture will poison them, but be cautious with this powerful chemical. Borax: Borax is a classic roach killer. It's a powdery substance which is a kind of salt.
As cockroaches hate the smell of vinegar, this will help keep them away. Also a major perk is that vinegar is a cleaning agent which will help keep your kitchen clean. However, if you find the smell of vinegar offensive, you will not like this method very much as the smell will linger for a while.
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.
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.
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.
Sugar is by far the most attractive substance to a cockroach. They love sugar and can smell it from anywhere. This means you'll want to keep your sugar containers, fruits, and other sweeteners sealed in air-tight containers that are up off the floor.
Do Cockroaches Hate Dettol? Yes, they do.