How to Kill Cockroaches

Finding a cockroach in your home can be unsettling. It’s easy to understand why, as the Canadian Government warns, these insects can contaminate food and your living space. Cockroaches carry bacteria that can cause salmonella and streptococcus and even spread diseases such as cholera and dysentery. They leave bacteria as they walk around your counters and cupboards, and their excrement can also make people sick. Those with asthma may have a reaction to cockroaches or their droppings.

Cockroaches are hearty creatures and have been around for thousands of years. They can survive anywhere as long as there is water and food available. The insect will make its way into buildings looking for warmth and moisture. And they can even be transported into your space on used furniture, food, and shipping packages. Cockroaches are most often discovered in kitchens, bathrooms, and basements.

Although they can find their way into your home, you don’t want to share your space with these invaders. They multiply fast. Females can create egg casings with about 50 eggs. These eggs take about a month to hatch. The newly-hatched cockroaches will become reproducing adults in 2-4 months. What is even more unsettling is that research has shown some female cockroach types are able to breed without the help of a male. And this can go on for years.

So, once you spot these bugs in your space, the question becomes how to kill cockroaches. And we’ll give you some tips to take back your home or office.

7 ways to kill cockroaches

Once you notice roaches, you’ll no doubt want to know how to kill cockroaches fast. Here are some of the most effective ways to eliminate cockroaches.

1.Baking soda trap

You can create your own cockroach bait using baking soda and onion. Simply dice the onion and sprinkle it with baking soda. Then, place it in a dish or container where you’ve seen cockroaches. Once they consume the baking soda, it will create gases inside their stomach, which will burst. With this remedy, it’s important to note that you’ll need to remove the dead roaches yourself. To avoid getting sick or spreading bacteria, wear gloves when you go to clean up the dead cockroaches.

2.Create a Borax trap

A powerful laundry cleaner, Borax can be repurposed to kill cockroaches. The best way to do this is to mix Borax with some white sugar. Then spread the concoction in areas where you’ve seen roaches. This can be under sinks, around basement walls, etc. Once they eat it, cockroaches will become dehydrated and die quickly. However, you may need to use this mixture more than once to eliminate all the cockroaches in your space. As with the baking soda trap, you’ll also have to remove the roach bodies carefully.

3.Store-bought bait

Poison bait stations for cockroaches are an effective way to rid yourself of the bug. Simply set them around areas where you’ve seen cockroaches. The smell will draw the roaches into the bait. While there, they will eat the poison. However, the catch is that they won’t die instantly but rather travel back to their home. After dying there, other cockroaches will consume the dead body and the poison, and they too will die. The drawback to store-bought bait stations is that they can be hazardous to children and pets. You may also need to clean up dead roaches around your home. Be sure to use gloves when handling the bodies to avoid getting sick or spreading the bacteria cockroaches carry.

4.Store-bought poison

Aside from baits and traps to capture and kill cockroaches, you could try gel or liquid concentrate. Gel products can be applied to cracks and holes that cockroaches use to get access to your home. When the cockroaches try to slip in, they’ll become coated with the poison gel and die. Alternatively, you can find a liquid that can be used as a deterrent. You can spray it around areas where cockroaches have been spotted. You can even use it to mop your floors or wipe on cabinets.

5.Secure your space

It’s one thing to kill cockroaches already in your space, but it’s another to secure your home and office so no more roaches move in. Use caulking to seal any cracks or holes in your foundation. Apply weather stripping to secure doors and windows. And always ensure your doors and windows have screens on them, which are an added protection from infestation.

6.Keep it clean

Even though cockroaches are not necessarily a sign of uncleanliness, ensuring your area is clean can prevent them from accessing food and water sources. Keep foods in tightly sealed containers, clean up spills and messes quickly, and ensure the area around your garbage can is clean. Don’t leave pet food or water out, as this can be used to nourish cockroaches. It will also make your pet susceptible to getting sick. Removing food sources will starve the cockroaches and they’ll die, but it can take some time for this method to work.

7. Call a professional

Nothing beats leaving the killing of cockroaches to the pros. Exterminators have the right tools, equipment, and knowledge to fix your roach problem effectively. Whether you have an out-of-control infestation, don’t know where to begin to kill cockroaches in your space, or are simply too disgusted to tackle the job yourself, calling a professional is one of the best ways to kill cockroaches.

Tips for keeping cockroaches out of your space

Let’s face it, you’d rather avoid roaches taking up residence in your home or office rather than trying to battle an infestation. Here are some things you can do to keep cockroaches out of your space.

• Throw out obsolete cardboard boxes and newspapers
• Reduce clutter where cockroaches can hide
• Seal or screen any openings and cracks, including vents for attic or crawl spaces
• Immediately repair plumbing problems
• Use garbage cans with tight lids
• Vacuum regularly to remove cockroach eggs
• Soak dishes overnight rather than letting them pile up with dried food bits
• Use a dehumidifier in spaces with high moisture