When trying to find a budget-friendly option to kill cockroaches, one of the ways you might do this is by using alcohol. However, you might be wondering if alcohol can kill roaches.
Yes, alcohol can kill cockroaches. Although alcohol is effective in killing roaches, it may not be the best method.
This article discusses how you can use alcohol to eliminate cockroaches from your home.
We will also discuss if roaches have an attraction to alcohol and what to do to help eliminate them. Continue reading to find out more.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide To Eliminating Roaches
Does Rubbing Alcohol Kill Roaches?
Yes, rubbing alcohol does kill roaches. However, using it as your one-and-done method of handling a roach infestation might prove unwise in the long run.
Regarding pest control, rubbing alcohol should only be viewed as the last method.
Using rubbing alcohol is not safe, which we will elaborate on below. Still, even more to the point, it lacks the finality that a cockroach problem should have.
How to Use Rubbing Alcohol to Kill Cockroaches
Before going too far into this, you should seek a safer home remedy than rubbing alcohol.
Aside from being expensive, you are only going to be killing a few roaches in this manner before the pros outweigh the cons.
However, if you still wish to continue with this method, here are the steps you should take.
Step 1: Get a Squirt Bottle
To begin this “treatment,” you will want to get an easy spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle. This is because you want to minimize the amount of alcohol you douse on the area.
Ideally, you only want to hit the roach directly and avoid any small holes or areas your pets might enter or where anyone may come quickly into direct contact with it.
Step 2: Spray the Roaches
Actively seek out the pests where you can see them, but be sure to avoid hitting any light sockets or areas where food might rest, and avoid places that can quickly engulf in fire.
Killing roaches with this method is easy, but it will not deter cockroaches from returning, nor will leaving the alcohol on any surface serve to repel the insects.
Read More: Natural Roach Repellent: Use Smells They Hate to Keep Them Away
Step 3: Clean Up
After you have finished dealing with your most hated pest, clean up any dead cockroaches you see.
Thoroughly clear off all surfaces exposed to rubbing alcohol, or isopropyl alcohol, if that is the version you used.
It would be best if you exercise extreme diligence when cleaning up after you spray alcohol for the safety of everyone in your home. The substance itself is highly flammable and can emit lingering fumes.
Is it Safe to Kill Cockroaches with Rubbing Alcohol?
No, it is not safe to kill cockroaches with rubbing alcohol.
The first actual issue with using rubbing alcohol comes with the danger it brings. If the substance gets into an electrical socket or a gas stove, it could create a dangerous situation. If in the worst-case scenario, it is somehow consumed, it can be toxic.
While direct application to your skin might not cause death, it can be dangerous and not worth the risk of just getting rid of a few pests.
Additionally, any spaces that you do not clean properly run the risk of causing a fire simply by being heated up too much. If one of your pets ingests the alcohol, you will more than likely be looking at a trip to the vet.
Are Cockroaches Attracted to Alcohol?
Yes, American cockroaches are attracted to alcohol, especially alcoholic beverages. It is believed the insects seek the sugar and hop inside the containers that contain it.
However, cockroaches are not attracted so much to the more medicinal variant of rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol.
As a side note, just because alcohol can attract roaches does not mean it would be helpful to be an additive to a specific bait, like in a boric acid mixture.
The same safety issues can occur, and you would still be putting your home and family at risk.
Other Ways to Naturally Get Rid of Roaches
Boric Acid Bait
Boric acid is a fantastic alternative to handling a roach infestation as it kills the roach that ingests the bait.
If any cockroach is unfortunate enough to eat that roach, it will yield the same effect again, diminishing returns as the process is repeated.
Read More: Boric Acid Bait To Eliminate Cockroaches
Baking Soda
Baking soda makes for a deadly roach treatment method. Still, it has a bit of a complication; you need to mix sugar with baking soda to make it enticing enough for a roach to eat.
Further, roaches must ingest quite a bit of the substance before it proves deadly.
Diatomaceous Earth
The powdery substance known as diatomaceous earth is unique because it does not need to be ingested to kill cockroaches.
What it does is much more heinous (or extraordinary, depending on how much you despise cockroaches). Diatomaceous earth destroys a cockroach’s exoskeleton, begins to absorb the roach’s nutrients, attacks the lipids underneath that shell, and essentially dehydrates the bug.
Borax
Borax will eliminate roaches like diatomaceous earth does by dehydrating them and killing them. The difference is that borax has to enter into the roaches’ digestive system to become dangerous to them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lysol Kill Roaches?
Yes, Lysol kills roaches because Lysol penetrates the roach’s spiracles (think lungs) and essentially suffocates the insect while it can still move about, temporary as it may be.
Will Pine Sol Kill Roaches?
Yes, Pine Sol will kill roaches, but it requires a significant amount of the product to yield this result.
As such, we do not recommend Pine Sol as a treatment. However, the strong scent can serve as a deterrent against roaches entering your home.
Should You Squish Cockroaches?
No, you should not squish cockroaches. If you see a cockroach in your home, you should kill it, but this is only for the satisfaction of not letting it get away and potentially reproduce.
However, doing so causes them to release unique pheromones that warn others of their fate, making it harder to find their kindred.
Another issue with just squishing them would be the amount of force required to kill them definitively.
If you were to slam a shoe into a group of them, you might kill a few, but some of the other roaches not in the center of the impact area can get away.
