Keeping the kitchen clean and hygienic matters for health, but cockroaches often move in. Ajker Patrika's feature desk suggests a few ways to keep them away with ingredients found at home rather than harmful chemicals.

Bay leaves: cockroaches cannot stand the strong smell of bay leaves, the paper writes. Crush a few dried leaves and leave them in the corners and drawers of the kitchen.

Lemon and baking soda spray: mix a cup of lukewarm water, the juice of a whole lemon and two spoons of baking soda in a spray bottle and spray the oven, sink and drain openings at night.

Onion, garlic and pepper solution: grind an onion, a clove of garlic and a spoon of black pepper into a paste, mix it with a litre of water and spray or wipe it into the corners of the floor and walls; the sharp smell helps drive cockroaches off, the paper says.

Peppermint oil: mix 10 to 15 drops of peppermint oil in a cup of water and spray it regularly in cabinet corners and under the sink. Covering food and keeping the kitchen dry and clean remain the basics of keeping pests down.

Photo: Sonja Pauen / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Source: Ajker Patrika