10 Best Ways to Get Rid of Roaches

You certainly don't want cockroaches in your home, so here is how to get rid of them forever and ever.

Updated

March 23, 2023

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You certainly don’t want cockroaches in your home, so here is how to get rid of them forever and ever.

Fewer things can be more frustrating than having a roach infestation in your home. In most cases, these annoying and persistent vermin will make themselves at home in every part of your home as they search for food, water, and shelter. Woe unto you; they multiply so fast, which will not only intensify the problem but can also contaminate your food and transmit deadly bacteria. Worst of all, these sneaky pests can survive even the severest eradication attempts. Not sure of how to get rid of roaches? You’ve come to the right place.

While cockroaches won’t sting you like other household pests such as ants, bed bugs, and lice, roaches are a disgusting sight in your home and can be extremely bad for your health. They’re known to carry over 50 pathogens, so you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. Unfortunately, roaches are among the most persistent critters and can be extremely difficult to eliminate. But you don’t have to panic. With the solutions that you’re about to learn, you’ll only have to be consistent and patient and the roach infestation will be a thing of the past.

Whether you want to tackle a single sneaky roach or an entire army of roaches, here are the best ways of getting rid of cockroaches.

Table of Contents

1. Starve them with Cleanliness

No matter how clean your home is, roaches are attracted to your home for a variety of reasons but mainly in search of food and water. And we have to note that you may still have a roach infestation in your home even if it’s the cleanest in the whole neighborhood. This is because roaches may be attracted even with the smallest dirt or filth.

As such, the frontline way to get rid of roaches is by keeping your home thoroughly clean. Remove even the smallest of crumbs or spills and make sure that your floors, countertops, sinks, dishes, appliances are free of dirt and food debris at all times. This means that you have to mop regularly, remove grease from cooking spots, take out the garbage before going to bed, clean crumbs and spills immediately, seal food containers, and wash dishes immediately after use.

2. Remove their Water Source

It’s a known fact that roaches can go for months on end without food. Luckily for you, they can only survive for days without water. But then again, a single drop of water can sustain a whole army of roaches for days. So what does this mean? Getting rid of any moisture or the smallest source of water from all parts of your home can be a perfect way to get rid of roaches. You should never let even the smallest drop of water sit there for prolonged periods.

In addition to making sure that your sink is dry at all times, you should always address any source of concern immediately. In other words, make sure that there are no leaking sinks, bathtubs, drip trays, shower or any other place that may act as a source of water for the roaches.

3. Seal Your Home

solid-rubber-stoppers — Picture of Solid Rubber Stoppers

We all know that prevention is better than cure and the same applies when it comes to getting rid of these sneaky creatures. It’s always advisable to seal any potential place in your home that might give the roaches entry. Whether it’s the attic, windows or doors, make sure that there are no cracks, holes or crevices that may offer easy entry points for the roaches.

You should seal any cracks and crevices in the cabinets, walls, countertops, piping, attics, ceilings, basement, floorboards, under sinks and anywhere else that the roaches may use to intrude into your home. You can as well fill cracks in the roof, foundations, and extension walls. The best way is to use stoppers or plugs to seal these cracks.

4. Boric Acid

Boric acid is, without a doubt, one of the best home remedies for getting rid of roaches, especially if you want a DIY approach. This is because boric acid is highly poisonous for roaches. Sprinkling about 100 grams of boric acid near a water source or roach-infested areas will be enough to kill a whole clan of roaches.

All you have to do is mix equal amounts of boric acid, sugar, and flour to make balls of dough. You should then set these balls at strategic places around your home where the roaches are normally present so that they can feed on them. The mixture of flour and sugar will attract roaches while the boric acid will kill them.

Word of caution: Keep in mind that boric acid can be dangerous to small kids and pets, so you shouldn’t try this method if you have them around.

5. Use Diatomaceous Earth

This is one of the safest ways to get rid of roaches from your home as far as kids and pets are concerned. Again, the best part of using diatomaceous earth is that it will also help prevent future infestation. You should follow these steps for it to work effectively.

Clean your home thoroughly – We’ve mentioned that keeping your home thoroughly clean will lower your chances of getting a roach infestation in the first place. But because it has happened, you still need to clean virtually every area of your home.

Mop and dry any damp areas – Make sure that the roaches do not have any source of water. You do not want the roaches to have a water source as this will only make your diatomaceous ineffective.

Go outside and apply diatomaceous at the bases of your home – You should choose diatomaceous earth that works best with the surrounding climate. Apply the solution and let it sit for days. You can reapply if it gets washed away.

6. Use Gel Baits

roach-killing-gel — Picture of the Roach Killing Gel

Gel baits such as fipronil and Globol gel can be a very effective way of getting rid of roaches. Coming in tubes, you can spread these gels in roach-infested areas inside your home, in cracks, and crevices and it will instantly kill them. The only problem with this method is that it will leave you with hundreds of dead roaches lying everywhere and so you’ll have to pick them up and discard them accordingly. However, it can be a great solution if you don’t mind having to pick up the dead roaches. To avoid this, you can use a gel bait jar by adding roach attractants to the jar so that you have the roaches all in one place.

7. Use Ammonia

Ammonia treatment is another great way of getting rid of roach infestation. The best way to use ammonia is to mix ammonia and water in a spray bottle and use this mixture to clean all areas within the house. You can also spray the mixture directly on the roaches and it will kill them within minutes. It would also be effective to make sure that this mixture is sprayed on their eggs, as well as their shelter.

While using ammonia treatment may require around-the-clock work hunting down the roaches, it’s certainly well worth the effort. You’ll also have to do it consistently to be more effective.

8. Set Out Cockroach Baits

Roach baits are essentially poisonous to the pests. While they can be unpleasant to humans, they are generally very pleasant to the roaches and so you should take advantage of this. The idea here is that the roaches will feed on the baits, go back to their shelter, and die slowly.

You should place cockroach baits in areas that are inaccessible to children or pets such as in a far-reaching cabinet corner or under the sink. Again, keep in mind that roaches love darker places such as wall edges. It’s also essential to note that roach baits will only work if they do not have any other source of food. This, therefore, requires you to first get rid of their food source so that the only remaining option is the baits.

9. Use Baking Soda and Sugar

arm-hammer-pure-baking-soda — Picture of the Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda

A mixture of baking soda and sugar may not be as effective as boric acid but it can still be an effective way of getting rid of these annoying pests. Scientific studies show that when a cockroach consumes baking soda, it will mix with the acid in the roach’s stomach and will kill it over time.

All you have to do is mix equal amounts of baking soda and sugar and sprinkle them in roach-infested areas. Sugar isn’t deadly to roaches but should work as an attractant. You should sprinkle this mixture daily until you no longer see even the minutest sign of cockroaches. For this method to work perfectly, you also have to know the roaches’ nest as this will make it a lot easier to kill them.

10. Seek the Services of a Professional Exterminator

Let’s be very honest here; there are certain situations that the best solution would be to seek the services of a professional exterminator. For example, what do you do when all the DIY methods aren’t working? Well, your only solution would be to contact a qualified exterminator to help you deal with this problem. It may be a little expensive but it’s worth the effort.

Conclusion

Roaches are among the most annoying and despised pests on earth. In addition to carrying and spreading diseases, they’re often associated with dirty environments and can be very stressful to have them invade your home. The above-described remedies should leave you in a much better position on how to get rid of roaches. Hopefully, the roach infestation in your home will be a thing of the past.