Natural and Chemical-Free Ways to Get Rid of Roaches

One of the most annoying and downright scary things a person can come across is a roach. This is especially true if you find that they have invaded your home. Roaches are known as being hard to get rid of, the most notorious type of roach being german roaches. A lot of us will reach for the Raid or other chemical based spray insect repellent. If they keep coming back you're likely to purchase some baits or traps. These will usually do the job, but did you know that there are lots of other ways to deal with your roach problem? Here I will tell you how to naturally prevent roaches, get rid of them and keep them away!

The easiest and somewhat obvious way to prevent roaches from coming into your home is to keep your house clean. I'm not suggesting that you are living in unsanitary pigsty conditions, but roaches can find their way to even the smallest crumb or drop of water. After cooking or preparing any kind of food, wipe off your counters and sweep up your floor. Try to keep all your food covered and put away. If you open a bag of rice or box of pasta, put it in a container with a tight lid or put the package inside a plastic bag with a tight "zipper" closure. The easiest way to get rid of crumbs that you might not be able to reach easily is with the hose attachment on your vaccuum cleaner. Roaches love to hide out in cracks and crevices, so keep these free of crumbs.

After you wash your dishes, dry your sink since roaches love water. Roaches can go for a long time without any food, but not water! Make sure you don't have any leaks or spills. Go around your kitchen and other areas you suspect the pests of entering from and use a simple caulking gun to seal up any holes. If you live in an apartment, you can have your landlord come out and fix these problems for you. If you're unable to wash your dishes right after you use them, keep them in a dish pan filled with soapy water. Roaches do not like soap!

In addition to cleaning, there are a few simple and cheap ways to effectively keep the roaches away. Consider getting a cat! If your family is looking for a pet, cats will keep after those roaches! It will keep them busy and you happy. Speaking of cats, catnip will keep away the roaches also! Sprinkle some outside around the house, behind the fridge, around the oven, underneath your sinks or other similar places. The catnip will repel the roaches but only if your cat doesn't get to it first! You can find catnap very inexpensively at pet stores in big containers to last you quite awhile. In the same way you use catnip to repel the roaches, you can do the same with bay leaves. You can keep them whole or crush them up and sprinkle around.

If a cat isn't in your plans, keep the spiders! Spiders will kill and eat the roaches they find in your home. Unfortunately, it is another insect in your house but if it gets rid of the roaches you might be able to make an exception!

To replace the chemical sprays, you can still spray the roaches with mixtures that will kill the roaches and keep them away. Find a water bottle and fill it with water and dish soap. When you find a roach invading your space, spray it with the soapy water. Once you spray the roach, the spray containing the soap will create a filmy layer over the roach, making it unable to breath, eventually killing it. Another mixture to keep in a spray bottle is:

Tea tree oil

Rosemary oil

Citronella oil

You can find these oils online or at your local health food store. Take these oils and mix them together with water. A few drops of each should be sufficient, depending on the size of your bottle. It will keep the roaches away and will kill a roach on contact.

You can also kill roaches with baking soda. If a roach ingests baking soda, it will dehydrate and die. To get a roach to eat baking soda, you need to mix it with something that will attract them. There are a few things you can use, such as: cocoa powder, brown sugar, white sugar or powdered sugar. Whatever you have on hand that is sweet will work. Mix the baking soda and sugary ingredient together and place in small shallow containers. You can use plastic lids or sprinkle the mixture around where the roaches are likely to come out.

Here are a few "recipes" to make with baking soda:

Take sweetened condensed milk and mix with bread crumbs to form a soft paste. Then add 1 - 2 tablespoons of baking soda to the paste. Spread the paste around roaches' favorite places. Don't use too much at once since roaches only like it when it's fresh. Reapply every couple of days.

You can also make dough balls with baking soda. This method is a very easy and mess free way to use baking soda. You will need:

1 - 2 cups of baking soda

1 cup of flour

1 chopped onion or onion powder

1/4 cup sugar (any kind should work)

1/2 cup shortening

Mix these ingredients together and add water to form a dough. Roll the dough into small balls and place around your home. You could make a bunch at once and keep them in an airtight container to keep it fresh and use as needed.

Roaches are extremely frustrating and can be difficult to get rid of. Make sure to keep replacing any of the above methods you choose and keep your house clean. Sometimes it can take a few weeks to see any difference, but be patient! Your efforts will pay off and eventually you will be roach free by using natural, chemical free practices!