You will find cockroaches in nearly all the homes especially in the kitchen, near the fridge, in microwaves and sometimes in clothes. You must noticed cockroaches have a certain weird unpleasant odor or smell. How do you get rid of cockroach smell? How do cockroaches smell like? Do they smell like urine? Find out more about cockroach smell and how you can get rid of the odor.
Did you know cockroaches have this unpleasant smell? The odor can be bad especially if they die. Cockroach smell is uncomfortable feeling and can cover the whole room. Remember cockroaches are known to cause diseases carrying pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. You are likely to suffer from stomach health issues such as cholera, diarrhea and typhoid.
What do you do if you detect cockroach smell? How do you get rid of the smell? The first approach is to locate their dead bodies and fecal matter. Obviously, clear and start cleaning the surfaces and contaminated items with a disinfectant. Finally, use an insecticide that will stop and prevent another cockroach infestation.
But why do cockroaches smell so bad? Let’s find out more in this post.
Causes of Cockroach Smell?
What Causes cockroach smell? There has to be a reason why the cockroaches smell that bad. First, roaches releases a certain secretion known as pheromones that they use to send signals, interact and communicate with one another.
Secondly, the smell comes from the cockroaches is from their dropping or fecal matters. Just like all living organisms including humans, roaches poop whenever they eat. As they move around, they poop thus that bad odor.
Thirdly, roaches tend to live in dark and moist places that makes mold thrive. This too could be another reason for the bad odor. Finally, when cockroaches dies, they bodies start to decay giving off what we call “death stench”. Decaying bodies and skin sheds contributes to that horrible smell.
What Do Cockroach Smell Like?
Those who have experienced cockroach odor, have described it with the words like oily, sooty and mouldy. Cockroaches are said to release one of the worst smell. American and German cockroaches are also known to produce the worst smell. The cause of this smell coming from the cockroaches is because of the mixture of cuticular hydrocarbons that they secrete to prevent the loss of water. This smell also is to send messages to other cockroaches for mating.
Do Cockroach Smell When Killed?
Do cockroach smell when you kill them? A dead cockroach will leave a certain smell when they are killed. This a smell to send to caution other cockroaches about an impending danger. It is called a death stench.
Do Cockroaches Smell Like Urine?
Some people would describe the smell of cockroach as that of urine. The smell of cockroaches is very distinct. Their bodies tend to leave a urine like smell, pungent and oily odor that is hard to withstand.
Why Do Cockroaches Smell So Bad?
Why do cockroaches smell so bad? Of course there must be a reason why cockroaches smell this bad. The smell is to release secrete pheromones to enhance the roaches to interact and communicate with one another.
The bad odor often occur when they release feces like most bugs and other livings including humans. Your house could smell so bad because cockroaches tend to move around and poop everywhere. This could be possible in the kitchen, microwave, on clothes and cupboards.
The smell could also be coming out from their dead bodies. When roaches dies, their skin start to shed and release an oleic acid which is part of the bad odor.
How to Get Rid of Cockroach Smell
To get rid of the roaches smell, here’s how to go by:
a) Locate the Roach Nests
Probably the most important and key step to get rid of the bad cockroach smell. Finding where the cockroaches are is one sure to successfully get rid of the cockroach odor. Their nests are the prime source of the unpleasant smell.
b) Get Rid of the Cockroaches
To successfully get rid of the horrible cockroach smell, get rid of the cockroaches. A cockroach infestation in your home is the number one cause of the bad odor in your home. If you kill and eliminate the cockroaches in your home, the smell will be gone. Make sure you dispose of all the dead cockroaches.
Read also: How to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Kitchen Cabinets – Home Remedies, Naturally & Instantly
c) Use the Right equipment
When dealing with cockroaches remember they are a source of allergens and are likely to carry harmful bacteria. Make sure you use the right important to deal with the cockroaches. This is to safeguard you and your health. Use gloves to prevent skin irritation. It is advisable to use disposable plastic pro vinyl gloves.
d) Vacuuming
Vacuuming is one of the surest way to remove dead and living cockroaches. In so doing, you will have removed the smell especially from the dead decaying roaches. Vacuum helps to get rid of cockroach dropping and their shed skins. Be specific while vacuuming especially in the areas considered to be their nests. This parts include inside furniture, cabinets, inside drawers and in any other place you suspect that there are cockroaches.
e) Cleaning and Disinfecting
To effectively get rid of the bad smell from cockroaches, cleaning and disinfecting will be of great help. Once you have vacuumed the affected areas especially their nests, clean the area and use a powerful disinfectant. You can also use cockroach spray and leave it for about 10 minutes and then wipe the region dry.
How To Get Rid Of Cockroach Smell On Clothes
Having cockroach smell on clothes is annoying. You wouldn’t want to wear your clothes with the smell of cockroaches on, would you? The smell of cockroach can be detected and it could be embarrassing. Other than the smell, cockroaches leave stains, germs on your clothes and could transmit diseases.
Here’s how to get rid of cockroach smell on clothes:
- Put the affected clothing to the laundry
- Wash it
- Spray the affected areas and your entire clothing.
Cleaning and washing your clothes is the first and immediate step to get rid of the cockroach odor. You can use distilled white vinegar to remove the bad odor of cockroach from your clothes. It helps to get rid of the germs and bacteria too.
How To Get Rid Of Cockroach Smell In Microwave
Cockroaches will in most cases crawl and hide where they can easily access food. You microwave could have that pungent cockroach smell. How do you get rid of cockroach smell in microwave?
First, unplug your microwave from the power source. This also has to include the contents of the microwave including the microwave dish.
To get rid of the cockroach smell, clean the microwave. Use a powerful disinfectant to remove the smell. One of the recommended disinfectant is bleach or Clorox Clean-Up All-Purpose disinfectant
Here is how to get rid of the cockroach odor in your microwave:
- Carefully spray the disinfectant inside the microwave
- Leave it for about 10 minutes
- Wipe the disinfectant with a clean piece of cloth or towel
To get rid of the roaches hiding inside, take the microwave outside and spay with a roach killer – Ortho Home Defense Ant & Roach Killer – solution. Leave it for about 5- 10 minutes before dry it up.
How to Get Rid of Dead Cockroach Smell
A dead and decaying cockroach is one of the reason why your home could be having that bad smell. In fact, if you smash a cockroach to death it release a lot of sticky liquid which is smelly. The trick of getting rid of dead cockroach smell, is to clean the surface.
You can use a soap scum remover and a disinfectant spray to remove the smell of dead cockroach.