Imagine this:
You are all set for a good night’s sleep when you see a cockroach lurking around your bed. Isn’t it a horrible experience?
But fear not!
Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can tackle this problem. By the end of this guide, you’ll have plenty of ideas by which you can regain control of your sleep and provide a quick fix to the roach in your room.
Let’s begin.
Quick Fixes For Roaches In Your Room
For you, here are some quick action steps that you can follow to fix the problem that you are currently in:
- Squash the roach with a shoe or any tool till death, and don’t forget to sanitize the place.
- If you do not want to go for the first step, try to kill the cockroach with bug spray or sticky traps if you have any around yourself. This will catch all the roaches.
- It is least effective but works if you are not highly horrified with the cockroach movement – to scare the roaches with torchlight or make it get out of the room. Cockroaches are afraid of light, and you can use it against them.
- Repel roaches naturally using natural repellents such as garlic, lemongrass, pandan leaves, etc.
How To Get Rid Of Cockroach Roaming In Your Room?
A cockroach in your room will not let you sleep, especially when you spot it at night.
But the good part is that you can get rid of roaches quickly.
If you keep your room clean and tidy, the cockroach in your room will likely be a lone intruder, and you can quickly get rid of it.
Here are some proven methods by which you can quickly fix this scenario:
Try To Kill The Roach
When you spot a cockroach, you are less likely to capture it (by picking it up with your hands or using any tool to catch the roach); therefore, the only first response is to kill the cockroach.
Also, if you are afraid of roaches, then it will be even more challenging for you to capture the roach.
Therefore, you can try and kill the cockroach in your room by either of the following methods:
Squashing The Cockroach
The quick, simple, and most effective way to kill a cockroach is to squash it.
You can use a brush, a show, or a tall object. However, do it quickly, as cockroaches are quick and can easily hide where you cannot reach easily.
Therefore, if the cockroach is visible to you, immediately eliminate it.
Another key note is that we do not recommend this method if you have katsaridaphobia (fear of cockroaches).
But if you are courageous enough to squash a roach, do not forget to properly clean, sanitize, and disinfect the crushed place.
Cockroaches carry several bacteria that can lead to asthma, allergies, and other illnesses.
Therefore, in a nutshell, if you are comfortable, then squash the roach in your room and sanitize the place after cleaning. This will relieve you instantly from the roach problem in your room at night.
If you do not want to proceed with this method, choose the other recommended steps to remove roaches from your room.
Bait Or Traps
If you find a roach in your room at night, the immediate action plan is to kill it instantly, as by this method only you can get rid of this problem in no time.
However, if you do not like this method, you can use cockroach bait or traps, which may require your patience but can indeed work.
But for this, you must have cockroach bait or traps beforehand.
Several cockroach traps or baits are available, which perfectly catch or kill the roaches.
The mechanism of these traps includes sugar and moisture. The moisture and sweet smell then attract roaches. Along with that, they consume poison with sugary bait, and then they die.
However, there are many catching baits and traps available too. These traps may not kill the cockroaches, but catch them, and then you can leave them outside your room or simply kill them by squashing or any other method.
The catching trap of cockroaches contains gum or strong glue along with an attractive bait, which cockroaches come and then stick to the trap.
Cockroach Spray
Cockroach spray is another popular method to kill them.
If your room has any bug spray or cockroach sprays, you can use them to remove the roaches at night.
This method is instant as you have to grab it and spray it in the area of the room where you found the roaches.
However, ensure to ventilate the room for 20 minutes; after that, you should remove the roaches.
Also, do not forget to open the door and leave it open for 10 to 20 minutes, as the spray smell should disperse and not disturb you at night.
If you do not have any insecticide spray at home, you can even use Lysol to kill cockroaches.
But if you use Lysol, you must spray directly onto the cockroach.
Some people recommend using hairspray as well, which is also quite effective.
Repelling Roaches From The Room
You can use natural repellants to eliminate cockroaches in your room at night. These are easily available in your kitchen and can work like magic to keep the roaches at bay.
So, let’s look at how you can keep cockroaches away with the repellants.
Essential Oils
In a study, it was found that essential oils are quite effective in repelling roaches.
The conclusion said these five essential oils can be used as safe compounds for surface treatment or fumigation in cockroach control programs.
The mentioned essential oils are:
- Rosemary oil
- Oregano oil
- Yarrow oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Mint oil
Out of these, rosemary and oregano oil exhibited the most toxicity.
Therefore, if you have any of this essential oil at your home, you can use it to repel cockroaches from your home.
I have talked in detail about how you can use these oils for repelling roaches through various methods here.
But in brief, you can prepare a spray by mixing the essential oil with water in a spray bottle while using it around the bed.
With this spray, cockroaches will try to escape your room quickly.
Thanks to the strong scent of essential oil that these tiny insects cannot tolerate.
Even if the roaches didn’t leave your room, then at least they would not come near your bed as you might have sprayed the essential oil around your bed.
The best part?
The pleasant fragrance of essential oil makes the room better for sleep, whereas the same odor will repel the roaches. It’s a win-win situation.
Apart from the mentioned essential oils, you can even use citrus, lavender, cypress, and peppermint oil.
7 Ways to Get Rid of Cockroaches Fast
Some of the methods I have already mentioned in detail. But to consider some other steps, here are the seven fast methods to eliminate cockroaches.
Fabric Softener
Most of you might already know this method, as it is common.
Also, remember that we are talking about the fast methods to eliminate cockroaches. Therefore, we will focus more on the simple yet quickly available stuff to instantly eliminate tiny insects.
So, the fabric softener works as a natural bug repellent.
Cockroaches hate fabric softener and will run in the opposite direction of wherever you spray it.
To make a quick spray, mix the fabric softener with water and put it into a spray bottle to mix correctly.
Now spray the mix around your bedroom with a focus on the baseboards, door, and around your bed.
It will create an invisible shield that will keep cockroaches away while you can sleep without worry.
Step On The Cockroach
As mentioned earlier, this is one of the quickest and easiest ways to eliminate cockroaches roaming in your room in no time.
If you are brave enough, this method should work for you.
But if you have katsaridaphobia, then you might want any other person to do it, or you can even use some tools such as shoes, furniture, or any other long tool to kill the insect at some distance.
Boric Acid, Flour, And Sugar
Try this homemade method if you also do not want to go for chemical-based roach repellants.
You can head to the kitchen and grab some boric acid, flour, and sugar to mix them in equal parts.
Now, sprinkle this mixture around where you have seen the roach.
The thumb rule is to sprinkle it around the baseboards or near the holes, crevices, and places where cockroaches usually hang out in your room.
The working mechanism of this method is that the sugar and flour mask the boric acid; thus, it will attract the roaches.
While boric acid will work in getting rid of roaches in your room.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is another common yet natural method to remove cockroaches quickly.
Even this is a non-toxic substance that effectively helps you eliminate cockroaches.
You can purchase food-grade diatomaceous earth from a reputable source and sprinkle it in the focus areas where roaches are more likely to appear and lurk.
Note: Even though diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic substance, inhaling it excessively may irritate the respiratory system. Also, keep it away from children and pets even though it may not harm them.
Bug Spray
Another easy method to get rid of cockroaches is to use the bug spray.
Even in the market, there are a lot of bug sprays available that you can use to get rid of cockroaches at night.
Make sure to use the bug spray directly on the roach to make it effective and work instantly.
However, to be safer, spray around the baseboards, under the bed, etc.
Also, remember that the smell of the bug spray may not be pleasant for all night sleep. Therefore, try to keep it to a minimum if you can.
Peppermint Oil And Salt Water
Peppermint oil with salt water is another easy-to-use and quick method to kill roaches in your room.
This natural method includes adding saltwater and five drops of peppermint oil to the spray bottle.
Then, shake the spray bottle and spray the mixture around your bed to keep the insects away.
Roach Motel
Roach motel is a type of trap that you can use in your home. The primary purpose of this trap is to attract the roach and then catch them.
The trap includes a sticky floor that sticks to the roach when it gets trapped.
And then you can do whatever you want to with the roach and get rid of them easily.
So, these methods can help you eliminate the cockroaches in your room.
Preventing Cockroaches from Getting in Your Home
Keeping cockroaches away from your house is the next step after getting rid of them.
To help you keep the roaches out of your house, here are some tips you can follow.
Remove Food Sources
Roaches are most attracted to the areas where they can find food debris and water resources.
And such a perfect place is the kitchen. Therefore, keeping your kitchen neat, clean, and tidy is your first step to preventing cockroaches from entering your home.
Remove any food debris, ensure no seal or water leakage, and clean the dining table after dinner.
Keep Your Yard Tidy
Your yard is an important place where insects may enter your house.
Therefore, it is highly recommended that you keep your yard tidy and ensure the outside baseboards and panes are sealed and clean.
Another key point is to keep your grass tidy and clean up any fallen leaves.
Many types of roach species thrive in the wild (such as wood roaches) and in the fallen leaves.
Keep An Eye On The Water Leakage
As said earlier, roaches scurry into the places where they can find warmth, food, and water.
Therefore, after cutting the supply for the food, the next step should be to keep an eye on the water leakage as well.
Cockroaches always search for moisture and do not keep any small or minor water leakage.
Declutter and Seal Entry Points
Removing your trash bin and sealing open crevice holes are preventive measures to keep the roaches at bay. To control the roach population, get rid of dirty dishes in the kitcchen.
Will a Cockroach Bother Me While I Sleep?
Cockroaches are nocturnal insects, so they are primarily active at night.
That means, when you are asleep, cockroaches may be active if they are in your room and may bother you while sleeping.
Therefore, if you find some roaches in your room, you better eliminate them and get rid of them for a peaceful night.
FAQs About Cockroach Lurking In Room
The answer is yes and no. Hear me out. If you are OK with the fact that there’s a roach in your room that may or may not come around your bed, then you should be OK and find a peaceful sleep.
But if you are like someone disgusted and terrified of roaches, then for a peaceful sleep, you should take the necessary steps to get rid of them.
There are many ways by which you can ensure that the roaches are away from you while you sleep.
The basic steps are keeping the trash bin clean and empty, ensuring the windows and doors are well sealed, reducing clutter, and providing the sleeping room is free of food and moisture.
If you have already found a roach in your room, my favorite method is to use an essential oil spray around your bed.
It will not only produce a pleasant smell for you, but the same smell will keep the roaches at bay. At least, they will not come near your bed, as cockroaches hate strong smells.
As mentioned earlier, you can kill it instantly to get rid of it or simply use a repellant such as essential oils or other products available in the market.
You can even use cockroach baits or traps to catch them and then do whatever you want to. But make sure you get rid of them.
Why not. Cockroaches are nocturnal insects, meaning they come out mostly at night. However, it is not typical for cockroaches to live in your bed or mattress, but they are insects, and, commonly, these tiny insects may hide inside the bed frame, headboard, or in the nightstand or dresser.
Even cockroaches can also hide under the bed.
Cockroaches are cold-blooded arthropods and do not like extremely hot or cold situations.
Therefore, they mostly prefer room temperature and stay in such temperatures.
Verdict: What To Do When Cockroach In My Room Can’t Sleep
While sleeping, if you have a creepy cockroach in your room, you should prefer the mentioned methods to get rid of them.
My favorite and recommended methods are killing or squashing the cockroach for an instant solution. But make sure to sanitize the place and clean any roach droppings.
However, you can also opt for natural repellants to keep these insects at bay or you can buy a roach trap that attract cockroaches and traps them.
Remember that sleep is essential, and we often don’t get enough of it.
So, make sure to solve the roach problem and then have a good night’s sleep.