Cockroaches are one of the most common pests that invade apartments and homes. What could be worse than turning on the lights at night and seeing roaches in your kitchen on your countertops, floor, and cabinets?
Roaches are not only an eyesore but also a health hazard. This is mainly because they carry disease-causing germs and have allergens that can trigger asthma.
Like people and pets, roaches need three things to survive; food, water, and shelter. Conveniently, you are supplying all these three in your home; otherwise, they will not be there.
So, the first thing to do is to deprive them of their needs, the major one being shelter. You will most likely find these little pests in your house’s dark and quiet places.
If you have seen a roach in your home or suspect you have a roach problem, you can get rid of them without using toxic chemicals.
Baking soda, also known as bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate, is an excellent home roach killer. Bicarbonate of soda isn’t harmful to humans and pets but is deadly for roaches.
Read on to learn more about killing roaches with baking soda.
What Attracts Cockroaches to Your Home?
Cockroaches are attracted to your home because it offers them their basic needs (water, food, and shelter).
In addition, roaches are nothing close to picky eaters. They will eat any type of food you can think of. Therefore, for baking soda to kill roaches, you must make sure that there is no spilled water or leftover food on kitchen counters.
Note that unsealed garbage trash and dirty dishes in the sink can also attract roaches to your house. Besides, roaches are usually attracted to moist areas, so any excess moisture in your home can have them running to you.
Health Risks Associated With a Roach Infestation
Roaches are a health hazard. They will move around your house, excrete saliva and feces, and shed their body parts.
All these are allergens that can trigger asthma when inhaled.
In addition, roaches cause other health issues. Here are some health risks to look out for when you notice roaches in your house:
- Diarrhea
- Plague
- Leprosy
- Typhoid fever
- Cholera
- Dysentery
- Poliomyelitis
Using Baking Soda to Kill Roaches
Baking soda is a salt composed of a sodium cation and a bicarbonate anion. It is a white crystalline solid that often looks like a fine powder and acts as a chemical leavener.
Baking soda is harmless but can be used as an alternative to commercial roach repellents. Besides, it is a cost-effective and readily available home remedy for roaches.
It is important to note that baking soda alone isn’t effective in killing roaches unless they consume large quantities of it. In addition, roaches hate this compound and can avoid it.
So, it will be best to mix it with an attractant to lure roaches into consuming the baking soda.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Roaches Without an Exterminator
How Does Baking Soda Kill Roaches?
Baking soda kills cockroaches and other bugs by reacting with water to produce a lot of energy in the form of heat and carbonic acids. Carbonic acid is the compound that makes drinks fizzy.
Note that a roach’s body is made up of a rigid and flexible exoskeleton that safeguards and supports its inner organs.
However, once the roach consumes baking soda, it reacts with the water inside its digestive system. This results in an exothermic reaction (a reaction process accompanied by heat production) inside the cockroach’s body.
Baking soda kills cockroaches and other insects in the following ways:
Increased Pressure
Baking soda kills roaches by reacting with water in the roach’s digestive system, creating gas inside. This gas, carbon dioxide, and the counter-pressure from the non-flexible cockroach exoskeleton will eventually kill the roach.
Instant Heat Production
Sometimes, the heat produced from the baking soda and water reaction is enough to kill the roach. The high heat can kill cockroaches by interfering with their stomach and other internal organs.
Disrupting and Melting Its Exoskeleton
Sometimes, roaches might get baking soda on their body while grooming themselves. Afterward, when they come into contact with water, the baking soda reacts to form carbonic acid.
The acid gradually destroys the exoskeleton of the roach. However, compared to roaches eating baking soda, this process is relatively slower, and roaches hate baking soda. So, they will hardly get it on their bodies.
Methods for Killing Roaches With Baking Soda
Roaches aren’t attracted by baking soda and will avoid coming near it. So, baking soda sprinkled in areas with signs of a cockroach infestation will not help you get rid of the cockroach infestation in your home.
Fortunately, these little creatures love to feast on sweet and starchy foods. So, play a trick on them and try the following ingredients to kill cockroaches.
Read More: What Do Cockroaches Eat? Their Favorite Foods
Mix Sugar and Baking Soda
Mixing baking soda and sugar is the best way for killing roaches in your house. The sweet smell of baking soda and sugar attracts roaches.
Roaches will eat this sugar combination without noticing the baking soda. Afterward, they will drink water, which will react with the baking soda to cause a deadly reaction.
In addition, roaches feed on their dead relatives, so there will be a chain reaction of deaths.
Follow these steps to add sugar to baking soda to kill roaches.
- Mix equal parts of baking soda and sugar in a dish or any shallow bowl
- Place the container with the sugar mixture on the floor near another one filled with water
- Refill the mixture and water dishes in the respective containers when you start seeing dead roaches
- Place more of these mixtures in places where you notice cockroach activity and inside cupboards
- Repeat this process to ensure baking soda gets rid of all the roaches
Mix Baking Soda With Flour
Mixing baking soda with flour is an excellent alternative bait to mixing baking soda and sugar. However, be careful not to mix with water when preparing this mixture.
Water will rob baking soda of its killing power. You will need:
- One-part dry flour
- Two parts baking soda
Use a spoon to mix the two and sprinkle them in the infested areas to get rid of the roach infestation.
Sprinkle Baking Soda on Potatoes
Roaches are attracted to starchy foods, including potatoes. So the smell of potatoes will have them running to your kitchen.
To make this potato and baking soda bait, you should:
- Peel the potatoes, dice them up, and boil them until they are half-cooked
- Dry the cubes using a tissue paper
- Mix the diced potatoes with baking soda
- Start placing them in places you suspect roaches are hiding
Sprinkle Baking Soda on Boiled Eggs
Cockroaches love the smell of boiled eggs. Besides, they can smell protein-based foods from a distance.
This recipe is easy to make and less messy when compared to other recipes. You will have to:
- Boil the eggs and pat them dry with a tissue paper
- Cut them into pieces
- Pour a generous amount of baking soda on the pieces
- Place the pieces in the corners of your house
Sprinkle Baking Soda on Diced Onions
One fascinating fact about roaches is that they really love onions. So, chop down some onions into a shallow bowl.
Mix them with a generous amount of baking soda and place your bait in areas where you’ve seen these pests, and wait for two to three days for results.
Sprinkle Baking Soda on Sweet Delicacies
Roaches love sugar more than anything, and they can smell it from afar. This is also true for sweets and other sugary food like donuts and soft candies.
To make this method effective, you will need to:
- Use an amount of baking soda depending on the level of the infestation
- Place donuts or sweets in different places
- Cover the donuts with a mixture of powdered sugar and baking soda
- Wait for results
Safety Precaution When Using Baking Soda as a Roach Killer
Baking soda isn’t harmful to humans and pets. However, the only concern with it is that it can cause eye redness and irritation even to pets.
In addition, baking soda can cause skin irritation, especially if you are sensitive to it.
To prevent such incidents, ensure you wear eye-protective glasses and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately after you’re done preparing your bait traps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Baking Soda Kill Roaches?
Yes, baking soda kills roaches. However, you must mix it with other ingredients to make sure cockroaches are consuming baking soda.
How Long Does It Take Baking Soda to Kill Roaches?
It takes 12 to 24 hours for baking soda to kill roaches. However, the duration can be affected by various factors.
For instance, the amount of baking soda consumed by the roaches, closeness to a water source, and how hydrated the roaches are.
Remember that baking soda is effective when it mixes with water. So, if the cockroach has not drunk water recently, the baking soda will take longer to work.
On the other hand, even if baking soda gets on the roach’s body, it will take time to kill it. This is because this compound works to immobilize roaches.
The tiny creatures will be unable to fend for themselves, die of starvation, and leave your home roach free.
What Happens When Cockroaches Eat Baking Soda?
When roaches eat baking soda, the water in their bodies reacts and creates gas in their stomach. This, together with the counter-pressure from their exoskeleton, will kill cockroaches.
