Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:47 pm
Just by mentioning their name, you’ll probably break out in a cold sweat like us! Shy during the day, cockroaches surface at night to swarm everywhere. It is necessary to say that it is so hot and humid at home, the perfect place for a cosy nest! And it’s never pleasant to come face to face with one of these undesirables in the bathroom bathtub while brushing your teeth or in the kitchen cupboards while having a night snack…
Nevertheless, they reproduce quickly (a couple can have 100 000 babies). So after the shock of the discovery, you have to take quick measures. And the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get rid of them! But you can imagine that a blow of the savate won’t be enough to get rid of them (even if it’s a good idea). We have already shared with you a grandmother’s tip: pellets made from condensed milk and boric acid. Here are some other natural remedies that are very effective in the fight against cockroaches!
Contents
1) A trap against cockroaches
You’ll need to keep glass jars or mustard glasses on hand for this. All around the trap, stick rough tape or newspaper from the night before to help these nocturnal crawlers climb up. To bait them, use a sweet wine base or a piece of bread dipped in beer. Place your device in high-traffic areas. You can make several traps if you have a large colony. In fact, they will be attracted inside the container and will not be able to leave because of the smooth walls. To finish, you will only have to drown them in soapy water.
2) Remove them with baking soda
If you don’t want to kill them yourself, you can dehydrate them with baking soda. In the long run, this will kill each cockroach and its congeners like a real poison. The technique consists of mixing equal parts of sugar and baking soda and placing cups filled with this mixture in strategic corners. As a result, cockroaches will not resist!
3) Use the great diatomaceous earth
No need for chemical-based gels and sprays against these bugs! Buy this natural, non-toxic insecticide at your local drugstore, health food stores or in some supermarkets. Then, once equipped, make small piles of powder sprinkled with sugar every 10 or 15 cm in the places of passage (baseboards, pipes, cracks, garbage disposal, under the kitchen sink, etc.). In fact, by trying to stuff themselves with a sweet meal, they are bound to end up poisoned by diatomaceous earth. By the way, think about treating your pet’s fleas with or chasing away another pest: bedbugs!
Some additional tips against cockroaches:
- For starters, having a clean and healthy home is key. First, get rid of water leaks and moisture in the house. This also applies to water stagnating in plant bowls. Don’t give these little critters a free lunch!
- Close the garbage can and empty it more often.
- Clean everything, including the back of the fridge, the stove tops, the underside of the sink, the sides of the stove or the range hood. Use white vinegar or a solution of 100 ml of boric acid in one liter of water on all surfaces if they are already installed.
- Then, don’t keep any dirty dishes, crumbs on the table or food scraps lying around. Put your food in jars. Indeed, like food moths, packaging does not stop them!
- Finally, for your pets’ bowls, it will depend. Keep the package of kibble well closed. Put away and clean the bowls if he eats at fixed times. If not, put it in a basin with a base of soapy water to avoid giving access to cockroaches. Finally, do not leave the water bowl lying around at night if possible.
We hope that these few effective solutions have helped you get rid of cockroaches for good! However, keep in mind that in an apartment building, all tenants must treat their apartment to get rid of the cockroach infestation effectively… Even if your neighbors deny having cockroaches, talk to the landlord or trustee about exterminating them from your home.