Does Listerine kill roaches? Yes, it does.
But only if you spray Listerine straight on the roaches. If you spray Listerine all-around your home, it’ll act as a roach repellent rather than as a roach killer.
This post will tell you how to use Listerine with other stuff to repel and kill roaches at your home.
The hacks revealed in this post will help you in minimizing roach infestation in your home.
The best part? These hacks are all safe for children and pets.
Let’s jump in.
How Do You Make Spray Out Of Listerine To Kill Roaches?
It’s easy. Take a spray bottle. Pour equal amounts of Listerine and water into the bottle. Add 5-7 drops of dishwashing or laundry detergent liquid to the mixture
Detergents contain borax that is effective in killing and repelling roaches.
Shake the mixture well. Spray it on the roaches if you spot them or spray it on the nooks and corners of your home to repel them away.
Want to add more punch to your spray?
Add no more than 1-2 tablespoons of kerosene to the mixture.
But be prepared to endure a little bit of kerosene smell in your home if you spray the mixture of Listerine, kerosene, and water.
There are also other ways to repel and kill roaches in your home.
Below are a few effective ones that works great.
Listerine And Peppermint Oil Spray To Repel Roaches
Another option that you’ve is to prepare a spray by mixing Listerine and Peppermint oil.
Peppermint oil contains methanol, which has both medicinal and insecticidal properties.
Peppermint oil repels roaches and also other insects like centipedes and earwigs, which can sneak into your home too.
But for your spray to be effective you should use a natural extract cold condensed peppermint oil.
There are many essential oils in the market that are complete knock offs.
To prepare a spray of Listerine and peppermint oil for repelling roaches, add 5 drops of peppermint essential oil in half a cup of Listerine.
Stir the mixture well. Add 2 cups of water in the mixture and pour the mixture in a sprayer bottle.
Shake the sprayer well. Start spraying the mixture in places that have high moisture content in your home.
Places like kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, garage, and basement have high levels of dampness making these places a perfect place for the roaches to hide.
In your kitchen, where most of the cockroaches hide because of availability of food and moisture, spray the mixture in your kitchen cabinet, underneath the kitchen sink at the plumbing area, food pantry, and in every tight corners.
In your bathroom or laundry room, spray the mixture in the plumbing area of the sink or bathroom vanity.
It’d be best if you spray it in the drains (bathroom drains and sink drains) because roaches often enter your home through the drains.
Does Lysol Kill Roaches?
Yes, Lysol kills roaches, but only if you spray Lysol directly on the roach.
Lysol is an oil remover, and roaches have oils on their body that keeps them moist.
If you spray Lysol on roaches, then it removes the oil from the cockroach’s body. The absence of oil dehydrates the roach and kills it.
Does Lemon Juice Kill Roaches?
No, lemon juice doesn’t kill roaches. But lemon juice is a good roach repellent.
You can add 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice in water before using the water to mop the floor.
It’ll keep the roaches away from your home. Roaches hate the smell of lemon.
Does Baking Soda Kill Roaches?
Yes, baking soda kill roaches. Baking soda when mixed with sugar is a good bait for the cockroaches.
Mix baking soda with some sugar (sugar should be at max one-third of the baking soda) in a bowl and keep it where you see roaches often.
The sugar will attract the roaches, and the roaches will eat the mixture.
But baking soda is a poison for the roaches. And it’ll take somewhere around 2-3 hours for the roaches to die after consuming the mixture.
Does Vinegar Kill Roaches?
No, vinegar doesn’t kill roaches. Neither it’s a good roach repellent.
But vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent that removes the dirt and stink from places like the kitchen sink and stovetops where the roaches hang around.
So, if you clean these places with vinegar, you can keep the roaches away indirectly.
What Smells Repel Roaches?
Certain essential oils emit smells that roaches hate. They act as a good deterrent against the roaches and keeps them away from your home.
You can use any one of the below essential oils whose smells roaches avoid like the plague.
- Lavender essential oil (roaches hate the smell of lavender. Plant a few lavender plants in your garden to keep the roaches away from there too)
- Peppermint essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
- Neem essential oil
If you use essential oils to keep roaches away, then go for cold condensed essential oils. They’re 100% pure and contains natural herbal extracts.
Add 5-7 drops of peppermint essential oil (or any essential oil from the list) in half a cup of Listerine.
Add water to the mixture, put the mixture in a spray bottle, shake well, and spray it on the places where roaches hide.
But remember, roaches are tough and very difficult to get rid of of.
These methods will work if roach infestation is at the infancy.
But will these methods work in removing roach nests, baby roaches, and roach eggs that are essential to remove roach infestation?
No, they’re not.
To make your home roach-free you’d need to hire an experienced cockroach exterminator.
Nang Chen is an Entomologist and Arachnologist who is associated with Vienna’s museum of natural history. He’s also a consultant with real estate groups, insecticide conglomerates and law enforcement groups as a forensic entomologist. Nang Chen holds an M.S. from South China University and he’s a regular contributor to our site.