Salt does not kill cockroaches. The hard truth is that only repeated treatments with toxic fumigation methods tend to exterminate them for good. The most salt can do, like many other remedies, is repel cockroaches, but even that result is not guaranteed.
Does salt kill cockroaches? This one's a myth. Salt doesn't kill cockroaches. However, epsom salt (a.k.a. magnesium sulfate) is toxic to roaches.
Salt can repel roaches. According to a fairly dated study on salt and insects, the condiment has ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride that can ward off these pesky bugs. While there are harsher methods that can be more effective, salt can do in a pinch (slight pun intended).
Unfortunately, it doesn't actually kill these problem insects. It's more of a cleaning tool than anything else, and it won't actually help eliminate your roach problem.
Studies have found a boric acid and sugar combination to be a very effective killer of roaches, but more readily available is Borax mixed with sugar, which also gets the job done. Simply mix three parts Borax to one part sugar for bait, and be sure to keep your pets out of the vicinity.
#2: Baking Soda Is a Convenient Home Remedy for Cockroaches
A concoction of baking soda and sugar is an effective cockroach killer and controls the multiplication of these pests. Sugar acts as a bait to attract cockroaches and the baking soda kills them.
You may love the smell of fresh citrus, but cockroaches hate the scent. That means you can use citrus scented cleaners in your kitchen and bathroom to chase any lingering roaches away. You can also keep a few citrus peels around your home in strategic places.
Roach Repellents
Peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and cypress oil are essential oils that effectively keep cockroaches at bay. Additionally, these insects hate the smell of crushed bay leaves and steer clear of coffee grounds. If you want to try a natural way to kill them, combine powdered sugar and boric acid.
Cockroaches seek places where they can find ample food. Food crumbs, spills, leftovers, and pet food are the most common food sources. Kitchen trash and grease on stovetops and countertops can be inviting for roaches, and they may also get into stored food items.
Pine-Sol and Fabuloso are strong, all-purpose household cleaners. Similar to bleach, these products kill roaches on contact. Some homeowners suggest spraying Pine-Sol around the outside of your house to keep cockroaches away.
Diatomaceous earth is a natural way to deal with cockroach. It is available in fine powder form that sticks to roaches body and kill them by dehydration process. Diatomaceous eath is also very effective in killing the roach eggs. It is best method to use in fine areas, as DE fine powder can reach inside the cracks.
Boric acid is a powerful natural home remedy for getting rid of roaches overnight. Mix equal amounts of boric acid, flour, and sugar until it becomes a dough-like consistency. Place small pieces where the roaches can feed on them.
The World Health Organization also advises against crushing them, for reasons of hygiene. According to the body, which classes cockroaches as “unhygienic scavengers in human settlements”, squashing them can spread bacteria into the environment that can lead to asthma, allergies and illnesses.
Good old-fashioned soap and water is a safe, reliable, and inexpensive method. Create a soapy water solution that you can spray with a bottle. It will only take about 2 – 3 sprays to kill any roaches, as the soapy solution will cover their breathing pores and suffocate them.
Wash hard washable surfaces with cleanser (ammonia and water works well). Dust out of sight spaces with boric acid powder. Dust and seal any cracks and openings closed with caulk. Use roach baits near hiding places like behind pictures and wall hangings, under sinks and undersides of furniture.
Cockroaches are blessed with an amazing sense of smell. This is what they use when seeking food and mate but at the same time, this is also their weakness. A cockroach's sense of smell can be used to get rid of them. There are smells they can not stand so we can use this to shoo them away from our homes.
Beetle larvae, silverfish, and even other roaches make up the majority of what eats cockroaches inside the house.
Distilled vinegar does not kill or repel roaches, making it completely ineffective. Distilled vinegar will help keep your kitchen clean, giving cockroaches less to snack on. However, roaches can live for months at a time without any food at all, and they will eat almost anything to survive.
Eucalyptus oil has a strong scent that seems to have some success in repelling roaches. You can dilute it with water and spray areas you think cockroaches might have nested.
Taking a deep drink of household bleach would kill anything, roaches included. But the same strong odor that keeps people from taking a swig of bleach repels roaches as well. So though it could work, in reality, it will not. It is very difficult to kill an entire roach infestation yourself.
Once they eat it, baking soda will react badly by creating gas inside of the stomach and cause its stomach to burst. All you have to do afterwards is just clean up the dead roaches.
Set out a shallow dish or bowl containing equal parts sugar and baking soda. Roaches are attracted to the sugar, but the mixture is deadly to them. Sprinkle baking soda on greasy spots and let sit for about an hour.
Because baking soda expands in the gut of cockroaches and causes drastic pressure when they drink water since their exoskeleton doesn't allow them to expand and this can kill cockroaches.