One of the nastiest creatures that can invade your home is the cockroach. Along with spreading bacteria around your house, they can transmit diseases to you and your family. If you have a roach infestation, you might want to try these fantastic homemade roach killer tips and recipes before spending your hard earned money on professional pest control services.
While you can bring in a local pest control service to deal with these vile insects, the chemicals they use to kill roaches isn’t healthy for you, your family, or the environment.
Not only are these home remedies for cockroaches inexpensive, but they will kill the roaches permanently without resorting to harmful and expensive chemicals.

Are there Different Types of Cockroaches?
There are more than 4,500 different kinds of roaches in the world. German cockroaches are the most common roaches found in homes. These insects have a high capacity for breeding, and a single female cockroach and her offspring can produce more than 30,000 cockroaches in a year, making it super important to take care of a roach problem quickly.
The American cockroach is another common household pest and by far the largest of its species. Measuring from one to three inches, it can survive up to two years, which is significantly longer than other kinds of cockroaches.
These roaches prefer the outdoors but are attracted to water sources, which is why you often find them near kitchen drains, in laundry rooms, the basement, and bathrooms.
What Do Cockroaches Hate?
If you have an infestation, you might be wondering how to get rid of roaches. For the best solutions to a cockroach problem, it can be beneficial to know what they hate. Here are ten things that cockroaches hate that could help you eliminate them from your house for good.
If you have a problem with cockroaches invading your home, then you’ll want to try these fantastic homemade roach traps and homemade roach spray for repelling and killing roaches.
How to Get Rid of Cockroaches Fast
Eliminating roaches from your home can be a slow process. There is a variety of roach killing home remedies that can help you deal with a roach problem. Different recipes use natural ingredients to both repel and kill these unwanted house guests.
Repelling roaches naturally not only keeps your family safe, but it can also prevent roaches from returning. Here are the best natural roach killing home remedies to get rid of these disgusting insects for good.
Coffee Grounds and Water
A homemade roach bait, coffee grounds, and water are one of the most effective natural remedies for getting rid of roaches fast.
Roaches love to eat organic food and are especially attracted to the aroma of coffee, among other organic foods. By using coffee grounds, you can lure them into a homemade roach trap and get them out of your home.
Start by filling the jars halfway with water. Then place some coffee grounds into each of the little cups and put the cups into the jars. Place the pots against the walls and along the baseboards, and anywhere else you suspect you might have a cockroach nest.
The roaches are attracted to the coffee’s aroma and will crawl into the jars to get to it. They become trapped in the jars. Check the homemade roach traps daily, and dump any roaches in the container, along with the water into the toilet.
Make sure you take the cups out of the jars before flushing the cockroaches. Repeat this process daily until you’ve gotten rid of all the roaches.
Water and Fabric Softener
A combination of water and fabric softener is another effective way to get rid of roaches naturally and quickly. Like most insects, cockroaches breathe through their skin.
When you spray them with a solution of three parts natural fabric softener, and two parts clean water, it will make it more difficult for them to breathe, and eventually suffocate them to death.
Borax and Sugar
Cockroaches are attracted to organic food, especially anything that is sweet, like sugar. When you combine Borax and sugar, you get an effective homemade roach killer that will kill cockroaches quickly and efficiently.
This popular home remedy is just as effective as the spray used by commercial exterminators and works by dehydrating the exoskeleton of these household pests and damaging their digestive system.
Start by mixing equal partsBorax and sugar. Next, apply the mixture under your kitchen cabinets and sinks, along with your baseboards, in cracks and crevices, and anywhere else you’ve seen cockroaches.
Within a few hours, you’ll start finding dead roaches around your home. You’ll need to use this method sparingly as Borax is a poison and could be harmful to your children and pets.
Baking Soda and Sugar
One of the best roach killer ingredients is baking soda. This natural, non-toxic cockroach killer is the perfect alternative to the poisonous commercial roach killers you can find at the grocery store. Using this method regularly will have your home roach free in no time.
Mix the baking soda and sugar and place it in the empty pot. Shake the mixture to ensure that it is evenly distributed. Pour some of the blends into the shallow bowls and put them around your home in areas where you think you have cockroaches.
The sugar in the mix will attract the roaches, and when they eat the mixture, the baking powder will expand in their stomach effectively killing them from the inside out.
Homemade Roach Spray
If you’re looking for an effective homemade cockroach repellent, look no further than this instrumental indoor natural roach killer. A typical homemade cockroach repellent uses one teaspoon of liquid dish soap and one cup of water. However, this is only effective if it can be sprayed directly on the roaches.
Adding baking soda or Borax to the mix will effectively kill the roaches where they live. Here’s how to make this homemade spray to kill the cockroaches in their nests effectively.
Fill a spray bottle with the water, then add the dish soap and the peppermint essential oil. Next, add the baking soda. Replace the cap of the spray bottle and gently shake to combine the ingredients.
Spray the solution in areas where you find cockroaches, like under your kitchen counters, behind your refrigerator, along the baseboards, and in any cracks and crevices.
The peppermint oil will help to repel cockroaches while the baking soda works as an effective roach bait that the cockroaches will take back to their nest, effectively killing the colony. This spray is also great for repelling bedbugs, fleas, ticks, spiders, and mites.
Catnip
The pungent herb catnip is a natural method for cockroach control that is extremely effective and repelling cockroaches while being safe to use around pets and kids. The active ingredient in this useful herb is nepetalactone, which is non-toxic to pets and humans, but an element that roaches hate.
Start by simmering some catnip in water to make a catnip tea. Pour the herbal tea into a spray bottle and spray the solution behind your counters and around your home’s baseboards and anywhere else you suspect cockroaches are hiding.
For a more long-term solution, you can fill small sachets with catnip and leave them around your home where you’ve seen cockroaches. If you have a cat, don’t use this method and use one of the other effective home remedies.
Cayenne Pepper
When it comes to natural roach repellents, you don’t want to forget about cayenne pepper.
While it’s unclear what it is that makes cayenne pepper so effective in repelling roaches; one thing is sure that it is an extremely effective natural remedy for a cockroach infestation.
Mix the cayenne pepper, garlic, and onion in a small bowl. Add the water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the mixture of pepper, garlic, and onion and allow to boil for ten minutes.
Remove from heat and let it sit for a few minutes until it cools. Once cool, add the mixture to a spray bottle. Spray the repellent spray in the areas that are roach infested.
Bay Leaf
Bay leaves are a herb that is widely used in Asian cooking, and that is extremely effective at driving roaches out of your house. It’s one of the best plants that repel roaches, fruit flies, and other flying insects.
Cockroaches, it is believed, can’t stand the smell of these potent herbs and can be used to get rid of roaches fast. Dry a handful of bay leaves, or buy the already dried kind.
With a pestle or mortar, grind the leaves into a fine powder. Once you have a fine powder, sprinkle it around the house when you suspect you have a nest of cockroaches. The roaches will quickly leave the area to get away from the strong odor.
Use a Soda Bottle to Make a Trap
While you can purchase roach traps at the supermarket, it can get expensive. Instead, use your extra soda bottles to make roach traps at home. You’ll need a plastic soda bottle, tape, a sharp knife, soap, and water to make the trap.
Start by using the knife to cut the top third of the bottle off. Next, remove the cap and place the top of the bottle into the bottom part to make a funnel. Place tape around the rim to keep the top part of the bottle in place.
Then, pour some water and dish soap into the bottle, and place the trap in an area where you see cockroaches. The roaches will crawl into the container and drown.
Water and Ammonia Mixture
Ammonia is another ingredient that works well for repelling cockroaches. The best way to utilize this roach killer is by getting into the habit of cleaning hard surfaces with a mix of ammonia and water. Roaches hate the pungent smell of ammonia and will steer clear of any areas that are washed with the mixture.
Fill a bucket with water and two cups of ammonia. Using a soft towel, wipe down all the hard surfaces in your home with the solution. Repeat this process for several weeks and roaches will migrate to a new place to live.
Boric Acid
Boric acid is a widely used ingredient in many commercial pest control products. Unfortunately, the boric acid powder is highly toxic and should only be used as a cockroach killer as a last resort. However, if you’ve tried all the other home remedies for cockroaches to no avail, you can use boric acid to get rid of these nasty creatures.
Sprinkle the boric acid on top of your kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets. Avoid putting it inside the cabinets due to its highly toxic nature. Cockroaches like to hide in high places, so if you can put this ingredient up high, it won’t go to waste. The cockroaches will take the powder back to their nests and kill the colony.
You have to use the utmost care if using boric acid in your home as it is highly toxic to pets and people. After handling boric acid, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. Consider using disposable gloves to keep it from getting on your hands.
Cockroaches are some of the vilest insects to walk the planet and are challenging to get rid of once they invade your home. If you don’t want to resort to harmful chemicals to get rid of these nasty pests, you can try one of these fantastic homemade roach killer tips and recipes.
Recipe for Homemade Roach Killer

Homemade Roach Killer
A simple DIY solution for a big bug problem.
Materials
- 8 ounces tap water
- 1 tsp dishwashing liquid
- 18 drops peppermint oil
- 1 tbsp Borax
Tools
- 12-ounce glass spray bottle
- Teaspoon
- Measuring cup
- Tablespoon
Instructions
- Pour the water, essential oil, and dish soap into the bottle.
- Shake to combine without too many bubbles.
- Add the Borax and shake again.
- Spray any area where you find roaches.
Notes
You can substitute baking soda for Borax.

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