Baking soda is cheap and readily available in every home. As a result, it is possibly the most extensively used item in DIY hacks and tricks, from removing rust to cleaning tiles.
In addition, some people have used baking soda to kill roaches and other insects but with limited success.
Baking Soda does kill roaches if they consume a lot of it. Cockroaches hate baking soda and usually stay away from it.
Therefore baking soda needs to be mixed with other ingredients like sugar to fool roaches into consuming it. Once the roach consumes a lot, baking soda will expand inside its gut, killing it.
Baking soda is very slow and not entirely effective at killing roaches. It is also a labor-intensive and demanding hack. Therefore, to use it, the pros of using baking soda to kill roaches must outweigh its downsides.
After using baking soda to kill roaches for some time, I have drawn a few conclusions and found some fantastic hacks. I will be sharing them in the blog below.
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Can Baking Powder Kill Roaches?
Although we know that roaches hate the smell of baking soda and will usually avoid eating it.
We are not sure why this happens, but it can be mainly due to how baking soda reacts when it reacts with any liquid.
However, we are sure that BAKING SODA KILLS roaches. But, it needs to be consumed in larger quantities to be effective.
Baking soda expands when it reacts with water. So for it to be effective for cockroaches, it must be fresh, free of humidity, and still in its natural powder form. So if you want roaches to consume it, you must mix items that do not alter its natural form, like powdered sugar.
What is Baking Soda Made of?
Baking soda is made of Sodium Cation and Bicarbonate Anion. Together, its also called Sodium Bicarbonate. It’s a salt of carbonic acid. It is a perfect pH neutralizer naturally found. Baking soda is used in various applications in the food industry, particularly in expanding bakeries.
Can Baking Powder Kill Cockroaches?
Baking soda is a white, crystalline, odorless powder. Upon reacting with water, baking soda releases a lot of energy in the form of heat and forms carbonic acid, the acid in fizzy drinks.
A cockroach is covered by a flexible yet rigid exoskeleton that supports and protects internal organs. Once the cockroach consumes baking soda, it reacts with water inside the stomach. Soon an exothermic reaction occurs inside the roach’s body with free heat and carbonic acid release. Next, the acid splits into water and carbon dioxide.
Baking soda kills roaches by,
1. Instant Heat Release
The instant heat released from the reaction is sometimes enough to kill the cockroach by disrupting and interfering with the metabolism.
2. Increased Uneven Pressure
The increased pressure in the digestive system due to the release of carbon dioxide gas and the counter-pressure from the nonexpanding exoskeleton proves lethal for the cockroach.
3. Dissolving and Disrupting Exoskeleton
A cockroach covered with baking soda powder, upon coming in contact with the water, releases carbonic acid that slowly dissolves and damages the exoskeleton. But this is a slow process and rarely are roaches covered with baking soda.
It is essential to know that roaches usually avoid consuming baking soda unless mixed with some other attractive ingredient like sugar or flour.
How to Kill Roaches with Baking Soda?
Roaches love to feed on starchy and sweet food. Your house has plenty of food spread and dispersed on floors and in garbage bins to fulfill their needs for the rest of their life.
Roaches don’t give a damn about baking soda and will never try to consume it because it is odorless and has a bitter taste. Therefore, Baking soda sprinkled in roach-infested areas is of no benefit in killing roaches.
They will only consume your magic recipe if you play a foul hack against them. Let me share some recipes to kill roaches with baking soda,
1. Does Baking Soda And Sugar Kill Cockroaches?
Mixing equal parts of baking soda and sugar works wonders in killing roaches. The sugar attracts, whereas the baking soda kills the roaches. All you have to do is,
- Take one part crushed powdered sugar and one part fresh baking soda in a container.
- Mix them well with a spoon.
- Sprinkle carefully in roach-infested areas, especially corners, crevices, under the furniture, behind the curtains, and inside the cabinets.
- Wait for a few days before you start to see the results
It is crucial to note that sprinkling should be done carefully, not to separate the mixture. Also, try to use fresh baking soda from a new pack, as the old lacks efficacy.
2. Does Baking Soda And Flour Kill Roaches?
It is also an excellent alternative to mixing sugar and has good efficacy at killing roaches. However, you must not mix water, or the baking soda will lose its killing power. For this recipe to work,
- Take two parts baking soda and one part dry flour.
- Mix them in a container with the help of a spoon.
- Sprinkle it in the same areas as mentioned above.
- Wait for 2 to 3 days.
3. Sprinkling Baking soda on Sweets
Baking soda sprinkled on sweets also works well if done appropriately. However, you must buy or prepare sweets like donuts or soft candies for this method to work. Follow the method below,
- Take the amount of baking soda based on the level of infestation.
- Next, place the donuts or candies in the designated places.
- After that, cover the sweets with baking soda, not leaving any space.
- Wait for 2 to 3 days to get the results.
4. Do Baking Soda and Potatoes kill roaches?
The good thing about using potatoes is that the smell attracts roaches very well. All you have to do is,
- Cut down potatoes into small cubes and boil them until they are semi-cooked.
- Tap dry the cubes with tissue paper.
- Mix the cubes with baking soda generously
- Place a few cubes at multiple places around the house
- wait for the game to show its results.
5. Can Onion And Baking Soda Kill Cockroaches?
A freshly cut onion attracts roaches very well. All you have to do is to cut down onions into small pieces and mix them with a generous amount of baking soda. Next, place these baits around the house and wait for 2 to 3 days.
6. Can Boiled Eggs And Baking Soda Kill Cockroaches?
The Aroma of the eggs attracts roaches like hell. Moreover, roaches have the capability to sense a proteinous diet. This recipe is my personal favorite because it is easy to prepare and is less messy than others. All you need to do is,
- Boil eggs and if wet, mope them dry
- Cut it into different pieces and sprinkle a genrous amount of baking soda on it.
- Place these pieces into different corners of the house and wait for the results.
Before you try any of the above recipes, identify the level of infestation and you must keep these baits at multiple locations around the house.
Roaches are incredibly resilient and clever. They keep on changing their eating habits, so it’s important to know that not every one of the above methods needs to work for you. Instead, you need to wait patiently and try another recipe.
You can try several other methods, including Natural Palmetto Bug Repellents to keep roaches at bay or the Best insecticides & traps to kill a cockroach.
Will Vinegar And Baking Soda Kill Cockroaches?
DO NOT MIX BAKING SODA WITH VINEGAR; it will generate a robust chemical reaction which can be hazardous.
Unfortunately, vinegar has a strong smell that repels cockroaches. Vinegar does not attract roaches. Instead, it will deter them.
Further, vinegar can kill roaches if you spray them on it, but mixing it with baking soda is useless.
Baking soda will expand when mixed after a chemical reaction with vinegar which we want to happen inside a cockroach gut. Hence it’s a useless mix with baking soda to be an effective insecticide.
How long does it take for Baking Soda to kill Roach?
If the roach consumes baking soda in large quantities, it takes approximately 15 hours on average to kill the roaches. However, the killing time varies depending on the quantity and freshness of baking soda consumed.
Due to extreme humidity, baking soda sometimes loses its killing power. The reason for losing killing power is that the baking soda reacts with moisture and loses its carbon dioxide and heat-producing capability.
Another reason behind taking a long time to kill roaches is the hydration level of cockroaches. Therefore, a severely dehydrated cockroach might not even get killed at all.
Some roaches like palmetto bugs can multiply fast. To know more, please read How fast do palmetto bugs multiply?
Can Baking Soda alone kill Roaches?
Baking soda does not have magic or spiritual power; a mere sight of baking soda will not kill roaches. Baking soda kills roaches if you successfully make the roach consume it. Otherwise, do not expect anything at all.
Baking soda alone does not kill roaches because they never consume it. Therefore, you must mix the baking soda with another ingredient that lurks roaches into consuming it.
Do you know boric acid is more efficient at killing roaches than baking soda? To learn more, read Does boric acid kill palmetto bugs and roaches?
Does Baking Soda Attract bugs?
Because baking soda is an odorless powder with a bitter taste, most bugs do not like to consume it.
But, surprisingly, some bugs like bed bugs are attracted to baking soda. This is because baking soda keeps on generating a minimal amount of heat by reacting to the moisture in the air. The generated heat attracts some bugs into thinking it’s a live human.
Conclusion!
Baking soda definitely kills roaches, but there are many other roach killers out there that are more effective, easy to use, and cheaper than baking soda.
Therefore, I do not recommend using baking soda to kill roaches unless you are lazy enough to get out of your bed and buy a recommended roach killer.
