# Getting rid of roaches naturally - is this right?



## dex_millie (Oct 19, 2006)

We just moved in an apt. last Oct. but as the weather warms the roaches has come in ABUNDANCE. The last straw for me was some night when I went to drink my night water and their was a roach crawling around inside







:. So I went into extermenitor mood and have some ques. for anyone who has tried these.

1. I mixed baking soda and regular white sugar and put them around, but then when I went back and read online it said powdered sugar - would that make a difference, should I go out and get the powdered sugar?

2. I sprinkled some borax near the sink and stove area.

3. So far I have cleaned out our utensil draws and sprinkled crushed dried bay leaves - should I use fresh instead or do they both work equally? They had also made a home in a basket we have out to put provisions and fruits in, so I layered it w/ bay leaves and but the leaves under it. I have to yet see if they made a home out of it yet, I do see one around it sometimes but that is it.

4. DH bought those Raid hotel looking things so we have those around too.

5. Decluttered around the countertops and sink and trying to keep it as clean. But it is hard to keep the sink dry all the time. Can the roaches get in the dishwasher? I plan on putting all the dishes in there.

Things I plan on also doing.

1. I heard about diatomaceous earth and plan to go buy some.

2. Putting garlic under in the cabinets also.

3. Making a bay leaf tea to spray around the place.

ALL other tips welcome, PLEASE

Off to try and finish cleaning the rest cabinets and putting the dried bay leaves in them.


----------



## sheandaru (Feb 17, 2006)

Wish I knew! We tried everything when we inherited an infested piano a couple years ago. Once they started invading the bathrooms, we opted for the monthly pest control and haven't looked back.


----------



## dex_millie (Oct 19, 2006)

wow...no one else tried any natural ways to get rid of roaches?


----------



## MrsMike (Aug 4, 2006)

Wish I knew how to help you. It sounds like you are doing everything right. Being in an apartment makes it harder. You can temporarily get rid of roaches in your area, but since you share walls with other people they can come back. My parents have this problem as they live in a row home and have a stanky neighbor with a filthy house. They tried natural stuff, but they will probably get an exterminator because they keep coming back. Are they black roaches or brown? The small brown ones, german roaches, are harder to get rid of. Good luck....hope you find something soon.


----------



## thenaturefreak (Aug 23, 2006)

My sister is dealing with a roach infestation and has been using coffee grounds in glass jars to catch them. She finds many in the glasses each morning and kills them.


----------



## flower01 (Aug 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thenaturefreak* 
My sister is dealing with a roach infestation and has been using coffee grounds in glass jars to catch them. She finds many in the glasses each morning and kills them.

oh, gross. I don't think I could handle seeing that every morning...

I've read that Cedar keeps them away. Last fall we were using a all-purpose cleaner from Trader Joe's - unfortunately, TJ's is not near us and we haven't made the trip to get more...I'm not sure if it really helped or if the weather jsut got colder in time, but the roaches are back now and I'm struggling to figure out what to do. The bay leaves haven't done anything...but I don't know how many bay leaves you would need to keep roaches out of an entire kitchen!


----------



## anamama (Sep 9, 2003)

I don't have experience with this, but I've heard boric acid is very effective. That's what is in Barkeeper's Friend (a cleanser) and borax is also some form of it. I would use Barkeeper's Friend to scrub your kitchen sink every night and use borax to clean everything. I like to make a scrub by sprinkling borax and baking soda in the shower/bathtub, squirting it with a little Dr. Bronner's and scrubbing it up! The borax often leaves a little residue, probably enough to do in some roaches.
Ew. I'm sorry you are having to deal with this.


----------



## JTA Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Also, get yourself a few tubes of caulk. You can get the clear kind. Start with one room at a time & seal off EVERYTHING. Any small hole (and I do mean small) will allow them inside. Caulk around door frames, around pipes in cabinets, around cabinets, etc. You need to make sure your house is totally sealed, or as much as possible. More so than water, roaches love FOOD. And food includes things like cardboard boxes (they LOVE those), to wicker stuff to glue, etc. Seal up all your food in plastic or glass containers. Get rid of all cardboard. If you can, seal up any books you have in big trashbags, at least for a few weeks to kill any hiding in them. Ask me how I know they love books.








:

Personally, get rid of your basket. Get a ceramic bowl or wire basket, instead. The wicker is like CANDY to them.

Also, make sure any damp cloths are dried every night (if you use things like washcloths, or unpaper towels). They like damp areas more so than wet.

Oh, and check for small leaks in your plumbing. Seal those up fast. If, for example, your bathroom sink is leaking a bit, it will dampen the wood around it. Damp wood=happy roaches.

You can get rid of them, but it takes some work. Make sure to seal everything up, have nothing for them to eat (no paper, no cardboard, etc) and fix up leaks. You should see a drastic change in numbers in about a month or so, which is how long it takes them to starve to death/find a different motel.









Ami


----------



## romamama (Mar 19, 2008)

Boric acid really works. When I lived in New Orleans, everyone used it.


----------



## Gremco (Nov 2, 2006)

I spray 50/50 bleach/ water solution around the outside walls and foundation. It is working fine for the roaches, but the ants are still getting in somehow


----------



## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

Yes to the boric acid. You can buy it as "Roach Prufe". Mix it with something sweet (like a little honey) or a little sugar and maybe a drop of water. You want to bait them. It doesn't kill them immediately, but they take it home and it wipes out all the roaches at home, too. It also works for ants. You may have a lot of them coming to the bait at first (you definitely will if you have an ant problem), but then you should start finding a few keeled over in the morning with their little creepy legs sticking up in the air. It also works as a preventative, but if you've already got 'em I'd try the bait trick. Boric acid is relatively benign to pets and humans. I wouldn't want to sprinkle it on my cereal or anything, but it's nothing like DDT or anything.


----------



## youngwife (Apr 5, 2009)

We moved into an old rental with tons of cracks, damp wood, and an army of roaches.

I am now really considering a Gecko!! I'd love to hear "crunch, crunch, crunch" all night long.

I have bought the diatomaceous earth, but am wondering how to get it in all of the areas where there are roaches. I have started with the porches, and will work on the baseboards.

Any other ideas??


----------



## Abarat (Jan 22, 2007)

youngwife said:


> I have bought the diatomaceous earth, but am wondering how to get it in all of the areas where there are roaches. QUOTE]
> 
> Firstly, JTA Mom had some good suggestions. Before I started drying my washcloths before tossing them in the bin I'd always find them on wash day living in my damp cloths.
> 
> ...


----------



## akimbo (Jun 25, 2009)

I also wanted to cosign on the borax. I've spread it around my kitchen in hard to reach areas - behind the fridge and stove, in between the fridge and the wall (it's about a one inch gap). I also saw a roach in one of the cupboards recently, so I put some double sided tape along the back of each shelf in all the cupboards/cabinets, and sprinkled borax on the side facing up. I believe it's been working, as I've been finding numerous dead or almost dead roaches in and around the kitchen since. This morning alone I found 3. uke

On a side note, I can't wait to get out of this apartment.







:


----------



## akimbo (Jun 25, 2009)

Well, after a few weeks of using borax the problem appears to have worsened. I've been doing a ton of cooking lately, and I believe the smells are attracting more roaches. Since yesterday morning we've killed 12 roaches in the kitchen. I'm embarrassed to admit I've resorted to spraying them with Raid







, since they move so quickly and I've missed a few when I just try to squish them. I'm concerned about the harshness of the Raid, is there anything that's not so toxic that I can mix together in a spray bottle that would temporarily stun them (if not kill them) so I can squish them easily?

I also learned the hard way that they like tight, small spaces, as I think our stash of used plastic grocery bags that we were using for bagging trash (apt requires it) and picking up dog poop became infested. Had to throw out the whole batch and buy a box of garbage bags.

I was hoping to cut back on the amount of plastic in the house, but at this point I think I have to buy some plastic tubs to keep our spices and pots and pans in. My building is mostly inhabited by students, so when the majority of them leave for the summer, the few of us that are left become unfortunate targets for infestation.

Ugh, sorry for the rambling, I'm still a little shook from having to kill so many in such a short amount of time.


----------



## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *akimbo* 
I've resorted to spraying them with Raid







, since they move so quickly and I've missed a few when I just try to squish them. I'm concerned about the harshness of the Raid, is there anything that's not so toxic that I can mix together in a spray bottle that would temporarily stun them (if not kill them) so I can squish them easily?

I would also be concerned about using Raid. If possible, I would just smash them if you see them, but if one gets away, try not to worry about it. I'd much rather have one more live roach (when there are already thousands of live ones in the walls) than Raid in the air and on surfaces in my living space.

I had great luck with the Raid (?) bait disks (the ones where they crawl in and carry stuff back into the walls, not the ones where they die inside the box) and diatomaceous earth when I lived in a roach-infested apartment.

If you're not opposed to spraying, you could call your landlord and ask him to get the building sprayed. By law pretty much anywhere in the US or Canada, landlords are probably required to control pest problems. I never called because I really hate pesticides and fear their effects on me and my family, but it might help you with what sounds like a pretty big problem. Plus when a lot of units are vacant is a good time to get it done.


----------



## marimara (Jan 31, 2008)

roaches =









Yeah, seal every crack and crevice you can find. When it comes to roaches, I break out the big guns. Sorry, the natural stuff never worked for me but I live in the South, where roaches are the size of birds (and they fly!!!!)


----------



## akimbo (Jun 25, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions, rainyday and marimara... I'll pick up a few bait discs and give them a try. I'm going to teach myself how to use a caulking gun this upcoming weekend so I can seal everything up!


----------



## Naturalyst (Feb 3, 2007)

First, I'll admit that I didn't read every post in this thread and may be repeating - but, borax is not for killing roaches. What's needed is boric acid (similar name, but not the same product).

Boric acid usually comes in a big applicator bottle with a pointed tip, for crevices.


----------



## thenaturefreak (Aug 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thenaturefreak* 
My sister is dealing with a roach infestation and has been using coffee grounds in glass jars to catch them. She finds many in the glasses each morning and kills them.

I wanted to amend this and say that she puts the coffee grounds in glass jars with water. You just have to flush or otherwise dispose of the drowned roaches in the morning.


----------



## phatchristy (Jul 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *akimbo* 
Thanks for the suggestions, rainyday and marimara... I'll pick up a few bait discs and give them a try. I'm going to teach myself how to use a caulking gun this upcoming weekend so I can seal everything up!

There's a bait that we've used (we have palmettos down here, love FL) anyhow, I tried the natural way for a while, but then ran into a problem which didn't work.

I got some bait, baited inconspicuous areas the kids/cats couldn't get to and all the areas I've bated seem to be successful.







I even removed the outlet covers and bated in there (probably overkill but whatever I was freaked). Though they told me it can take up to a month to work completely.

However, I didn't use the supermarket stuff, I actually spent LESS most likely and got the professional stuff that contains fipronil. Once I found out it was fipronil containing I felt better. Fipronil is the same chemical used in frontline the flea treatment, and I knew from researching that it was one of the safest pesticides out there.


----------



## got wealth? (Sep 3, 2009)

I live in Hawaii, and unfortunately the bugs love the climate as much as we do, so roaches are everywhere







. After some online research, the best non-toxic method I found : put some dish soap & water in a spray bottle & spray the roaches! Takes a few sprays, then they flip over & 'croak'. ("regular" dish soap works better than the natural kinds...more chemicals, but still less toxic than Raid) This also works on other bugs & sometimes w/ spiders. ((Spraying spiders w/ rubbing alcohol sometimes works--smells awful, though.) Other methods (catnip, talc (I use baby powder), diatomaceous earth) help a little. Reduce humidity, leave no standing water, food, or crumbs out,etc. (I wash anything that had food in it before throwing away, e.g. plastic sleeves that crackers come in, etc. I also keep all my food in the fridge, including my compost bucket--- anything that would attract roaches.) More info in this pdf: http://www.stephentvedten.com/27_Roach_Control.pdf


----------



## Regina1 (Jul 15, 2018)

I've found that using dish soap mixed with the amp water to be very helpful , however it's not a kill on contact but I was fine with that because after I would hit them with 2 or 3 full sprays that was enough to stunned them and put them on their back., then I'd finish them off by stepping on them and squishing them.


----------



## JohnDee (12 mo ago)

dex_millie said:


> We just moved in an apt. last Oct. but as the weather warms the roaches has come in ABUNDANCE. The last straw for me was some night when I went to drink my night water and their was a roach crawling around inside
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hello
I am professional pest controller and I can confirm the only effective method in eradicating cockroach infestation in roach bait gel, this can be combined with cockroach traps.
Gel will create a " cascade effect" eradicating the popuation in few weeks.
Rea more about getting rid of cockroaches at the source.


----------



## JohnDee (12 mo ago)

dex_millie said:


> We just moved in an apt. last Oct. but as the weather warms the roaches has come in ABUNDANCE. The last straw for me was some night when I went to drink my night water and their was a roach crawling around inside
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I just found this :
One of the best ways to get rid of roaches naturally is to use home remedies such as boric acid, diatomaceous earth, and bay leaves. Boric acid is a powder that you can sprinkle in areas where roaches are likely to hide, such as cracks and crevices. Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder that can be used to create a barrier that roaches cannot cross. Finally, bay leaves can be placed in areas where roaches may be present as the smell is known to repel them. Found it on this pest control website pest control


----------

