Hi folks,
I keep seeing DIY advice online saying that mixing baking soda with sugar will kill roaches, but opinions seem all over the place. Some people swear it worked, others say it’s a total waste of time. Before I try scattering anything around my kitchen, I wanted to ask:
- Has anyone actually seen results from this method?
- Does it work on a real infestation or just a few strays?
- Are there better DIY options before jumping to chemicals or a pro?
Curious to hear what actually worked (or didn’t) for you.
I tried the baking soda + sugar mix years ago in an apartment. It might have reduced activity a little, but it definitely didn’t solve the problem. The roaches were still coming back nightly.
Same experience here. I think it sounds better in theory than in practice. If you’ve got pets, it’s at least safer than some sprays, but I wouldn’t rely on it alone.
From what I’ve read, roaches don’t always eat enough baking soda for it to matter. Plus, if there’s better food around, they’ll just ignore it.
Honestly, sticky traps showed me way more about how bad the problem was than the baking soda ever did. Once I saw how many were actually there, I knew DIY tricks weren’t enough.
I agree with @FactFinder. The science behind it is shaky. It can kill roaches in lab conditions, but real homes aren’t labs. Baits designed for roaches are way more consistent.
I used the sugar mix briefly, but it attracted ants too, which was a whole new headache. Switched to gel bait and saw results within a week.
For me, cleaning and sealing gaps mattered more than any homemade mix. Once food sources were gone, the roaches thinned out fast.
If you’re dealing with just a couple of roaches, maybe it helps a bit. But for anything ongoing, I wouldn’t expect miracles. Learned that the hard way.
I think people like it because it feels “natural,” but natural doesn’t always mean effective. I’d use it as a short-term experiment, not a solution.