Boric Acid It's extremely toxic and can kill multiple generations of roaches. Mix a combination of equal parts of boric acid, sugar and water to make a dough. Roll that dough into balls or cylinders and place them where roaches will find them. The first roaches will eat the dough, head back to their home, and die.
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.
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.
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.
Citronella
Citronella not only works great for repelling mosquitos but also cockroaches. While the candles don't work well against roaches, you can use citronella oil as a deterrent. You can mix it with water and use it as a spray or simply wipe down areas with the diluted mixture.
Cockroaches have a strong sense of smell. Using natural scents works best to deter roaches. Plants such as eucalyptus, lavender, and mint are smells roaches hate.
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 cockroaches get enough borax on the outside of their bodies, it actually damages their exoskeletons. This causes them to rapidly dehydrate and die; a thick coating of borax will certainly get rid of roaches overnight.
In that scenario, you can buy what are called desiccant dusts—like diatomaceous earth, a non-toxic substance you can find on Amazon—and that will dehydrate the eggs, thereby killing them.
1. Kill Roaches With Baking Soda and Onions. Let's begin with one of the quickest, easiest, and most “make it right now!” home remedies for roaches – baking soda and onions, both of which you may already have in the fridge. Dice a handful of onion, sprinkle it with deadly baking soda, and voila!
The best way to get rid of roaches fast is to sanitize your home, eliminate hiding spots and stagnant water, store food in airtight containers, and use glue strips, bait, boric acid, or liquid concentrates.
It is possible to completely get rid of roaches but most homeowners need the help of a professional to make this a reality.
Boric Acid
It's extremely toxic and can kill multiple generations of roaches. Mix a combination of equal parts of boric acid, sugar and water to make a dough.
Sprinkle the diatomaceous earth around areas where roaches travel and frequent. The sharp particles of diatomaceous earth damage the waxy, protective exoskeleton of the roach, causing it to dehydrate and die, typically within 48 hours of contact.
Natural Remedy: Soap and Water
Similar to the fabric softener approach, a natural remedy for killing cockroaches is a mixture of water and soap, dispensed from a spray bottle. If you see cockroaches in the open, the spray can kill the pests on sight.
Cockroaches are not truly social insects (like honey bees or termites). As such, they do not have a queen. However, they are considered 'gregarious' and tend to congregate during rest times (generally the daytime).
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.
So what smell do roaches hate? Oregano, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, lemongrass and catnip are great herby options. Citrus oils work brilliantly too.
Once a roach has found and consumed bait, it typically dies within 1-3 days. A substantial reduction in the infestation overall should be apparent within a few weeks. With cockroach baits, it usually is not necessary to empty kitchen cabinets or cover food preparation surfaces before treatment.
A concoction of baking soda and sugar is an effective cockroach killer and controls the multiplication of these pests. Sugar acts as a bait to attract cockroaches and the baking soda kills them. You just need to identify their hideouts and sprinkle this mixture in those corners.
Two of the most common cockroach predators are toads and frogs! Both of these amphibians are known for eating insects like flies, but they also gladly welcome cockroaches. Because both frogs and toads tend to live in shady, moist environments, they frequently encounter cockroaches that also love the dark and damp.
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.