How you can keep cockroaches out of your house this summer

Summer is here, and with it comes an increase in the number of creepy crawlies in your home.

Among the creepy crawlies that thrive in the warmer months is cockroaches.

You might notice in the coming weeks the number of roaches in your house increasing.

If that’s the case, there are a number of things you can do to get rid of them.

Here are 7 ways you can keep the cockroaches at bay.

1. Listerine

That’s right, Listerine is handy for more than just washing your mouth out or freshening your breath. In fact, it makes an excellent deterrent for cockroaches. All you need to do is mix an equal amount of water and Listerine, add a few drops of dish washing liquid and spray it around the areas you’ve seen cockroaches. Apparently, the cockroaches can’t stand it! If you see a live roach, spray it with the mixture – they’ll scuttle away out of your house!

2. Baking soda and sugar

This one is a no-brainer as a cockroach repellent. The cockroaches are attracted to the sugar, they eat the sugar and the baking soda mixed with it and the baking soda destroys their digestive system – killing them. Apparently it fills them with gas, eating away at their insides until they die! And the best bit is it’s safe to use around pets and children – phew! Just mix an equal amount of sugar and baking soda and sprinkle it in the cockroach prone areas of your home.

3. Borax and sugar

Borax and sugar works exactly the same as the baking soda and sugar. The only difference is it’s not safe to use around pets or children. So if you have pets or children, either sprinkle it in areas they can’t reach, or use the baking soda and sugar instead. Apparently this mix can start working super fast, within hours of first using it you should see dead cockroaches starting to appear.

4.   Bay leaf

Do you have some bay leaves in your herb collection? Then next time you find roaches in your house, reach for the bay leaves. Apparently the cockroaches can’t stand the smell of the bay leaves. So instead of trying to kill the roaches and finding them dead around your house, you can crush up bay leaves into a powder and sprinkle it in the areas of your home susceptible to roaches. The roaches will soon find somewhere else to live!

Read more: Get rid of roaches with this DIY trick

5. Fabric softener

It turns out, roaches breathe through the lower part of their body. You might be wondering what that has to do with fabric softener? Well, by mixing three parts of fabric softener and two parts of water in a spray battle and spraying the roaches, you can actually suffocate them! Not only will it kill the roaches when sprayed directly on them, it’ll also deter them if you spray the mix in the areas they frequent.

6. Catnip

Your cat may love catnip, but the roaches in your home will hate it! That’s why it’s perfect to use as a means of keeping roaches away. Just mix a tablespoon of catnip with two cups of water and spray the mixture in the areas the roaches are hanging around. Not only is it safe for your pets and grandies, it’s also very effective. However, if you have a cat it can make them go a little crazy!

7. Ammonia and water

Roaches hate ammonia. That’s why washing the surfaces of your home with a mix of ammonia and water will have the roaches scuttling for the hills. Just wipe down the surfaces in your home with the ammonia and water mix and the roaches will leave in no time. Make sure you do it fortnightly to make sure the roaches stay away.

Do you have a problem with cockroaches? Have you tried any of these tips before?