Does Hydrogen Peroxide Kill Roaches?

No matter how often we clean the house, there always seems to be some allure to the cockroaches that live in the area.

Whether they sneak in through drains in the kitchen and bathrooms or make their way into indoor garbage cans and yard waste piles, these pests can pop up anywhere. Having simple natural remedies on hand to repel, kill, and prevent roaches becomes crucial.

Most cupboards contain some kind of baking soda, boric acid, a few cups of vinegar, and probably a bit of hydrogen peroxide. Using a cleaning solution to wipe out cockroaches isn’t uncommon, and having an affordable solution is always preferable.

Let’s look at how effective hydrogen peroxide is at killing roaches and if there are any alternative solutions. 

Will Hydrogen Peroxide Harm Roaches?

Hydrogen peroxide is super effective at wiping out roaches and will make it very difficult for them to survive after direct exposure.

When sprayed on a roach, peroxide dissolves the hard plates on a cockroach’s shell and makes them vulnerable to the elements and dehydration, as well as increasing its susceptibility to other natural and commercial pesticides. It can be used as a roach spray or poured down drain pipes to kill roaches hiding inside. 

A good thing about hydrogen peroxide is that, unlike other effective roach products, it doesn’t really have a noticeable odor. White vinegar, a bleach solution, and other cleaning agents have strong smells that can be good to deter roaches but unpleasant for the people nearby.

Similar to diatomaceous earth, hydrogen peroxide can be placed under kitchen appliances and left there until it needs to be reapplied without a noxious odor lingering all day long. 

What Is Needed to Make a Cockroach-Killing Hydrogen Peroxide Solution?

You will need a strong 3% or higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide to make effective roach killers and get rid of roaches. Equal parts of water can be added to make your spray less caustic to surfaces in your home, and will still lead to dead roaches.

A stronger solution can be used for larger roaches or resistant roaches like the German cockroach, and boric acid can be added to your spray bottle for residual pest protection. Once you have killed pesky roaches with your spray, you will want to keep your house clean, lay roach traps, and remove easy food sources to prevent a roach infestation. 

Does Hydrogen Peroxide Attract Pests Like Roaches?

No, according to professional exterminators, there is nothing in hydrogen peroxide that would attract a cockroach infestation or even be considered a food source by roaches. Even dead cockroaches that have ingested peroxide will not be considered safe to eat by other roaches making it an effective solution to wiping out isolated bugs.

To get rid of roaches like the American cockroach, you will need to find the nests and cover the whole area to wipe them out or make sure to add some peroxide to leaks, pipes, drains, and water sources (Not for drinking) to prevent them from drinking safely. 

Cockroach Drain Killers

Product	Use	Results
Hydrogen Peroxide	Pour a whole bottle of peroxide down the drain and allow several minutes to sit and foam	Most clogs will break down, and any roaches traveling or nesting in the pipes will be exposed to the chemicals and either die or be forced to find a new location to stay in
Bleach	Pour a cup of bleach down the drain if your home is on a public sewer line and doesn’t rely on a septic tank to remove waste	Any roaches will be killed by the bleach, and beneficial composting microbes in sewer systems will die as well, potentially letting waste build-up and bleach can damage local waterways and wildlife
White Vinegar	Pour several cups of vinegar down a drain to use its natural acidity to dissolve clogs and kill and deter pests; adding baking produces a chemical reaction that improves clog-clearing capabilities	This will kill drain roaches and can eliminate food for roaches in pipes while preventing a cockroach invasion
Boric Solution	Pour a boric solution down the kitchen sink to create an unsuitable environment for roaches to climb up the kitchen drain looking for food	The boric acid will kill after any contact with roaches, and powder that dries on the sides of the pipe will continue to kill cockroaches until washed away
Drain Cleaner	A bathroom with roaches in the drains can be quickly cleared with high-powered drain cleaner that clears pipes of the worst clogs	The chemical load in commercial drain cleaners is extremely lethal and will kill roaches and make the pipes a hostile environment for cockroaches for several weeks
Hot Water	If you keep a clean kitchen, then letting hot water run should be enough to keep your pipes clean of pests and achieve adequate insect control	If you start to see signs of roaches, additional vinegar or a baking soda combination can usually help the hot water work most effectively

How Do You Get Rid of Cockroaches with Peroxide?

To get rid of all the cockroaches crawling around your bathroom and kitchen with peroxide, you will need to make a solution and apply it correctly. While it is possible to just grab the bottle of peroxide, aim and squirt at the roaches, it may not be the best, most controlled, and most effective way to take them out.

Below are some steps that can make your peroxide roach slaying game even better. 

Locate Cockroach

Find the pesky roach and figure out the best place to wipe it out. Try to get roaches when they are on a surface that you regularly spray, like kitchen counters or bathroom sinks. Some wallpaper and paint may react or come off if prayed with too high a concentration of hydrogen peroxide, so choose a safe surface before firing. 

Make a Hydrogen Peroxide Spray

Using 3% hydrogen peroxide, fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and peroxide; using hot water can help it penetrate the roach shell better.

Tighten the spray top securely as the roach may start to run, and swinging the top can lead to a spill if not tight enough. Hydrogen peroxide can bleach fabrics, so be careful where you spray and clean up spills immediately.

Adjust Nozzle

I like to use a tight jet stream to hit roaches and knock them down with the force. Hitting them hard ensures the solution penetrates the shell and produces a decent splash effect covering much of the surrounding area.

If I am trying to wipe out several roaches or a bigger nest, I will use a wider spray to ensure even coverage and to try to hit as many as possible before they scatter. 

Completely Cover the Roach

Make sure to hit the roach as thoroughly and accurately as possible. If you just gently mist the back of the roach, it may be able to survive, but a strong jet to the head or face will kill it almost instantly.

If you can spray the roach several times and follow it until it stops moving, you can clean it up right away and be completely done with it. Less exposure may allow the roach to hide, in which case you will probably discover the corpse later. 

Reapply If Needed

If a roach escapes, you can always try and hit it again. If you gave it a good scare might not come back. Try to keep an eye on where roaches go when you enter a room and spray there to work as a deterrent for them to using that entrance again.

Wipe Clean

If a roach is killed or a lot of peroxide is sprayed, you will want to wipe the area down. Peroxide cleanses well but can stain some surfaces and damage fabrics if left too long.

You will want to remove the bodies of any roaches killed and then use a towel to clean the sprayed areas. Afterward, your walls should be roach-free and sanitized, making hydrogen peroxide an excellent roach killer.