A cockroach infestation can be hard to deal with. You may consider using bleach to kill roaches. But does bleach roaches? In this post, you will learn:
- If bleach can kill roaches,
- Whether drowning roaches in bleach kill them
- If bleach kill cockroach eggs
- How chlorine bleach kill roach
- If bleach keep roaches away
- Whether the smell of bleach repels roaches.
Also Read: How to Get Rid Of Cockroach Smell, Odor, on Clothes & in Microwave
Cockroaches are stubborn and tend to appear everywhere even in the cleanest house. They can be in your home hiding underneath your sink, inside your cupboard, and nearly everywhere where they can build their nest and access food source.
The sight of cockroaches in your home is gross. You may simply want to get rid of them as fast as you can. Obvious reason, roaches are filthy insects known to transmit a number of serious diseases.
Although there are quite a number of effective methods to help you get rid of roaches, many people still look for cheaper options. This is why bleach has been used to get rid of roaches. But does bleach kill roaches, their eggs? Does the smell of bleach repel roaches? How safe is it to use bleach to get rid of roaches? Let’s find out:
Does Bleach Kill Cockroaches?
Yes, bleach is strong enough to kill cockroaches either through ingestion or drowning the roaches. But note that not all bleach are manufactured equally or with the same strength. For instance, the one that is commonly used for laundry may not be effective against cockroaches.
Bleach is a collective term which means a solution that removes colors from fabric. Oxygen bleach is a softer type of bleach and it protects color while making a white fabric more vibrant. Usually termed as a color-safe bleach.
On the other hand, chlorine bleach is the bleach meant for bleaching or saved for whites since it removes almost any color at ease. Bleach may come under different name such as Clorox, but the strength to get rid of cockroaches is still there.
Does Bleach Kill Roach Eggs?
Yes, bleach will kill cockroach eggs. Finding cockroach eggs may be difficult but as soon as you locate cockroach nest, apply the bleach insecticide to get rid of the roaches and their eggs. Spraying is not really advisable, as this may only scatter the nest and build somewhere else.
Also Read: Cockroach Eggs: What They Look Like, How to Kill & Get Rid
To effectively get rid of roach eggs with bleach, the best approach would be soaking them in a tub of bleach and leave them for 30 minutes or so before finally disposing the damaged eggs.
Will Drowning Roaches In Bleach Kill Them?
Yes, drowning roaches in bleach is the proven and effective way to get rid of roaches. If you want bleach to work against cockroaches effectively, how about you drown them in tub of bleach. This is a sure way to kill the roaches. But this will require you to carry the roaches into the tub. It simply makes the process impractical in that roaches are small are small, fast and difficult to catch.
Two, cockroaches are always covered in germs and bacteria thus touching them is a bad idea. What is the point of catching the roaches taking them to the tub while there are other easier ways to get rid of them, one would wonder? Is it even possible to hand-catch full infestation of roaches? Drowning roaches in bleach will kill them but the process makes it more complicated.
How Does Chlorine Bleach Kill Cockroaches?
When referring to chlorine bleach it simply means that the bleach has chlorine as the active ingredient. How does chlorine bleach get kill roaches? Naturally, chlorine is a poisonous gas. Chlorine in bleach is released when it comes into contact with protein such as bacteria, mold, fungi and pests like cockroaches and bed bugs. The potency of chlorine in bleach breaks the chemical bonds in the cells of organic life of these pests, thus killing them in the process.
This is the same case when chlorine comes to clothes, the bonds are broken. When the bonds are broken, the fiber that gives the clothes are also destroyed.
How Do You Kill Roaches With Bleach?
Although bleach is considered the least insecticide to kill roaches, it can still get rid of roaches. Bleach works as a temporary solution especially if the infestation is small. You may combine bleach with other effective options.
Here’s how to kill Roaches with bleach:
Use Bleach As A Disinfectant
Bleach is one of the most commonly used disinfectant to clean homes, hospitals and many other places. Other than using it for laundry, you can use bleach to kill roaches and many other pests such as bed bugs.
Bleach can be used to clean infested homes once you’ve applied commercial insecticides. After you have killed the roaches, be sure to clean the spaces around with bleach to disinfect. This helps to deter roaches from coming back and removing cockroach smell.
Bleach As A Repellent
The smell of bleach is too strong for roaches to tolerate; they will avoid it. This is how you can safely use bleach to kill roaches. You can flush roaches out of their hidings with the smell of bleach while in the process setting up a trap either in the kitchen, your bathroom or living room.
Wipe all other hiding spots with bleach and wait for the roaches to come out. Once the cockroaches are out, use insecticides to kill the roaches.https://www.treatmd.org/cockroach-smell-what-do-cockroaches-smell-like/
Also Read: Cockroach Smell – What Do Cockroaches Smell Like?
Will Bleach Keep Roaches Away?
Bleach will definitely keep the roaches away. This means if you are using bleach to clean or disinfect your homes including the kitchen surfaces, bathroom or living rooms, roaches will avoid such areas. The smell of bleach makes it hard for roaches to infest such spaces since it is offensive to them.
Bleach is commonly used as a cleaning agent; it gives off a strong smell that cockroaches hate. Dirt and cleanliness don’t mix at all, which simply means that cockroaches will not invade a home that is clean since they cannot find source of food.
Also Read: What Do cockroaches Hate? – Cockroach Natural Repellents
How To Keep Roaches Away With Bleach
To keep roaches away with bleach, do the following:
- Use bleach as a repellent – bleach gives off a strong smell that cockroaches hate. To keep roaches away, use bleach as a repellent. You can do this by rubbing all the cockroaches nesting spots with bleach. Wipe the areas including underneath furniture, behind appliances and the corners.
- Use bleach as a disinfectant – as mentioned earlier, bleach is one of the most effective sanitizer. That is why it is commonly used at home and hospitals. Cockroaches carry germs, bacteria and transmit diseases. Use bleach to wipe surfaces contaminated by roaches. In fact after you’ve successfully killed roaches, disinfect the areas.
Does Pouring Bleach Down The Drain Stop Roaches?
Pouring bleach down the drain can stop and deter roaches. This method may not work effectively as you would wish. It is not the most the effective approach.
Here are the reasons:
A Lot of Bleach is Needed
To stop roaches down the drains, you require a large amount of bleach. You also have to pour in large amount for a prolonged period of time to get the results you want. In the long run, it is not a cost-effective approach.
You Must Dilute the Bleach
You have no option but dilute the bleach, remember bleach is corrosive and it will damage your pipes over time. This means by diluting the bleach you reduce the effectiveness of bleach against roaches.
How To Safely Get Rid of Roaches With Bleach
Technically bleach can kill roaches but arguably it poses more risks to human than cockroaches. You have to take precaution while using bleaching to kill roaches. If you inhaled or comes into contact on the skin for a prolonged period of time, it can burn the skin; cause dizziness, induce vomiting, affect your balance, or death in the long run. You can avoid all these by:
Always Wearing Gloves
To be safe while handling bleach, wear gloves to avoid any chemical reaction from spills. This also helps to protect your hands from cockroach poop and their bites. Wash your hands before putting on the gloves and also after. After killing the roaches, be sure to wash the gloves too thoroughly.
Put on Face Protection
To prevent you from inhaling the fumes from bleach which is toxic and corrosive, be sure to wear a mask. This is to avoid breathing in the chlorine gas, irritation on your eyes or coughing. Additionally, wear goggles.
Does Spraying Bleach On Roaches Kill Them?
Bleach has the potency to kill the roaches on contact. One of the most effective to kill roaches with bleach is spraying them with a spray bottle. Here is how to kill roaches with a bleach spray bottle:
- Put diluted bleach solution in a spray bottle. Non-diluted bleach will be more effective but it can destroy your bottle especially if the bottle is plastic. Glass is preferable.
- Add water to the spray bottle
- Spray the bleach solution directly on the roaches and the infested area.
- Spray the roaches at least thrice to dowse them completely.
Roaches are fast and small, you have to spray more than thrice to achieve effective result.
Does The Smell Of Bleach Repel Roaches?
Yes, the smell of bleach is offensive to cockroaches. A house cleaned or disinfected with bleach may make it difficult for roaches to live in. Roaches will find it difficult to find leftover food, fungus, mold or sugar spills. A well cleaned house with bleach makes it difficult for roaches to survive for two reasons; one it is hard for roaches to find food and secondly the offensive smell of bleach which is strong for roaches will repel them away.
Will Cockroaches Drink Bleach?
Although cockroaches are considered the most resilient pest, bleach is highly toxic and if they do it cause death. This is also the case to humans such that if ingested it can result in organ failure, internal bleeding and even death.
If you wish to kill cockroaches with bleach then you have to bait them to ingest the bleach. Cockroaches cannot drink bleach since it gives off a strong smell that repels them. However, you can make cockroaches drink bleach with a bait. This include dipping crumbs in bleach and placing them in corners or diluting water with bleach and placing it where the cockroaches visit quite often.
Although this method is not an effective approach, since bleach has a potent smell that will repel roaches.
