How to Keep Roaches Away from Your Bed

Co-authored by Kevin Carrillo

Last Updated: November 13, 2022 References Approved

Roaches are nasty little critters that no one wants running loose anywhere in their home–especially not in their bed. Luckily, there are many things that you can do to keep them out of your bed, and even out of your living space entirely.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Blocking Entry to Your Room and Bed

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Look for potential entry points to your bedroom. Take a few minutes to search your entire bedroom for places where roaches could potentially get in from outside. Take a close look at where the walls meet the floor and ceiling in your room, the corners, the air vents, and around the windows.
- Keep in mind that roaches can slip through cracks and holes that are as small as 3 millimetres (0.12 in) high.^{[1]
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2
Seal up the cracks with a caulking gun. Purchase a simple caulking gun from your local home improvement store. The gun should come with directions, so read them over carefully before attempting to use it. If you find any cracks that you think roaches could slip through in your bedroom, hold the nozzle of the caulking gun up to the crack and move it across the crack as you pull the trigger and fill the crack with caulk.
- Allow the caulk to dry for as long as the product recommends.
- Cockroaches can wedge themselves into spaces that are only 1–2 millimetres (0.039–0.079 in) thicker than they are.^{[2]
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3
Check your vent screens and replace them if necessary. The only thing really blocking entry through air vents in your bedroom is vent screens. If you find that there are any holes in any of the vent screens in your bedroom, replace them as soon as possible.
- If you find a very small hole or just want a temporary fix, you can cover the hole with 1-2 layers of heavy duty tape, such as Duct Tape.
4
Install weather strips on your doors. While your bedroom door probably just opens up to the rest of the inside of the home, roaches that get in through other doors of the home can make their way to your bedroom and even your bed. Install weather strips on all of the doors that open to the outside to keep roaches from slipping into your home through the spaces between the door and the door frame.^{[3]
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Did You Know? Roaches are often able to sense the chemicals found in common household repellents and insecticides, which gives them a chance to run away. To get around this, you can place bait out for the roaches and replace it every 1-2 weeks until the problem is resolved.
5
Get rid of any bedding that’s dragging on the ground. If you struggle to keep the roaches from getting into your home and bedroom, you may still be able to keep them out of your bed. Tuck in your sheets and swap out oversized comforters for smaller ones that don’t brush your bedroom floor. This should make it harder for roaches to climb up into your bed.
- Roaches may be able to crawl up bed skirts as well. If you have one, take it off of your bed and put it away.
6
Wrap silicone tape around the bottom of your bed posts. Purchase non-tacky rubber silicone tape at a hardware store or online. Wrap the tape around each of your bed posts from just underneath your box spring to where each post meets the floor. This should also help keep roaches from climbing into your bed if they happen to get inside your home.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating an Inhospitable Environment

1
Throw out and put away clutter. Roaches are drawn to clutter, as it gives them somewhere to hide and live without being exposed or disturbed. Divide up the clutter in your bedroom into “throw away” and “keep” piles. Then, toss out the items in the “throw away” pile and put away the items in the “keep” pile.
- Roaches are especially drawn to cardboard and newspaper, so get rid of any newspaper and/or switch out any cardboard boxes for plastic storage containers.
- Try to keep dirty laundry in your laundry basket and clean laundry folded in your dresser or hung up in your closet.
- Remove any wallpaper, shelf liners as they eat the paste on the back of it.
2
Keep your room and home clean. Roaches thrive in dirty environments, so it’s very important that you regularly clean your bedroom, and also the rest of your home. Sweep, mop, vacuum, dust, and wipe down surfaces with multipurpose cleaner and a rag once a week or so. Also, it’s crucial that you stay on top of doing the dishes and taking out the trash. Roaches love food, so full kitchen sinks and trash cans may draw them into your home.
- Remove anything with glue, starch, soap, fabrics, wood as well, and sources of water, as they've got a very wide appetite.
- If possible, keep food out of your bedroom completely. If you must store some in your room, keep all of it in tightly sealed boxes or bags.
- Make sure the seal on the fridge door is in good shape, as the younger ones can get inside.
3
Clean up debris in your yard. If you extend the inhospitable environment to the outside of your home as well, roaches will be much less likely to get into your home, bedroom, and ultimately, your bed. Roaches like to spend time underneath messy wood piles and dead leaves. Rake up any dead leaves and dispose of them, and organize and clean up any woodpiles you have in your yard, especially if they’re kept close to your home.^{[4]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Repelling and Killing Roaches

1
Spray cypress and peppermint oils under and around your bed. These essential oils tend to naturally repel roaches. Mix 8 drops of cypress oil, 10 drops of peppermint oil, and 1 cup (240 ml) of water in a spray bottle and then spray this mixture wherever you’ve seen roaches. When in doubt, spray underneath and around your bed.
2
Repel roaches with coffee grounds. Because coffee can be harmful to roaches, they tend to stay away from it. Sprinkle some coffee grounds into a few different open containers and set them under or near your bed to deter roaches.^{[5]
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- Coffee grounds can effectively repel other insects as well, such as ants, due to the caffeine they contain.
3
Use cigar clippings to ward off roaches. The nicotine in cigars acts as a repellent for roaches. If you or someone you know smokes cigars, collect the clippings, sprinkle them in a few containers without putting the lids on, and set them on the floor near your bed to help keep roaches away.^{[6]
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4
Crush up and spread around some bay leaves as an alternative. Bay leaves also act a natural roach repellent, as roaches hate the smell of them. Use a mortar and pestle or any other crushing tools to turn some bay leaves into a powder. Sprinkle the powder in a few lidless containers and place them around your bedroom and bed.
5
Make a homemade insecticide out of baking soda and sugar. While killing roaches won’t solve the problem entirely, it will diminish the roach population in and around your home. If you’d like to kill them, mix together equal parts baking soda and sugar in a bowl. Then, simply sprinkle the mixture around your room. The sugar in the mixture will attract the roaches, while the baking soda, when consumed, will kill them.^{[7]
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- Sweep or vacuum up the mixture after a few days and dispose of any dead roaches that you find.
- This mixture is safe to use with pets and children in the home.
6
Use Boric acid for severe circumstances. Boric acid is one of the most effective products for killing roaches, ants, and other pests. Purchase some at your local supermarket or online if you have a severe roach issue in your home. Provide a light dusting of the boric acid on the floor of your bedroom. This way, when roaches walk through it, they’ll get it on their bodies and later die when they groom themselves and ingest it.^{[8]
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- Keep boric acid away from children and pets, as it is poisonous and can be very harmful if consumed.
- Don’t forget to vacuum or sweep up the boric acid after a 1-2 days.
- Boric acid isn’t effective when it’s wet or sprinkled in excess.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can you lure cockroaches out of hiding?

Kevin Carrillo
MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.

Kevin Carrillo

MMPC, Pest Control Specialist

Expert Answer

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The best thing to do would be to put out some sort of organic food on a counter and wait for them to come and eat it. If you want to kill the cockroaches too, you can place gel baits under the lips of your countertops or along the hinges of cabinetry doors. Those are the areas where roaches tend to go for food.
Question

How do cockroaches get inside?

Kevin Carrillo
MMPC, Pest Control Specialist
Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News.

Kevin Carrillo

MMPC, Pest Control Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Cockroaches are really good at hitching a ride and coming in on products, especially now that we have same-day deliveries. A package coming from a warehouse could have roaches in it. Besides that, roaches can find their way into buildings on their own, where they nest and spread.