Will Garlic Help Get Rid Of Cockroaches In The House?

Regardless of how the cockroaches are finding their way into your home, you do not want to see them or expose your family to the dangers that they bring, including disease. Everyone wants to get rid of cockroaches forever, but finding just the right way to eliminate them is a challenge. If you're worried about using harsh chemicals or about spending money on an exterminator, you can try some home remedies first. One option is to make use of garlic, which seems to repel many types of insects, including cockroaches.

It's important to note that garlic seems to only repel these insects and drive them away. It does not seem to kill them. A study that tried to determine whether garlic was lethal to cockroaches found that a compound called diallyl disulfide did kill the insects, but because this occurred inside a controlled laboratory and not inside a home, it's unlikely to kill them inside your house. After all, because the insects are more likely to move away from the garlic, rather than ingest it, the compound likely cannot kill them. 

This means that these insects may simply retreat to a difficult location in your home to avoid the garlic smell. Ultimately, using it may not eliminate your problem. Additionally, leaving garlic out to repel cockroaches can be dangerous for dogs, as it is toxic if they eat it. You may prefer an option to kill the cockroaches, rather than leaving garlic out for a long time to repel them.

Because cockroaches do not like the smell of garlic, it does not matter what format you use to try to repel them. You can take a clove and crush it or cut it into smaller pieces, releasing its odors. Then place it in the areas where you are seeing activity of these insects. You may even want to spread the pieces around the entire home, hopefully convincing these insects to leave the home entirely by spreading the odor throughout the space.

Consider taking the cloves and crushing them into a paste, which makes it easier to spread the substance directly in areas where you are seeing insect activity. To make paste, peel a clove. Then crush it and mix it with water or vegetable oil. You also could place it inside a blender to create the paste. It's easier to make a paste if you are making a significant amount with several cloves. 

You can sprinkle garlic powder in the area as well, as this odor should be enough to keep these insects at bay. You'd need to use quite a bit of this powdery substance, and you would need to replace the powder every few weeks to maintain its effectiveness. Another option is to cultivate garlic plants in pots around your home. The plant has an odor that is very similar to the cloves, meaning the plants themselves may be enough to keep cockroaches from wanting to stay in your home.