Roaches are filthy insects that nobody wants to see in their home. There are many ways to get rid of a cockroach infestation. However, does bleach kill roaches, and can you use it to solve your cockroach infestation?
Although you can kill cockroaches with bleach, it is ineffective at doing the job. Bleach is a cleaning agent you can use in many applications, but it doesn’t kill bugs very effectively.
In addition, for a roach to die from bleach, it will need to ingest or drown in bleach, both of which are very hard to accomplish.
However, instead of trying to kill this common household pest with bleach, you can use it as a deterrent. This article discusses how to use bleach to get rid of cockroaches and any safety issues you might need to know. For further information, we encourage you to keep reading.
How to Use Bleach to Get Rid of Cockroaches
You can pour bleach into a spray bottle with some water to make a dilute solution and thus make it safer to use. Place this diluted solution into a spray bottle
When you find a nest, you can spray the surrounding location with your bleach solution and make the cockroaches evacuate their nest to make it easier to kill them with other, more effective pesticides.
Although bleach is not an effective way to eliminate these pests, you can use it as a deterrent. To do this, you can clean your countertops and other surfaces to ensure they will go away.
You can also use bleach to help set cockroach traps. Because cockroaches hate the smell of bleach, use bleach to help lead roaches to traps you’ve placed in your home.
After setting up a cockroach trap, use a washcloth and bleach to wipe down the surrounding area and any hiding spots like corners, behind and under appliances, and crevasses. Ensure you do not wipe near the trap and have a dry path to where you think cockroaches are hiding.
Over time, the traps will attract cockroaches with a food source, and the bleach barrier you made around the trap will prevent cockroaches from meandering too far.
Bleach is a chemical compound that combines chlorine, caustic soda, and water to make an excellent cleaning and sanitizing agent. Make sure to use chlorine bleach to clean and sanitize the area after spraying cockroaches or their nest.
How Does Chlorine Bleach Kill Cockroaches?
Chlorine bleach kills cockroaches by slowly dissolving and destroying organic cells. However, trying to kill roaches with bleach can be a little tricky. Still, you can use chlorine bleach because it is your best chance of killing a roach with bleach.
Chlorine bleach is any bleach solution that uses chlorine as its active ingredient. Chlorine occurs naturally as a poisonous gas, but once you combine it with sodium hydroxide, it becomes possible to control when and how the chlorine gas is released.
The chlorine in bleach is released when it comes in contact with proteins like bacteria, fungi, mold, and pests. So while chlorine works to whiten our clothes when we wash them, it will slowly dissolve and destroy organic cells, killing pests like cockroaches.
However, to kill a cockroach with chlorine bleach, you will need to douse the cockroach in the solution completely. You can do this by pouring bleach into a spray bottle and squirting the cockroach.
Even then, there is a good chance that the cockroach will survive. To kill them, you must soak the cockroach in chlorine bleach multiple times.
Can Bleach Kill Roach Eggs?
Yes, bleach can be an effective way to kill cockroach eggs. However, cockroaches are resilient creatures and finding their nest is complex. Because bleach is not an excellent way to kill roaches, your best bet is to use insecticides on a cockroach nest.
Furthermore, nearly all cockroach pesticides are also effective at killing cockroach eggs. However, after you have eradicated a cockroach nest, you can use chlorine bleach to clean and sanitize the area.
Doing so will kill bacteria and any remaining eggs lucky enough to survive the pesticide. While one or two roaches may survive and flee from the nest, the remaining smell from the bleach and the now clean and sanitized area solve the roach problem in this area of your home.
Are There Any Dangers to Using Bleach?
Yes, there are quite a few dangers to using bleach. For example, the strong smell of bleach can linger for hours. Exposure to those chemical fumes can lead to some adverse effects, like making your eyes sting or causing your throat to burn.
Furthermore, bleach is a corrosive chemical compound that can burn your skin if you have physical contact with it.
Thankfully, bleach is not firmly corrosive and will only cause irritation and redness. Rinse your hands quickly if you accidentally spill bleach on them.
Bleach can also damage the surfaces you spray it on. While using bleach is an excellent way to sanitize floors, spraying bleach on wood can leave lasting damage.
Finally, bleach can be deadly if you or your pets accidentally ingest it. These three potential dangers of bleach make using bleach to kill roaches a very ineffective way to deal with a roach infestation.
However, bleach is an effective repellent and works well at deterring roaches. So, if you plan on using bleach as a deterrent, ensure that you take some safety precautions and do not use too much bleach.
How to Use Bleach Safely to Get Rid of Roaches
Using bleach safely is essential and helps prevent injuries. However, while bleach is a common chemical used to clean clothes and in sanitizing pools, being exposed to the chemical physically can cause irritation.
To use bleach safely to get rid of cockroaches, you must wear gloves and a mask. The rubber gloves will prevent the bleach from coming in contact with your skin and stave off chemical burns to your skin. Wearing a mask will prevent you from breathing in bleach’s fumes.
Mixing bleach with water will dilute it and make it less harmful to your skin while maintaining its excellent cleaning properties.
It is also essential to never mix bleach and ammonia due to the chemical reaction it makes. Combining these two ingredients might cause you to feel dizzy and nauseous.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kills Roaches Instantly?
Boric acid can kill roaches instantly. Boric acid is another corrosive chemical that is far less toxic to humans than bleach, making it much safer.
Boric acid comes in powder or gel form, which you can use to lightly coat areas where you frequently see cockroaches or directly on roaches.
Unlike bleach, boric acid will stick to cockroaches, and when the roach cleans itself, it will ingest the boric acid and die soon after.
Furthermore, you can mix boric acid with water in a spray bottle which you can use to spray on roach nests when you find them. The boric acid will remain when the water dries, eventually killing the roach when they inevitably ingest it.
Borax is another cockroach killer but is not as effective as boric acid. However, you can use it to make roach traps. All you need to do is mix some borax powder with some sugar and pour it into little piles where you have seen roaches.
Afterward, when the cockroaches come out at night to look for food debris, they will find your DIY roach traps, each the sugar and borax mixture, and quickly perish.
Read More: Popular Home Remedies For Cockroaches
What Smells Are Effective Repellents For Cockroaches?
Many smells are effective at repelling cockroaches, including the following:
- Essential oils (cypress oil, peppermint oil, citrus, and eucalyptus oil)
- Basil
- Garlic
- Bleach
- Vinegar
- Ammonia
Although there are many deterrents you can use, a strong smell does not necessarily mean it is killing cockroaches.
However, if you want a natural remedy, use peppermint oil and spray where you see the most roach activity or around the perimeter of your home roughly two times a week. Make sure you make a strong enough solution to ensure the roaches will leave.
Remember to never mix bleach and ammonia due to the dangerous chemical reaction it produces.
Read More: Does Ammonia Kill Cockroaches?
Call Pest Control if Things Get Worse
We advise contacting a professional pest control agent to take care of the issue. While cleaning your home top to bottom is an excellent place to start, getting rid of roaches can be extremely difficult.
However, a professional knows which places to look and where to spray and follows up with you to ensure these pests are gone.
