Last updated on June 30th, 2023 at 09:15 pm
Key Takeaways
- Use borax or boric acid if you want to get rid of roaches fast
- We recommend diatomaceous earth for homes with young children or pets
- Roach baits like the TERRO T500 Indoor Bait Cockroach Killer are also efficient. They have slow acting poison, so roaches pass the poison to others before dying.
Tomorrow is a weekend, and your friends are coming over, so you spend most of the day cleaning up the rooms. Out of the blue, you see a crawling bug, and getting closer, you see its long antennae and spiky legs that send shivers down your spine.
Oh my goodness! It’s a roach, you scream. “But my apartment is clean, and I dispose of my leftovers appropriately; this can’t be happening!” We understand you. Most people often wonder why they have roaches in their clean homes. As you will realize, roaches love the warmth and comfort provided indoors, which may not necessarily mean your space is messy.
The important thing to do is to get rid of the roaches fast to avoid embarrassment from your friends, right? But how do you get rid of roaches overnight? Let’s find out below.
How to Get Rid of Roaches Overnight DIY
You can get rid of roaches overnight without help from pest exterminators. Here are do-it-yourself (DIY) techniques to get rid of these creepy crawlers overnight:
Use Borax
Borax is a household cleaning agent with pesticidal properties to get rid of bugs. To use borax to kill roaches, do the following:
- Mix equal amounts of borax and table sugar
- Sprinkle the mixture in the places you’ve seen roach activity
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a common ingredient in skin care products, medicines, toothpaste, and more. According to the Food and Drug Administration, it’s safe for humans and pets. DE wears out the exoskeleton of insects, causing dehydration and eventually death. To administer DE to roaches, apply light dust of the powder on places where cockroaches pass or hide.
Apply Boric Acid
Another household that kills roaches instantly is boric acid, a mixture of water and boron. You can purchase boric acid powder at the grocery or drug store. Apply the boric acid powder sparingly on areas you’ve seen roach activity or hideouts. If you have kids or pets, apply the powder in areas out of their reach.
Use Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
Sodium Bicarbonate is a common ingredient in the kitchen, best for baking pastries. If this powder is in your kitchen, scoop a little amount and mix it with diced onions or sugar. Place the mixture on areas infested by roaches or where you’ve seen roach activity. The sugar or onions attract the roach; upon consumption, gas forms in their stomach until they burst.
Store Insecticides
Lastly, you can purchase roach-specific insecticide from the store and spray it on areas the roaches are likely to hide. However, be careful with the chemical, especially if you have kids or pets.
How Do Roaches Get in Your House?
Roaches are a common nuisance in American homes, from mansions and villas to apartment complexes. They get indoors in several ways, including:
Open Windows and Doors
Roaches can crawl into your abode from outside or a neighbor’s apartment when you leave the doors or windows open.
Cracks, Holes, and Gaps in Walls
Suppose you live in an apartment complex, and these bugs infest your neighbor’s apartment. In that case, if there is a tiny gap or rack in the wall separating the two apartments, these roaches will get in through the openings.
Hiding in Furniture, Bags, and Other Goods in Transit
Have you recently bought a secondhand couch on Craigslist? Or maybe you came back from a vacation from your holiday cabin in the upcountry? Cockroaches and their eggs might have hitched a ride to your home discreetly.
Sewer Pipes, Vents, and Other Waterways
If your building’s sewer pipes, vents, and waterways are not completely sealed, roaches may crawl from other buildings or outdoors.
How Do Roaches Reproduce?
Roaches multiply rapidly, and before you know it, your home is infested, posing health and sanitation risks. A female lays fertilized eggs in cases known as ootheca. It will carry the ootheca for a few hours or days until it finds a safe place to deposit.
Once the roach finds a nice quiet place in a crevice, crack, or under your furniture, it deposits the eggs, which later hatch into nymphs. Each ootheca may contain between 14- 48 eggs, depending on the species.
How To Get Rid of German Roaches Overnight?
The German roach is undoubtedly the worst type of cockroach because it can survive harsh conditions and has an unbelievable reproduction rate. To get rid of the bug overnight, use any of the following DIY techniques:
- Sprinkle baking soda on its hideouts and pathways
- Mix borax and sugar the apply it on areas you see roach activity
- Apply dust of Diatomaceous earth on areas infested by the roach
- Sprinkle boric acid powder on crevices, and other areas with roach activity
- Spray roach-specific insecticide in places you suspect the roach could be hiding in the home
How Long Does It Take To Get Rid of German Roaches?
The time you take to clear your home of German roaches depends on the intensity of the infestation and the removal technique you use. Typically, it will take around two weeks to eliminate these bugs in case of a mild infestation. At the same time, heavy infestations can take up to eight weeks to get rid of.
How Do German Cockroaches Get in Your House?
German Cockroaches get in the house in the following ways:
- Through holes, gaps, and cracks in walls
- Crawling in through doors and windows left open
- Hiding in furniture, suitcases, backpacks, and other goods in transit to your house
- Through unsealed pipes and vents
Does Boric Acid Kill German Roaches?
Boric acid is effective against German roaches. When these bugs come into contact with or ingest the substance, it destroys their nervous and digestive systems, eventually killing them. However, boric acid is ineffective towards German roach eggs, therefore, not the best for heavy infestation.
How To Get Rid of a Heavy Roach Infestation
To get rid of a heavy roach infestation, you need to combine several methods. These include:
- Regular use of chemical insecticides
- Using glue traps
- Applying borax mixed with sugar or other substances to attract roaches
- Using gel baits
- Hiring a professional roach exterminator
How To Get Rid of Roaches in a House Fast
To get rid of roaches in a house fast, do the following:
- Regularly use chemical concentrates to kill the adults, eggs, and nymphs
- Apply glue traps in areas with roach activity
- Place gel baits in crevices, cabinets, below the furniture, and other roach hideouts
- Hire a professional roach exterminator
How To Get Rid of Roaches in Walls
To get rid of roaches in walls, spray roach-specific insecticides on wall crevices, gaps, and holes. To ensure no roach was left out or escaped, place glue traps and gel baits in strategic areas such as under furniture, cabinet crevices, and the kitchen.
How To Get Rid of Roaches Overnight: Pet Safe Techniques
Most insecticides have chemicals that are harmful to pets. To eliminate roaches in a home with pets, use the following:
- Store sprays with a pet-safe certification
- Diatomaceous Earth
- Borax
The Best Homemade Traps for Roaches
- Boric acid trap: To make the trap, mix boric acid with water and sugar. Roaches love sugar and can smell it from afar. Place the bait on the floor but away from children. Once the roaches ingest the mixture, boric acid will kill them.
- Beer trap: Roaches love the sugar and yeast in alcoholic drinks like beer. They often drink to stupor, drown in bottles or containers, and eventually die. To make this homemade trap for roaches, put a bowl filled with beer in a roach-infested area.
- Soapy water trap: Soapy water is a reliable and inexpensive roach killer. The soap covers their breathing pores and suffocates them. You can fill a bowl with soapy water and put it where roaches will easily find it. Or you can can put the solution in a bottle and spray it on the roaches.
- Sticky trap: This may seem like an inefficient roach trap, but it works. Create a sticky trap with double-sided tape and put it where roaches love to hang out. You can pour sugar on it to attract them. They will come because of the sugar but won’t be able to leave because of the tape.
There you go! These are the best homemade traps for roaches. But it’s worth mentioning that while they may be effective, they may not get rid of a roach infestation. We recommend seeking professional pest control services to eliminate roaches and other pesky animals for good.