Does Bleach Kill Roaches? Here’s What We Found Out

While most pests are a great source of pain and headache, few are as detested and generate as much disgust as roaches. Seeing one of them scurrying about your home can literally make your skin crawl and that is why most people would love to know of the effective ways to get rid of them.

In your quest of finding an easy but efficient way of ridding your home of these scourges of nature, you might end up asking yourself “Does bleach kill roaches?” and you might not get a clear answer. Today, we will clear this doubt once and for all.

 

Why roaches are so resilient?

You might have heard the common misnomer that cockroaches will be the only creature to survive in the unfortunate event of a nuclear holocaust.

That’s not true, however, as they are just as susceptible to the effects of radiation and heat and fire and all the other nasty things that a nuclear holocaust would bring with it as it would have on any other living thing.

This does make them appear almost indestructible and people tend to overestimate their hardiness. Don’t get us wrong, roaches are still quite difficult to eliminate but not as difficult as this common misconception might portray.

Bleach is often touted as a solution for things that are difficult to remove and that’s why it is quite natural to wonder if bleach can kill roaches.

 

Yes, it can kill roaches

Bleach indeed has the potential to kill roaches. It can do this in two ways. The first is by coming in direct contact with the roaches.

This will corrode their bodies and cause them to die. The other is if the roaches ingest the bleach. This will wreak havoc on the insides of the roaches and thus rendering them unable to stay alive.

Another great thing about bleach is that its strong smell is something roaches cannot stand and this will bring them out from all their hiding places and you can try to target spray them with bleach to really kill every last one of them.

So, technically you could get rid of a roach problem with bleach. it can be a very cost-effective solution to roaches but is it the best solution for getting rid of roaches?

 

There is a catch though:

To kill roaches effectively, you need to drown them in the stuff and that is where the health risks that bleach can have for you and those in your house can become a real issue.

A lot of bleach can cause allergic reactions, it releases harmful fumes and it can poison your pets. Everything that you use the bleach on will also need to be cleaned quite thoroughly which just compounds your workload.

It also has another major disadvantage. As soon as the first few drops of bleach hit the affected area, it will send all the roaches into a frenzy and they will start scurrying all-around your home.

If that is something that will make you squeamish then you need a better option and there are many good alternatives out there. There are plenty of roach traps and commercial products that can effectively exterminate roaches without putting your health at peril.

Last but not least, you always have the option of going with a professional extermination service for complete peace of mind.