Cockroaches are unsanitary and annoying pests
that are unwelcome guests in any home. Everybody
agree? Okay. But the smelly and expensive
pesticides out there on the market are just
as unpleasant and unsafe! So ditch the toxic
chemicals, and try these 100% natural ways
to keep roaches out of your house for good!
1. Know where and why infestations start
Before you go on the offense, you need to
know where your target is, right? Infestations
usually start in the kitchen, especially in
those dark hard-to-clean spaces behind and
under cabinets and appliances. So make sure
you keep your kitchen thoroughly cleaned before
and after cooking and that no food is left
out on the counters or spilled in the cabinets.
Roaches are attracted to garbage, meat, cheese,
sugary foods, and grease. Keep that stuff
out of their reach, and they shouldn’t show
up in the first place. But in case they do,
there’s always…
2. Bay Leaves
Cockroaches are repulsed by the smell! You
probably already have bay leaves on hand,
but if not, they’re easily found in any
grocery store. Try tucking them or leaving
a clump in those hard-to-clean places. This
method may take a lot of bay leaves and patience,
but it’s a nice natural way to send roaches
packing.
3. Garlic or Cayenne Powder
On that note, there are plenty of spices with
strong odors that repel roaches. You can use
garlic- or onion powder, and sprinkle it in
and around their favorite hangout spots. You
might even mix the two together for a super
pungent repellant!
4. Lemons
Cut a lemon in half and squeeze it directly
over your surfaces. You can also mix some
lemon juice with a little water in a spray
bottle in order to target those hard-to-reach
areas that cockroaches love so much. The lemon
juice will effectively repel these pests,
and your kitchen will smell amazing too! An
added bonus is that it’s also a natural
disinfectant. That’s crucial since roaches
carry a host of dangerous bacteria and viruses.
5. Vinegar with Peppermint Oil
Lots of insects can’t stand these two smells,
roaches included. Just fill a medium-sized
spray bottle with mostly vinegar, and add
enough drops of peppermint essential oil so
that you can smell it. Give it a shake and
get to spraying. Target your kitchen and bathroom.
Get the corners of your floors, all the nooks
and crannies, and roaches won’t come anywhere
near your house!
6. Neem Oil
This one keeps away a lot of insects and pests
because it contains a certain chemical that’s
poisonous to them. It’s found in many sprays
and lotions, but pure neem oil will really
do the trick. Hey, you might have to spend
a little extra cash, but it’s still cheaper
than the exterminator! You can mix it with
water in a spray solution, or just sprinkle
the powder form where need be.
7. Soap Solution
Find a soap that contains borax so that your
solution packs an even better punch. Borax
is a natural antiseptic and cleaner that’s
used in powdered laundry detergents and disinfecting
hand soaps. Mix the soap with a little hot
water and spread it thickly on your kitchen
counters and near any infestation points.
Cockroaches and similar pests breathe through
the pores of their shells and skin, so when
they start crawling around in this soap, the
borax will get the job done.
8. Catnip
Your kitty might love it, but the same can’t
be said about cockroaches. Put some fresh
catnip leaves in a sachet – you know, those
little sheer drawstring bags usually used
for steeping tea – or other porous bag.
Set them around in the same popular roach
places: cabinets, corners, and whatnot. Just
remember to change out the leaves when needed
so that your anti-roach balls keep their potency!
If you grow catnip in your garden, that’s
even better since you’ll always have an
endless supply on hand.
Now, besides all those DIY natural treatments,
there are also cockroach traps that you can
make yourself with ingredients you likely
have in your kitchen right now. Once you’ve
put them together, place them in the spots
where you think the roaches are coming from,
like nice dark places for them to look for
food and water. But instead of a snack and
some hydration, they’ll find…
1. Baking Soda and Sugar Trap
Take the smallest dish you can find – it
can even be the lid to a gallon of milk or
juice, and put a mix of baking soda and sugar
in it in a 1:1 ratio. Then set another equally
small container full of water near it. The
sweet sugary smell attracts roaches, so they
eat the powder mixture. Once they take a drink
of water, it reacts with the baking soda,
and, well, let’s just say the roaches get
a bad case of bubble guts that they don’t
walk away from... Keep checking your trap,
clean up around it, and replenish it when
necessary.
2. Duct Tape Trap
Cut a sizable strip of duct tape off the roll,
maybe about the length of your forearm. Put
the strip sticky-side-up, and fold down each
end so that it’s easy to pick up and dispose
of later on. You’ll also need a bait. Remember,
besides sweet sugary stuff, roaches also love
fatty foods, so a small chunk of cheese or
a dollop of peanut butter with some sugar
on top will be perfect. Place your bait in
the middle of the strip. The idea is that
the roaches will go after the bait and get
stuck in the duct tape on the way. Just don’t
use a sweet liquid as your bait; this will
dissolve the tape’s stickiness!
3. Slippery Jar Trap (by the way, if you wanted
to secure the roache’s money on the trip
to the bank, you’d put it in a Jar Jar Brinks…
oh c’mon, that was funny!)
Back to the tip. Grab an empty pickle jar
or one of a similar size, and make sure it
is completely clean and dry. Put some bait
in the bottom, like that hunk of cheese, sugary
peanut butter, or even some pan grease. Now
spread some petroleum jelly all over the inside
of the jar, especially around the inside of
the mouth. The cockroaches will climb in to
go after the bait, but they won’t be able
to climb back up the slippery surface to escape!
You can even make it easier for them to get
into by covering the outside of your jar with
painter’s tape. Feel free to make several
of these traps and place them throughout your
house!
C’mon, Jar Jar Brinks, yeah, yeah? …okay.
4. The Coffee Trap
Grab a clean dry glass jar. Take a small Styrofoam
or plastic cup and fill it with wet coffee
grounds. The cup should be small enough to
easily fit in the jar, yet sturdy enough to
be unaffected by water. Place your small cup
of wet coffee grounds down inside the jar.
Fill the rest of the jar with water, stopping
a little below the surface of the bait cup.
Roaches are drawn to the smell of coffee too,
so they’ll climb in after the grounds but
won’t be able to get out since they’re
not the greatest of swimmers. Repeat as necessary,
and your population of roaches should eventually
be gone.
And, finally, you should recognize when this
infestation is beyond your control. Cockroaches
might seem like introverts, hiding in isolated
spots and whatnot. But they’re actually
quite social, just not with you! So if you
see 1 or 2, you probably have LOTS more where
they came from. They’ve probably got whole
colonies in the walls, roof tiles, sewage
system, under the bathtub, and anywhere else
dark and out-of-reach. Roaches are also nocturnal,
so they do most of their scavenging while
you’re asleep. If you see them during the
day, you likely already have a major problem.
If you try any of these natural remedies over
time but it doesn’t seem to make a difference,
then it’s probably high-time to call a professional!
Are there any bugs that make your skin crawl?
Let me know down in the comments! Maybe I
can find some more natural remedies to get
rid of them too. Like Jar Jar Brinks! And
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