Lifestyle

8 Useful Ways to Remove Hidden Cockroaches In Your Home Without Touching Them

2019-03-30 , 4:00 am

Last Updated on 2020-12-05 , 5:50 pm

I can sit through any horror movie without whispering a scream or breaking my poker face.

But when a cockroach is involved, you will hear me scream like a princess in distress before shrieking for my mother to smack it to death with her bathroom slipper.

Because I understand the horrors you face and never want you to go through the same harrowing experience, here are some useful methods that worked.

Death by Baking Soda

This method will make you regret not aceing Chemistry, which I proudly did.

Simply make a mixture of baking soda and sugar in a 1:1 ratio and place the mixture near the infested area of your home.

Research shows that the cockroach’s stomach is highly acidic and eating baking soda will cause it to gas up. Why? Because Baking soda has carbonate which reacts with acid to produce carbon dioxide.

Effectiveness: 4/5

Power of Dehydration

Diatomaceous earth are non-toxic white particulates made from fossilized prehistoric creatures.

This is a cheap and effective way of evicting cockroaches from your home because a cockroach runs the risk of lethal dehydration if it comes into contact with diatomaceous earth.

If you are out for blood, then place silica gel around the critters’ usual haunt. Silica gel are desiccants, which when consumed, will dehydrate the roach to death.

Effectiveness: 5/5

Bay Leaves or Pandan Leaves

Bay leaves are rather fragrant to most humans as it has a pungent but nice aroma.

Simply place ground bay leaf powder around the roaches’ nest and ‘hunting grounds’ and the insects will be simply pack up and leave due to the unpleasant smell.

Pandan leaves are also another alternative if you cannot stand the smell of bay leaves.

Simply bundle a few and store them in cabinets for a roach-free space. If the leaves are a bother, you can use a bottle of pandan extract which is available at a grocery stall near you.

Now you know why you always see pandan leaves in taxis.

Effectiveness: 2.5/5

Eviction by Spice

Make a mixture of cayenne powder, garlic clove, and onion paste with some water.

Let the mixture stand for an hour before adding liquid soap and mixing them together.

Then apply the soapy and spicy mixture where cockroaches love to roam, hide or hang out.

After a while (really don’t know how long), the mixture would make the roaches flee your home and take up residence with someone else.

Effectivess: 2.5/5

Soap Solution

Cockroaches can eat soap and live to see the day but if you spray a mixture of soap and water on the roach, the soapy water will cover up their breathing pores and make them die from suffocation.

Also, if you are brave enough, you can spray soapy water into their nest to flush them out before getting your hands dirty.

Effectiveness: 3.5/5

Pinesol and Bleach

Mix 2 cups of Pine disinfectant (available at NTUC), 2 cups of Bleach, and a cup of boiling water. Pour the mixture into the roaches’ hiding grounds to flush them out.

Just be warned that this mixture has a very strong smell and might cause you to choke on it.

You are advised to keep windows open and be prepared to start killing the 6-legged horrors or leave the task to some brave soul.

Effectivenss: 1/5

Boric Acid

Add flour, powdered boric acid, and sugar to make small dough balls, which you can place around the house.

The sugar and flour will attract the pests, while powdered boric acid will do the killing.

This method requires you use the bait for at least two weeks to ensure all the roaches are dead.

As the mixture is poisonous, you should keep them out of children’s or pets’ reach.

Effectiveness: 3/5

Petroleum Jelly Trap

Get a wide mouthed bottle and apply some petroleum jelly on the inside, then add some fruit peels inside to attract the critters.

Place the trap in the kitchen or bathroom where cockroaches love to frequent.

The petroleum jelly will ensure the roaches remain trapped until they are sentenced to death.