It is a fact that roaches are the most common household pests. There are quite a number of ways one would try to get rid of them, but it is never an easy thing to do. It can be frustrating when dealing with a large infestation of roaches. It could takes a couple of days if the infestation is small to months if the infestation is large. Roaches are known to multiply rapidly and this can be detrimental in the process of eliminating them.
Did you know that there things that cockroaches hate? This include a clean surface leaving no food or water available thus reducing the chances of survival. There are also natural repellents that deter roaches from invading your home. They include essential oils like peppermint, lavender, citruses etc. Roaches cannot tolerate the smell of strong fragrance such as bleach. This post will discuss in detail about the things that roaches hate and how you can use eliminate the cockroaches. Learn more.
What Smell Do Cockroaches Hate? – Cockroach Natural Repellent
Roaches just like many other pests cannot tolerate certain smell? Here are some of the things that cockroaches hate:
Read also: How to Get Rid Of Cockroach Smell, Odor, on Clothes & in Microwave
a) Perfumes
Did you know that roaches hate the smell of perfumes? Strong fragrances tend to keep the roaches away. They tend to suffocate in the presence of perfume smell. Roaches will try to stay away from perfumes.
Though perfumes repel roaches, it is not advisable to use perfumes to eliminate the roaches. Perfumes cannot entirely get rid of the roaches and it may be expensive.
b) Do Cockroaches Hate the Smell of Bleach?
Bleach is one of the roach repellent commonly used at home to get rid of the roaches. Bleach has a strong smell that not only repel roaches but also other pests. Bleach is commonly used to clean surfaces and also remove the smell of dead roaches.
c) Alcohol
Do roaches hate the smell of alcohol? The smell of alcohol is enough to repel the roaches. Other than repelling the roaches, it can also kill roaches and many other pests. You can make an alcohol spray to kill roaches and flush them out of their hiding spots.
Alcohol is considered safe to use and clean surfaces along using it to get rid of the roach infestation.
d) Citrus
Does the smell of citrus repel roaches? The scent of lemon or citrus is too strong for the roaches to tolerate. They cannot stand it. You can make a lemon or citrus spray and flush the roaches in their hiding spots. Use citrus to clean the floor and bathroom surfaces. Add a lemon in water and clean the infested areas.
Other than keeping the roaches away, citrus leaves a refreshing smell as soon as you get rid of the cockroaches.
What Plants Do Cockroaches Hate?
What are some of the plants that roaches hate? Here are some of the plants that cockroaches hate:
e) Bay Leaves
Bay leaves are known as one among the best natural remedies for cockroaches. The smell of bay leaves irritates roaches and tend to keep off. Although the scent of bay leaves is not strong enough to suffocate the roaches, but it helps to flush them from their hiding spots and driving them away.
Being a natural home repellent, bay leaves is not harmful to pets or your children. Put the leaves around the cooking areas, near the food storages to stop roaches from infesting.
f) Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a natural roach repellent. It doesn’t kill the cockroaches, it helps to repel and force the roaches to find another residence. Cinnamon powder can be mixed with essential oils to keep the roaches away from your home/
g) Citronella
Do cockroaches hate the smell of citronella? Roaches cannot tolerate the smell of citronella. You can make it even more powerful by mixing it with essential oils. Alternatively, use citronella candles to get rid of cockroach.
Citronella is non-toxic to humans and pets making it one of the highly recommendable repellent for roaches. But some people can have skin irritation while using citronella.
- Put a few drops of citronella oil around the areas where the roaches are active
- Put some drops inside your drawers, under the skin, near and under the refrigerator
- Reapply the oil weekly until nearly all the roaches are gone
Roaches are looking for food shy away from these areas. Citronella oil doesn’t kill the roaches but instead repel them.
h) Eucalyptus Plants
Among the plants that cockroaches hate is the eucalyptus. This is one the commonly used cockroach natural repellent. Here is how to use eucalyptus plant to repel roaches:
- Add 10 drops of eucalyptus oil into a cup of water and mix
- Put the mixture inside a spray bottle
- Spray wherever you see the cockroach activities
Eucalyptus oil won’t kill the roaches but it will repel them. It is a safe and natural repellent to repel the roaches from your home.
i) Pandan
Pandan leaves have for a long time been used in Asia as cockroach repellent. You too can use them to eliminate and keep cockroaches away from your home. Put fresh pandan leaves inside your kitchen cabinets, drawers and in any other place where you see cockroach activity.
The smell of pandan leaves is too strong such that it irritates the cockroaches. Pandan won’t kill the cockroaches but it just keeps them away.
Herbs that Cockroaches Hate – Natural Repellents
What herbs do cockroaches hate? Here is discussion on the herbs that cockroaches hate:
j) Mint
Mint is a cockroach natural repellent. Roaches hate the smell of mint. Fresh mint in any form can be used to repel roaches from your home. You can boil mint leaves for about 10 minutes and allow it to cool before you use it a spray.
Flush the roaches in their hiding and nesting spots by spraying with mint liquid. Mint doesn’t kill roaches but it helps to keep them away.
k) Lavender
Lavender is another natural cockroach repellent. Roaches can’t stand the scent of Lavender. You can plant lavender in your yard to stop cockroach infestation in your home. Otherwise, use lavender essential oil to flush roaches out of their nesting spots and repel them from your home- Buy on Amazon
- Add few drops of lavender oil in water
- Put in a spray bottle
- Spray the surfaces where the roaches are seen in large number and their hiding spots
- Repeat this procedure every week
l) Peppermint
Peppermint just like any other natural repellent is good for deterring the cockroaches from infesting your home. A peppermint essential oil is one of the most effective natural repellent that works against cockroaches.
Roaches can’t withstand the smell of peppermint essential oil and they will shy off from where the peppermint oil has been sprayed.
m) Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the effective natural repellent for pests including roaches. White vinegar is preferably used to get rid of roach infestation. Although vinegar will not kill the roaches, it will help repel them away. You can use vinegar to wipe surfaces where the roaches are commonly seen. You can also mix vinegar and essential oil to spray the infested areas to eliminate the roaches.
n) Garlic
Why do roaches hate garlic? Garlic has a natural irritating smell that cockroaches can’t tolerate. Although this pungent smell cannot kill the roaches it is too strong to keep the roaches away. Just place a few garlic cloves where the roaches frequently forage. You can put some in place where the roaches like to hide like under the skin, inside the kitchen cabinets, inside drawers and under the refrigerator.
Do Cockroaches Hate Sound?
What sound do cockroaches hate? Roaches are scared of very loud noise. This loud noise might scare them away but it is not an efficient way to keep them away. Cockroaches will only run away from the loud sound but as soon as the noise goes down they will emerge and continue invading your home.
Do Cockroaches Hate Light?
Cockroaches are naturally nocturnal. They are more active during the night than in the day. It is this time of the day that they forage for food. But does that mean they hate light? One would expect that roaches hate light. But the truth is that light doesn’t scare the roaches. If the infestation is large, they even begin showing up during the day or whether the light is on or off.
Most Common Essential Oils that Cockroaches Hate
Here are the essential oils that roaches hate:
- Lavender oil- Buy on Amazon
- Peppermint Oil – Buy on Amazon
- Tea Tree Oil – Buy on Amazon
Do Cockroaches Hate Tea Tree Oil?
Just like most essential oils discussed herein, roaches cannot withstand the smell of tea tree oil. The smell of tea tree oil tend to suffocate the roaches, so roaches will keep off from places where the oils have been place or sprayed.
Tea tree oil will not kill the roaches but it will deter them from invading your home.
Do Cockroaches Hate Cold?
Cockroaches prefer warm conditions. Since cockroach belong to the family of cold-blooded arthropods, they can’t survive in extreme cold conditions. This happens to extreme hot conditions too.
Although oriental cockroach prefer somehow cooler places but not really cold, German roaches on the other hand tend to move in warm places such that when it is cold, they may form a group to generate heat.
