10 Natural Ways to Get Rid of Cockroaches and Flies in Your Home (Complete Guide)
The good news is that you can keep your home clean and pest-free using natural, safe, and affordable methods. In this guide, you will learn 10 natural ways to get rid of cockroaches and flies, why they work, how to use them, and tips to make your home less attractive to pests.
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Introduction: Why You Should Choose Natural Pest Control
Cockroaches and flies are more than just irritating household pests—they are disease carriers. Cockroaches can survive in dirty drains, sewage pipes, and waste bins, then crawl onto your kitchen surfaces. Flies land on rotten food, feces, and open waste, then transfer germs to whatever they touch.
Chemical sprays may provide quick results, but they can also trigger allergies, harm pets, irritate the eyes, and reduce indoor air quality. On the other hand, natural pest control methods are:
Safe for children and pets
Eco-friendly
Cost-effective
Easy to prepare at home
Long-lasting
Many of the ingredients you’ll use—like lemon, peppermint, vinegar, cucumber, and baking soda—are already in your kitchen.
Let’s move to the 10 most effective natural methods to remove cockroaches and flies from your home.
1. Baking Soda and Sugar Mixture
The baking soda and sugar trap is one of the most powerful and widely used home remedies for cockroaches.
Why it works:
Sugar attracts the roaches, while baking soda reacts with their digestive system and eliminates them.
How to use it:
Mix equal parts baking soda and sugar in a small container.
Sprinkle the mixture in corners, behind the fridge, under the sink, and other places where roaches hide.
Leave it overnight and reapply every 3 days.
Benefits:
Very cheap
Easy to prepare
Safe, odorless, and non-toxic
This is one of the best methods to reduce roach populations naturally over time.
2. Neem Oil or Neem Leaves
Neem is a powerful natural insect repellent commonly used in many African and Asian countries.
Why it works:
Neem contains active compounds that disrupt pest breeding and feeding. Cockroaches cannot survive around strong neem presence.
How to use:
Method 1: Neem Oil Spray
Mix 2 tablespoons of neem oil with warm water.
Pour into a spray bottle
Spray around cupboards, cracks, sinks, and dark corners.
Method 2: Neem Leaves
Crush dry neem leaves into powder.
Sprinkle inside cabinets or behind appliances.
Benefits:
Strong repellent
Safe for kids and pets
Pleasant scent (depending on preference)
3. Lemon Water Cleaning
Lemon is one of the most powerful natural cleaners with antibacterial and insect-repelling qualities.
Why it works:
Cockroaches and flies hate the acidic smell of lemon. When you mop with lemon water, the aroma keeps pests away.
How to use:
Add lemon juice to your mop water
Spray lemon water around windows, kitchen counters, and walls
Place lemon peels around the kitchen at night
Benefits:
Makes your home smell fresh
Repels both flies and roaches
Helps disinfect surfaces
If you want a clean and fresh-smelling home without harsh chemicals, lemon is your best friend.
4. Fresh Cucumber Slices
Some homeowners don’t know this, but cucumbers are a natural cockroach repellent.
Why it works:
Fresh cucumber releases chemicals that roaches dislike. When placed in areas with roach activity, it forces them to avoid those spots.
How to use:
Slice fresh cucumber
Place in cupboards, drawers, or under sinks
Replace every 24 hours for maximum freshness
Tip:
Cucumber works best when it is very fresh and slightly moist.
5. Vinegar and Dish Soap Fly Trap
This natural trap is one of the fastest ways to get rid of flies in your kitchen or dining room.
Why it works:
Flies love vinegar because it smells like fermented food. Dish soap reduces surface tension so the flies sink and drown instantly.
How to use:
Pour vinegar into a bowl
Add a few drops of dish soap
Leave it uncovered where flies are active
Benefits:
Works within minutes
Affordable and effective
Easy to repeat daily
If you’re dealing with fruit flies, this method works exceptionally well.
6. Peppermint Oil Spray
Peppermint oil is one of the strongest natural pest repellents available.
Why it works:
Cockroaches and flies are extremely sensitive to strong scents, and peppermint is one of the strongest. It disrupts their respiratory and nervous systems.
How to use:
Mix 15 drops of peppermint oil with water
Spray on windows, doors, sinks, cabinets, and the kitchen floor
You can also:
Soak cotton balls in peppermint oil
Place them in hidden corners
Benefits:
Smells amazing
Repels roaches, flies, ants, and mosquitoes
Safe for kids and pets
7. Garlic + Onion + Cayenne Pepper Spray
This natural spray works like a powerful organic pesticide.
Why it works:
The strong smell of garlic and onions combined with the heat of pepper creates a mixture insects cannot resist.
How to use:
Blend garlic, onion, and cayenne pepper
Add warm water
Allow to sit for 1 hour
Strain and pour into a spray bottle
Spray into cracks, under appliances, and corners
Benefits:
Extremely powerful
Works for both roaches and flies
100% natural and non-toxic
If your infestation is serious, this mixture will give you fast results.
8. Bay Leaves (Ground or Whole)
Bay leaves are common in kitchens, but very few people know they are excellent at repelling cockroaches.
Why it works:
Roaches hate the smell of bay leaves and avoid any area where they sense it.
How to use:
Crush bay leaves into powder
Sprinkle inside kitchen cabinets, food shelves, drawers
Leave whole bay leaves in pouches around appliances
Benefits:
Very safe
Long-lasting
Pleasant natural smell
Bay leaves do not kill roaches, but they keep them far away from your cooking areas.
9. Apple Cider Vinegar Trap for Flies
If vinegar and dish soap trap is the king, apple cider vinegar (ACV) is the emperor.
Why it works:
ACV smells like fermented fruits—which flies love. When you cover it with nylon and poke small holes, flies enter but cannot escape.
How to use:
Pour ACV into a bowl
Cover with nylon
Poke tiny holes
Leave it in your kitchen, around fruits, or near waste bins
Benefits:
Works for fruit flies, houseflies, and drain flies
Very effective and fast
Cheap and easy to prepare
This is one of the best natural traps for reducing fly population indoors.
10. Keep Your Home Clean, Dry, and Unattractive to Pests
Even the best remedies will not work if your home provides food and shelter for pests.
Cockroaches and flies are attracted to:
Food crumbs
Dirty dishes
Standing water
Uncovered food
Garbage
Damp corners
What to do:
Wash dishes immediately
Keep sinks dry
Store food in airtight containers
Take out trash daily
Seal cracks and holes
Fix leaking pipes
Clean behind appliances
Sweep and mop regularly
Keeping your home dry alone can reduce cockroach activity by more than 70%.
Bonus: Combine Remedies for Faster Results
For best results, use at least two or three of these remedies together. For example:
Use peppermint spray + bay leaves in the kitchen
Use ACV trap + lemon cleaning for flies
Use baking soda + neem oil for heavy roach infestations
This combination approach ensures pests do not adapt and keeps your home protected long-term.
Conclusion
Cockroaches and flies don’t just make your home uncomfortable—they carry diseases that can be dangerous for you and your family. By using natural remedies like baking soda, lemon, neem, pepp
ermint, vinegar, and bay leaves, you can maintain a clean and pest-free environment without using harmful chemicals.
These methods are easy, affordable, safe, and very effective. Whether you’re dealing with a small infestation or a major one, you can combine these natural remedies to achieve fast results.
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