Roach infestations are considered to be a major pest control problem. Cockroaches eat anything from feces and dead animals to leftover food and even members of their species. These pests spread many diseases, contaminate food, damage wallpaper, and trigger allergies and asthma. Roaches have been proven to predate dinosaurs for more than 150 million years.
Cockroaches survived this long by being highly adaptable to their environments. Unfortunately, this also makes them quite difficult to get rid of. Many roach repellents contain dangerous chemicals. While some toxic insecticides are quite effective, there are some natural alternatives you might want to try.
Homeowners can use scents to get rid of roaches that infest their home. If you use the right smells, you can get rid of roaches without using dangerous chemicals.
So, what smells repel cockroaches?
The smell of citrus, mint, citronella, basil, and thyme repel cockroaches. Use spices, essential oils, and even bay leaves, cucumbers, and garlic to repel cockroaches from your home.
What repels cockroaches naturally?
If you have cockroaches in your home, you can use many natural methods that repel roaches. For example, a natural cockroach repellent allows you to get rid of roaches without using dangerous pesticides in your home. If you are looking for a way to keep roaches away, we have put together a list of natural deterrents for you:
- Baking soda is one of the most effective natural roach repellents. Read our article “Does Salt Attract Bugs.”
- Cockroaches hate the smell of onions, garlic and cayenne. So sprinkle these spices around areas of roach activity and watch them run.
- Mix three-part borax with one part sugar to kill roaches.
- Use tea tree essential oil.
- Diatomaceous Earth is an effective natural cockroach repellent.
- Bleach repels cockroaches. Read our article: Does bleach kill cockroaches?
Related post: Will Diatomaceous Kill Ticks?
Do cucumbers keep cockroaches away?
There is an old wives tale that cucumber slices keep roaches away. But, is there any cockroach repellent found in cucumbers?
Cucumbers keep cockroaches away, naturally. You can get rid of roaches with sliced cucumbers because they are a barrier to these pests. However, studies reveal that whole cucumbers are ineffective in deterring cockroaches. But crushed cucumbers have repelled about 90 percent of roaches under test conditions.
Here are some DIY pest control ideas to repel roaches.
Cockroach repellent that dehydrates roaches
Boric acid dehydrates cockroaches. It damages the pest’s digestive system and outer exoskeleton. Coric acid is a death sentence for cockroaches. You can sprinkle it directly under and in the back of cabinets or put a little boric acid on jar lids around your home. Alternatively, you can mix equal parts boric acid, sugar, and flour and make a dough. Set the dough around your house for cockroaches to feed on. The flour and sugar attract the cockroaches. And the roaches eat the dough; the boric acid will get rid of them. Keep in mind that boric acid can be dangerous for pets and children, so don’t use it if you have either of them in your home.
Duct tape, a smart and simple roach repellent
Duct tape is an old-fashioned but foolproof cockroach repellent. Sometimes the best control is also the simplest. A sticky surface is all you need to get rid of cockroaches in your home. Place a dib of peanut butter on the sticky side of duct tape and catch bugs all night on its sticky side.
All you need for this roach trap is a strip of upside-down duct tape and a piece of wood. Position the duct tape strips all over your home to repel roaches. Because the roaches can crawl under the duct tape and around the duct tape – this homemade cockroach repellent works best on areas that can be completely sealed off (i.e., wrapped around), as chair and table legs as opposed to a crack in the windowsill. This cockroach repellent will kill bugs all night.
Fabric softener, a cockroach repellent with a scent
Cockroaches can’t tolerate the smell of fabric softeners. You can mix water with fabric softener in a spray bottle and spray it anywhere you see cockroach activity. You can use the fabric softener roach repellent daily.
Fresh coffee grounds are a great cockroach repellent
Cockroaches are attracted to fresh coffee grounds. Well, who isn’t? Unfortunately, caffeine is toxic for this bug, and it will kill roaches. Put some coffee grounds anywhere around your home where cockroach activity occurs. Replace the coffee cockroach repellent every few days for best results.
Sugar and Baking Soda make for an effective cockroach repellent
Baking soda is an excellent cockroach repellent. It acts the same way as boric acid and acts in much the same way on cockroaches. However, it is less toxic than boric acid and can be used in homes with small children and pets.
Repel cockroaches with Garlic, Cayenne, and Onion Powder
Cockroaches hate the smell of onion, garlic, and cayenne. If you sprinkle a little of these spices in areas with cockroach activity, you can be sure that the bugs will avoid these areas. Sprinkle them separately or mix them together to repel roaches with great effect. It’s best to reapply this cockroach repellent each month.
Bay leaves make for an excellent natural roach repellent
Cockroaches hate the smell of bay leaves. If you place bay leaves in a cockroach-infested area, the pests won’t go near them. You can place dried, or crushed bay leaves around your home and get rid of roaches. Use bay leaves to repel ants too.
Catnip is an effective, natural roach repellent
According to researchers at Iowa State University, catnip is an effective natural cockroach repellent. Place catnip in areas where you have seen cockroaches.
Clovite the cockroach repellent
Clovite is a vitamin supplement used for horses. It will kill roaches. You can place clovite in a jar lid and put it in areas where you’ve seen cockroaches in your home. Keep clovite out of the reach of children and pets.
Neem, a natural cockroach repellent
Neem is a natural herb that’s also an effective roach repellent. It comes from the neem tree. It interferes with the hormones of cockroaches. Most importantly, it prevents these pests from breeding. Neem bait that is made from need seed extract kills young cockroaches. It also inhibits egg-laying in adult cockroaches.
Get rid of roaches with Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
Diatomaceous Earth is a simple yet powerful cockroach repellent. It’s a powder made from the fossilized remains of diatoms (tiny aquatic organisms). Diatomaceous Earth causes cockroaches to dry out and die. DE works by absorbing oils and fats from the exoskeletons of cockroaches.
After you have cleaned your house and cleared or sealed up any possible cockroach food sources like easily accessible pet food, crumbs, or trash, lightly dust it where you’ve seen cockroaches in your house. You can directly sprinkle it around your home or can be mixed with cocoa powder and flour and used as bait to attract cockroaches. This method will get rid of cockroaches. What’s more, cockroaches will take the bait back to the nest to feed their pest friends, killing even more roaches in the process.
Cockroach repellent essential oils
Tea Tree Oil roach repellent
Tea tree oil is another natural cockroach repellent. The good news is that you can make this roach repellent at home—Mix 1/2 cup of tea tree oil and 1/2 cup of vinegar with 3 cups of water. You can apply the mixture in a spray bottle. Apply the roach repellent mixture in and around cockroach-infested locations in your home.
Repel roaches with lemon
The aroma of lemons repels cockroaches. Cut lemon wedges and place them in small containers. Position each container in infested locations around your home.
Mint, another natural roach repellent
Mint is another natural product that deters cockroaches. Mix ten drops of cypress essential oil with ten drops of peppermint essential oil in 1 cup of saltwater. Spray the mint cockroach repellent in and around infested areas of your home.
Clove oil roach repellent
Clove oil is a natural roach repellent. It works best when mixed with other essential oils such as peppermint or citrus essential oil. Mix ten drops of each of these essential oils with 16 ounces of water in a spray bottle. Spray in and around any roach infested areas in your home.
Because of their versatility, cockroaches are extremely difficult to eliminate once they infest your home. The best method to get rid of cockroaches is a solid combination of thorough and consistent cleaning, natural insecticides, cockroach repellents, and the assistance of a professional pest control company.
What smells repel cockroaches?
Cockroaches are everyone’s nightmare pests. These pests are the last living creatures you want to see or feel in your home. They’re filthy, spread disease, and smell bad too. Roaches can fit into extremely tight spaces and tend to do a lot of damage during the night, right when you are fast asleep. So if you’re dealing with a cockroach infestation, you’re probably wondering how to get rid of these pests fasts?
These creepy crawlers have an incredible sense of smell. Roaches use their excellent sense of smell to find food in your home. This is how you repel roaches, use their sense of smell against them. Cockroaches dislike smells like citrus, citronella, thyme, basil, and mint. You can use any of these smells to repel cockroaches from your home.
