Roaches are more than just creepy crawlies; they are a serious household problem. According to the National Pest Management Association, nearly 38% of U.S. households report seeing roaches in the past year. These pests spread bacteria, trigger allergies, and reproduce rapidly, making it essential to know how to permanently get rid of roaches. Quick fixes won’t work long-term. You need a thorough, multi-step approach that addresses their food sources, hiding spots, and breeding habits.
Here are 12 detailed ways to tackle roaches and keep them from coming back.
1. Keep Your Home Spotless
Roaches flock to the easiest meals they can find, crumbs, grease, and forgotten bits of food. To truly deal with cockroaches, start with deep cleaning. Sweep and mop floors at least twice a week, focusing on corners, behind appliances, and along baseboards. Wipe down counters, tables, stovetops, and sinks daily. Pay attention to hidden spots such as beneath furniture, inside cabinets, and near trash cans. Empty trash cans regularly and rinse out recyclables. Removing food sources and debris, you make your home far less appealing for roaches. Regular maintenance prevents minor infestations from becoming severe.
2. Seal Cracks and Entry Points
Roaches slip easily through small cracks, gaps, and openings around your home. Check doors, windows, walls, pipes, and baseboards for openings. Use caulk, foam sealant, or weatherstripping to close these gaps. Add door sweeps to exterior doors to block crawling pests, and check spots where pipes or cables pass through your walls. Sealing these entry points not only stops new roaches from coming in but also forces existing ones into more exposed areas where you can target them. This is a crucial step in how to permanently get rid of roaches.
3. Remove Standing Water
Roaches need water to survive, and even small sources can sustain a colony. Check faucets, sinks, bathtubs, and pipes for leaks, and repair them immediately. Keep surfaces dry at all times, and use a dehumidifier in moisture-prone areas like basements or crawl spaces. Empty pet water dishes at night, and avoid leaving water-soaked sponges around the kitchen. Lowering humidity makes your home less appealing to roaches and boosts the effectiveness of your other control efforts.
4. Store Food Properly
Roaches will eat almost anything, from crumbs and leftovers to pet food and cardboard. Keep all food sealed in airtight glass, metal, or hard plastic containers. Organize your pantry, wipe spills right away, avoid leaving snacks out overnight, and wash dishes promptly. Proper food storage not only limits the current infestation but also prevents new roaches from establishing themselves. Reducing accessible food sources is a core strategy in home remedies to kill roaches.
5. Use Roach Baits Strategically
Baits work well because they target the whole colony, not just the roaches you see. Apply gel baits in common hiding spots, under sinks, behind appliances, inside cabinets, and along baseboards. When roaches eat the bait, they bring the poison back to the nest, spreading it to others. For safer placement, use bait stations in spots children or pets can reach. Replace them often to keep them effective. With consistent use, baits can cut down infestations significantly and stop them from returning.
6. Apply Insecticidal Dusts
Home remedies to kill roaches like boric acid and diatomaceous earth are highly effective when used correctly. Lightly dust along cracks, crevices, and behind appliances. Boric acid sticks to their legs and is ingested, disrupting their digestive system, while diatomaceous earth damages their exoskeleton, causing dehydration. Avoid applying excessive amounts, which may repel roaches instead of attracting them to the treated areas. Reapply periodically, especially in high-traffic roach areas.
7. Use Natural Repellents
Essential oils like peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus can help keep roaches away from specific areas. Mix a few drops with water, then spray along baseboards, doorways, windows, and behind appliances where roaches often crawl. While these oils alone won’t eliminate an infestation, they make areas less attractive for roaches and can complement other control methods. Using natural repellents is a safer alternative in homes with children and pets and can help maintain a roach-free environment once the main infestation is under control.
8. Set Sticky Traps
Sticky traps allow you to monitor roach activity and identify hotspots. Set traps along walls, behind appliances, under sinks, and close to areas where roaches are likely getting in. Check traps weekly to measure progress and adjust your treatment plan. Traps are especially helpful for detecting new roaches early, allowing you to act before a small problem turns into a large infestation. They also help assess which areas need more intensive cleaning or bait application.
9. Declutter Your Home
Roaches often hide in cardboard boxes, paper stacks, and old magazines. Regularly decluttering removes these hiding spots. Keep storage areas organized, items off the floor, and recycle or toss what you don’t need. Less clutter makes your home less inviting for roaches and easier to clean and inspect for signs of activity. Decluttering is a simple but effective long-term prevention strategy.
10. Apply Insect Growth Regulators
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) interfere with the roaches’ life cycle, preventing them from maturing and reproducing. Use IGR sprays or combined treatments with baits in areas with heavy activity. IGRs don’t kill immediately but reduce future generations, complementing other control methods. This technique is particularly effective for addressing how to get rid of a heavy roach infestation, as it ensures that surviving roaches won’t multiply rapidly.
11. Consider Professional Pest Control
Severe infestations often require professional intervention. Pest control experts have access to specialized insecticides, heat treatments, and advanced baits that reach hidden nests and inaccessible areas. They can evaluate your home, identify species, and implement a targeted plan. Professionals also provide guidance on long-term prevention and follow-up treatments. Combining professional treatment with home maintenance offers the highest chance of permanently eliminating roaches.
12. Maintain Long-Term Prevention
Even after removing roaches, ongoing prevention is essential. Keep your home clean and dry, inspect deliveries and second-hand items before bringing them inside, and reapply boric acid or diatomaceous earth in hidden areas periodically. Continue monitoring traps weekly, and act immediately if any roach activity reappears. Long-term prevention requires diligence but ensures that your home remains roach-free and safe for your family.
Creating a Roach-Free Future
Understanding how to permanently get rid of roaches isn’t just about eliminating a pest problem, it’s about creating a cleaner, healthier living environment that prevents them from coming back. These 12 steps build strong, lasting habits: consistent cleaning, sealing every possible entry, and maintaining awareness of the small things that attract pests. Over time, these habits turn into your best protection.
When you see fewer roaches, don’t stop. Prevention is an ongoing process that keeps your space safe and comfortable for the long term. The key is to stay proactive, not reactive. With ste