What To Pour Down Drain To Kill Roaches

Sharing is caring!

There are multiple places roaches use to enter your home, from easier ones like window or door cracks to trickier ones such as your drains.

These disgusting creatures will likely enter your home by climbing up the drains at night when you are less likely to run water.

Cockroaches can shelter inside drains and also use them as entry points or go there for the bacteria and moisture.

Fortunately, you can render your drains unconducive for roaches; you just need to find something effective to pour down the drains.

In that case, let us explore what to pour down drain to kill roaches.

Why Are Roaches Coming Up Through Drain?

Dark, damp environments attract cockroaches, and your drains embody precisely those conditions, giving them a perfect place to live and breed.

In addition, the moisture and food debris accumulating inside the drains can attract them.

When cockroaches infest a building, they often move around through the plumbing system and can easily crawl up drains and into sinks or other plumbing fixtures.

They may also use the drains to move between floors or different areas of your home.

Below are reasons roaches are usually found in drains:

1. Moisture

Cockroaches can survive weeks or even an entire month without food but cannot last long without water. Therefore, since drains are typically moist, they attract roaches. It gets better if the drains get clogged.

2. The smell of other roaches

Once one roach enters your drain, others will undoubtedly follow suit if you don’t act quickly. Cockroaches effortlessly spot the scent of other roaches.

Related: How To Get Rid Of Roaches In Your Home

3. Leaking pipes

Cockroaches and other pests can go into your home via leaking pipes.

4. Organic waste smell

Roaches can smell garbage and organic matter like soap buildup and hair, attracting them to your shower, sink, and bathroom drain.

5. Backed-up sewer

Faulty pipes, blockages, and clogged-up waste make drains perfect for roaches.

What To Pour Down Drain To Kill Roaches

Once you realize that roaches come into your home through the drains, you must act quickly before the infestation gets too severe.

There are different things to pour into the drains to eliminate roaches. These substances are easily accessible at home.

They include:

1. Boiling Water

Pouring boiling water into your drain offers a temporary and effective method to kill roaches hiding in the drain.

The hot water will scald the cockroaches and kill them on contact. This method only works against roaches already in the drain but will not keep them from returning.

Carefully pour boiling water down your drain but protect yourself from burns, then wait for 10 to 15 minutes, and then run cold water to wash away the dead roaches. Repeat this process every few days to retain its effectiveness.

While pouring boiling water down the drain can be a helpful addition to other roach control methods, it is not a long-term solution.

2. Bleach

This is another product that offers immediate results since chlorine kills cockroaches, including their eggs, immediately. Bleach can corrode a cockroach’s exoskeleton. You can either use bleach powder or tablets. Follow these steps to eliminate roaches using bleach:

• Mix 20 bleach tablets with water (a liter), then pour it into your drain immediately. Waiting too long might make the solution lose its efficacy.
• Wait for around 20 minutes, then flash your drain with cold water.

Do not wait too long to flush the drain after pouring bleach because that could corrode your pipes. In addition, never use other products such as ammonia, baking soda, drain cleaners, and vinegar after using bleach because the reactions can produce harmful gases.

3. Vinegar and Baking Soda

This solution may not be as potent as bleach, but effective nonetheless. It is a better solution if your drain pipes are old or you simply don’t want to risk damaging them.

In addition, it is safe for pets and kids but harmful to roaches; however, it doesn’t provide instant results.

Also Read: Does Baking Soda Kill Roaches?

Mix vinegar and baking soda (equal portions), pour the solution into your drain, then flush it with cold water after 5 minutes.

4. Ammonia

Ammonia acts against roaches the same way bleach does. It effectively kills roach eggs and grown cockroaches. Mix ammonia (2 cups) with water (a gallon), then pour the solution down your drain.

Also Read: How to use peppermint essential oil to repel roaches

How Do I Keep Roaches Out Of My Drain?

Once you remove cockroaches from your drain, you must adopt ways to keep them out. The prevention methods also apply even if there wasn’t any infestation in the first place.

Here’s how to keep roaches from entering your home through the drains.

1. Clean Your Drains Regularly

You must keep your drains clean if you hope to keep them roach-free, so do this once per week. There are many ways to clean a drain, including drain cleaners, boiling water, or soap. Alternatively, use a steamer or pressure washer.

2. Maintain a Clean Home

Roaches are attracted to food and moisture, so keeping your home clean and dry can help prevent them from infesting. Clean your home before going to bed, ensuring the dishes and surfaces are clean. Furthermore, wipe off spills immediately.

3. Use Drain Covers

Placing drain stoppers or cover on your drains, especially at night when not using your bathroom or sink, will keep roaches from crawling up through the pipes.

4. Seal Cracks Or Gaps

Check the area around your plumbing and seal any gaps or cracks because cockroaches will use them to enter your home. Cover these areas with plaster or caulk if the damages are minor. You may want a plumber to handle significant gaps or cracks.

In addition, fix or replace leaky pipes.

5. Use Roach Baits Or Traps

Set up roach baits or traps near your drains to help eliminate any roaches that may be present.

6. Fix Leaky Faucets

Roaches thrive in standing water, so ensure you fix any leaky faucets.

Conclusion

You can easily kill the roaches inside your drain using the above mentioned methods. Mix the substances in the correct proportions to ensure effectiveness and protect your pipes. Remember, bleach and ammonia are more effective against roaches than vinegar and baking soda.

Sharing is caring!