Just hearing the word “roaches” might give you shivers. Sadly, they’re pesky bugs that are hard to eliminate. If you spot roaches in your home, like in your kitchen, attic, or bathroom, you want to remove them quickly. And with this guide on getting rid of cockroaches in kitchen home remedies, you will be roach-free.
In this article, you will learn about the quickest methods to say goodbye to roaches forever, along with all the important information about the choices you have.
Why Are There Roaches in My Kitchen?
No matter what type of roaches are in your house, one thing is clear: you don’t want them around. Roaches can cause allergies, spread sickness, and make your living space dirty, apart from just making you feel uneasy. Let’s look at some common reasons you find cockroaches in your kitchen:
1. Food Sources
Roaches are food lovers and opportunistic feeders – they’ll eat almost anything – PETA. They really like starchy, sugary, oily foods, and meat. Leaving out easy food like unwashed dishes, pet food on the ground, or crumbs on surfaces can attract them.
Roaches also prefer your garbage, so remember to empty the trash often and close the lids of your garbage cans tightly. You should also know that roaches munch on things we might not consider as food, like soap, hair, and leftovers from toothpaste.
2. Hiding Spots
Roaches come inside kitchens to find safe spots to hide. When it’s daytime, they prefer dark and quiet places. Different types of roaches might choose to live behind kitchen cabinets, in wooden spaces, in damp areas like under the sink, or even in the back of your electronic gadgets.
3. Location
Dealing with roaches can be annoying, especially if you’ve been trying to prevent the things that usually attract them. Regrettably, certain places are just more interesting to roaches than others. For instance, species like the American cockroach can make themselves at home without needing dirty surroundings. or cluttered kitchen. They might slip in through gaps around windows or an open door.
4. Water
Just like any other animal, cockroaches require water to stay alive. They can enter even the cleanest homes to look for it. Leaky pipes, drains, faucets, open showers, and pet water bowls can draw them in. Roaches also like damp places such as basements and crawl spaces.
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Kitchen Home Remedies
If you don’t want to use chemicals like sprays or foggers to remove roaches, there are some useful home remedies that can make cockroaches leave your kitchen. Most of them are safe for kids and pets.
1. Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth, also known as DE, is a natural roach in kitchen home remedy. It is made from crushed ancient algae and has sharp particles that dry out insects. When roaches come in contact, their outer shells get hurt and they dry up. Buy food-grade DE and sprinkle a little on places where you’ve seen roaches.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Makes a mess |
| Cost | Not expensive | Needs to be applied again |
| Safety | Won’t harm kids or pets | Dead roaches need to be located and disposed of after using DE |
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a quick and simple way to remove roaches, and you might already have it in your kitchen. You can make a roach trap by cutting up some onions and putting baking soda on them. Put this mix on a plate where you’ve seen roaches. When roaches eat baking soda, it creates gas in their stomachs, making them burst.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Pets might eat onions (bad for dogs) |
| Safety | Safe | Can be messy |
| Cost | Not expensive | You’ll need to find and get rid of dead roaches |
3. Boric Acid
Boric acid is a natural remedy for cockroaches in kitchen made from water and boron and is found in fruits and plants. It won’t hurt children or pets, but it’s bad news for roaches. When roaches touch boric acid, it sticks to them. If they eat it, it messes up their nervous and digestive systems, and they die fast.
As one of the home remedies to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen, you just have to sprinkle a bit on a paper plate. Put an orange peel or some peanut butter in the middle and put the plate where you’ve seen roaches.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Can get messy |
| Cost | Not expensive | Needs many tries |
| Nature | Natural | Might not be good if you have pets or little kids at home |
| Safety | Safe | You have to find and throw away dead roaches |
| Simplicity | Simple |
4. Borax
Speaking of ways to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen home remedies, borax makes the list. This is a laundry product that can kill roaches easily. Mix equal parts of borax and white sugar, then sprinkle it where you’ve seen roaches. When they eat this mix, the borax will dry them out and quickly get rid of them.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Can be messy |
| Cost | Not expensive | Needs to be applied again |
| Scope | Kills big and small roaches | You have to find and get rid of dead roach bodies |
5. Citrus for Cockroaches in Kitchen Home Remedies
Cockroaches do not like the smell of lemons, even though we like the taste. So, when you mop your floors, put a few drops of lemon oil in the water. You will not smell it, but roaches will, and they will leave.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Doesn’t kill roaches, just keeps them away |
| Cost | Not expensive | |
| Safety | Good if you have kids and pets |
6. Essential Oils
Essential oils are awesome for keeping roaches away. Get peppermint or lemongrass oil, mix a bit with water, and spray where you’ve seen roaches. Oils like citrus, lime, oregano, and rosemary work well to keep roaches away, according to research.
| Aspect | Advantages | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Doesn’t eliminate cockroaches |
| Cost | Costs less | |
| Safety | Safe for children and pets | |
| Health Impact | Not harmful |
7. Seal Up All Entry Points with Caulk
Glue strips and bait stations can help with roaches, but if new ones keep coming in, they won’t help much. So, you can use caulk to close up holes where roaches might get in. Look carefully at gaps in walls or tiles, old weather stripping, and openings around doors and windows.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Caulk can get old and stop working, requiring regular maintenance |
| Risk | Not risky | |
| Cost | Doesn’t cost much |
Get Rid of Cockroaches in Kitchen Home Remedies (Chemicals Solutions)
Want to try the usual methods to fix your roach issue? Here are chemical methods to use to remove cockroaches from your kitchen:
1. Buy Roach Traps
Sticky traps are a safe and good method to find out where roaches are causing problems and stop them from breeding. Sticky strips are sheets with sticky stuff on them. We have greatly explained the best roach traps for roaches in the kitchen – get one for your home. You can also use gel bait for cockroaches – these are safe for homes with pets and children.
For the best result, you have to put glue strips you buy from the store where you’ve seen roaches, like behind the fridge or under the sink.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | You need to monitor strips and replace them when full of dead roaches |
| Safety | Okay around children and pets (if hidden) | Not suitable for big roach problems |
| Speed | Works quickly | Good for managing small issues |
2. Set Cockroach Bait Stations
What gets rid of cockroaches super fast? Bait stations do. Usually, these come in a long tube and you can put them where you’ve seen roaches. We have detailed a guide on the BEST bait station for roaches. The smell of the bait brings roaches in and they eat the poison. When a roach goes back to its hiding spot and dies, other roaches eat it, and that spreads the poison to the group.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Bait stations don’t look nice at home, might harm kids and pets, leave dead roaches around, other animals like birds might eat the dead roaches and get hurt too. |
| Speed | Acts quickly |
3. Try Using Liquid Concentrate
Get a strong liquid that keeps roaches away from a store that sells home improvement stuff. This strong liquid can be mixed with water and sprayed into cracks where roaches hide.
For a bigger fix, put a little of this liquid in a bucket of water and mop your floors. Roaches will stay away overnight and won’t come back as much.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well | Has harmful substances, not suitable if you have kids or pets at home |
| Speed | Acts quickly | Not expensive |
4. Use an Insect Growth Regulator
If you’ve got roaches at home or think they’re making babies there, you can use an insect growth regulator (IGR) to control cockroaches in the kitchen. These come in different types, like sprays with Pyriproxifen. IGR attacks roach eggs and baby roaches, stopping them from growing up and making fewer roaches overall.
Insect growth regulators work well, but they’re even better when you use them with things that get rid of grown-up roaches like baits, traps, and strong liquids.
| Aspect | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Works well on young roaches, prevents reproduction | Doesn’t eliminate adult roaches, might take a few months to see results |
| Cost | Not expensive |
What Not to Use to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Kitchen Home Remedies
Do not use roach bombs. Some people try roach bombs. They are also called “foggers” and they release a bug-killing spray into the air. The spray settles on surfaces and gets rid of pests. Usually, you put the roach bomb in the middle of the room and make it work. Roach bombs are really dangerous and not advisable to use them.
Contact Your Local Pest Control Provider
While it is okay to employ measures to get rid of cockroaches in kitchen home remedies, it might not be a permanent fix. So, make sure you do it right using the services of experts to solve your infestation completely. Professionals can find and remove roaches safely and well, without harming your kids, pets, or home.
