A cockroach infestation is the last thing that anyone wants in their home. This is because roaches are dirty, resilient, and difficult to get rid of.
Unfortunately, these Cockroaches can infest your bathroom, kitchen, and other parts of your home and make themselves at home. They will then hide there, feed, breed, and spread diseases.
While there are many ways of eliminating a cockroach infestation, it will be best to prevent the problem before it strikes you.
Therefore, you must keep these pesky pests out of your home or business. While there are many ways to keep them away, one excellent way is using smell. Let’s learn which smells are the best at repelling cockroaches.
Can Scents Keep Roaches Away?
Yes, scents can keep roaches away. Cockroaches have remarkable smelling abilities. They use their antennas to detect chemicals in the air and smell food far from them.
For instance, roaches can smell rotting food, wood, or dead insects from afar. However, roaches don’t like all smells.
They hate the smell of peppermint oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus, neem, and tea tree oils, among many others.
In addition, some herbs and plants have also been found effective in keeping roaches away, for instance, pandan leaves, mint leaves, garlic, cinnamon, and bay leaves.
On that note, there are some things you should know about roaches and scents.
Roaches Can Ignore Some Smell
Cockroaches are resilient pests that can adapt to any situation. For example, if you apply a roach repellent like bleach to keep them away, it might work for some time.
However, roaches might choose not to care about the scent anymore and return to the treated area.
This is because they can adapt to their environment using their little intelligence. So, for example, if the smell is offensive, they might ignore the area.
However, if they are starving, they will come back to see if the scent is something they can stomach or tolerate so they can munch on something.
Read More: Roach Survival When There is No Food
Cockroaches Have a Strong Reaction to the Death Scent
When roaches die, they give off a particular stench. Their rotting bodies or even shed skin releases oleic acid, which has a pungent smell.
The stench, commonly referred to as the death stench, warns all roaches nearby. So, every cockroach near the vicinity will flee from where the stench is coming from.
But, if they are starving, the roaches will choose to ignore the stench and feed on the dead cockroaches.
The bottom line is that a bad scent will give roaches a pause for thought. Besides, they might even stay away from the treated area for some time.
However, if there is plenty of food and other temptations like dirt on the other side, be sure they will overcome the scent and pursue the food.
This means that using smell to deter roaches is not a lasting solution. Instead, it makes the area non-welcoming for them, but remember, these creatures are experts at surviving in hostile environments.
Why Do Cockroaches Hate Particular Scents?
Cockroaches hate particular scents if they sense it is dangerous for them.
Every living creature can identify hazardous consumables with their scent. For instance, people can tell if food is decaying with the scent it releases.
Similarly, roaches, too, can sense scents of products that are not good for them.
Using Natural Scents to Keep Roaches Away
You can use some natural ingredients to repel roaches and even kill them. These scents have mild insecticidal properties, killing roaches or keeping them at bay for good. They include:
Bay Leaves
You can crush bay leaves and sprinkle the powder in areas you want to keep roaches away from. These leaves have a pungent smell and insecticidal element that deters roaches.
Read More: Using Bay Leaves To Deter Cockroaches
Citrus
Roaches hate the smell of citrus fruits. So, place orange or lemon fruit peels where you want to keep roaches from.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus has a strong scent that repels roaches and keeps other bugs away. To use it, place fresh leaves or sprinkle crushed dried leaves in places with roach activity.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are another roach repellent if you don’t like placing fresh or raw ingredients around your kitchen.
You can use lavender oil, tea tree, eucalyptus oil, citronella, and peppermint essential oils to deter roaches by mixing them with white vinegar in a spray bottle.
Benefits of Using Scents to Deter Roaches
The above scents might not kill cockroaches but will keep them from your home. However, they make up for that with their many benefits.
Easy to Find
You can find roach-repelling products like garlic powder, coffee grounds, eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, and oregano oil in your local store. This makes them the perfect home remedy.
Easy to Use
Unlike when using a chemical compound, you won’t need to wear protective clothing or section part of your home when using natural cockroach repellent.
All you need to do is pour or sprinkle the powder or smear the essential oils in the area you want to keep roaches from without any danger.
Safe for Use
Unlike a chemical-based insecticide, natural roach repellent is not harmful when inhaled in small quantities.
They Smell Nice
Using chemical-based roach repellents makes your home smell like chemicals. However, that is not the case for essential oils and other natural repellents, as they have a pleasant smell.
Using Perfume to Repel Roaches
Roaches sometimes hate the smell of perfume; however, using it to keep them away is not recommended.
Besides, its effectiveness will depend on the following;
- The type of fragrance you use
- The chemicals used in binding the perfume
- The consistency of the perfume itself
In addition, part of what makes perfume somewhat effective in repelling cockroaches is the presence of essential oils.
That said, you can only use perfume to keep roaches away if it is citrus based, peppermint oil, or derived from any of the above-mentioned natural repellents.
Does Bleach Repel Roaches?
Yes, bleach does repel roaches.
Bleach can kill roaches and, at the same time, repel them with its pungent smell. Moreover, bleach is lethal to all living beings.
However, bleach is not the best option when it comes to repelling roaches. This is because it is toxic and can bleach or damage anything it comes into contact with.
In addition, bleach might repel roaches but not for too long.
Using Bleach to Repel Roaches
Roaches find the smell of bleach very offensive. So, you can wipe down surfaces using bleach to disinfect them and keep roaches away.
Alternatively, you can use bleach to repel roaches and, at the same time, herd them towards a trap. Here is how :
- Set up the traps in your kitchen or bathroom or anywhere you have noticed significant roach activity
- Pour bleach in a spray bottle and use it to wipe down all their hiding spots with bleach; this will include behind appliances, under furniture, and corners
- Wait for them, and they will avoid areas wiped with bleach and all be channeled into areas with traps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Spices Repel Roaches?
Spices that repel roaches include garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves, pandan leaves, cayenne, garlic, and onion powder, among many others.
Do Roaches Like the Smell of Vinegar?
No, roaches don’t like the smell of vinegar.
Vinegar has a pungent smell that roaches hate. However, it is not the best roach deterrent. This is because if used alone, roaches might ignore the smell.
So, to make vinegar more effective at keeping roaches away, consider mixing it with essential oils in a spray bottle and using it to repel roaches.
What Do Roaches Hate?
Roaches hate most smells humans like, such as garlic, coffee ground, citrus, tea tree, eucalyptus essential oils, and strong disinfectants like bleach and vinegar.
Can Perfume Kill Roaches?
No, perfume cannot kill roaches.
However, perfumes can repel roaches depending on the type of fragrance and the binding chemicals. So, if the perfume is citrus based or derived from any roach-repelling plants, you can use it to deter roaches.
