Eliminating cockroaches can be a challenge, especially if we intend to use natural products. These insects, in addition to being very repulsive, also transmit diseases and can contaminate our food without us noticing. Most worrying of all is that cockroaches can be hidden anywhere in our house and usually attack at night when they do not feel our presence. Therefore, we must know how to get rid of roaches both naturally and effectively.
Where in our house do cockroaches hide?
So, to learn to kill cockroaches we must know that they have some favorite places in which they hide. Some of them are:
- Cracks and crevices in kitchen and bathroom furniture.
- Wooden furniture.
- They can enter from the street through the small slits of the main door or windows.
- They are found in sewage drains and kitchen taps, bathrooms, laundry rooms, gas outlets, heating or air conditioning, electrical boxes or false ceilings.
- They love hiding behind or under the refrigerator, ovens, blenders, microwaves and other appliances.
- Cardboard boxes, drawers and places for storing clothes, papers, fabrics or pet food.
- Under the wooden floors.
- Places where there is debris, firewood or garbage cans.
5 home remedies to keep insects away from your home
To begin with, we must seal the gaps around the dishwashers, sinks, showers, and bathtubs.
We also have to try to keep both the kitchen and the bathroom well dry.
We will frequently aspire to certain spaces such as under armchairs, beds, mattresses, cushions, carpets and, above all, in the gaps between these and the walls.
We will clean and shake all the drawers or shelves where we put books, documents, and clothes.
We will avoid leaving dirty dishes in the kitchen or leftovers. We must also seal well all food, also that of our pets.
1. Bay leaves
This is the first of the remedies to fight cockroaches and it is as simple as going in search of bay leaves. Sure we can simply get them.
This solution to eliminate cockroaches in our home consists of placing chopped bay leaves in the places where we suspect they are hiding. These insects can’t stand their smell and usually get away immediately.
2. Onion and boric powder
This remedy has been popularized by its effectiveness and the fact that it is very economical. It consists of creating a paste using half finely chopped onion, half a cup of flour, a little beer or water, a pinch of sugar and 3 or 4 teaspoons of boric powder (you can get it in pharmacies).
To make this remedy, we will put all the ingredients in a container and mix them to make a paste. We will use gas stoppers to pour this mixture and distribute it through the areas of the home where we suspect the cockroaches are. It is recommended to keep this mixture away from pets, as it can be toxic to them.
3. Bicarbonate and sugar
To make this remedy, we will need to just mix a cup of baking soda with a cup of sugar and sprinkle this mixture throughout the house. As we can see, it’s very simple.
The cockroaches will be attracted to the sugar and eat the mixture, but this should not scare us. Baking soda will give them gas and this will cause real chaos inside.
4. Borax
This natural ingredient is often used to make soap to wash clothes. The only thing we have to do is spread it throughout the house, especially in those areas where we have seen cockroaches.
When cockroaches rub against borax, they will dehydrate and die. A cockroach can not be hydrated when its shell is damaged. Therefore, this remedy is very effective.
5. Catnip
The last of the remedies to kill cockroaches is to spray catnip throughout the house. This remedy has the same effect as the bay leaves, of which we spoke earlier. The cockroaches hate their smell and will go away.
How to keep roaches away
Today there are a lot of exterminators that allow us to kill cockroaches easily and in a matter of seconds. No matter we want to get rid of german roaches or the other type.