Do Scented Trash Bags Deter Roaches From Your Kitchen Trashcan?

Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures that need a warm, humid, and dark place near food sources to build their home. Given that trash can meet all their requirements, you'll often find these creepy crawlies nesting happily inside, especially if you don't take out the trash often and let it fester for a few days at a time. Since these pests heavily rely on their nose to locate potential food sources, you might be tempted to invest in some scented bags and line the garbage can with them, hoping it'll thwart their advances. But do scented trash bags really deter roaches from entering your kitchen? The answer is it depends on the smell the trash bag emits. 

While cleaning your garbage can regularly, taking out trash on time, and tightly sealing the can should do the trick, roaches might still be attracted to the smell of the trash inside. In fact, some scented bags might entice them more and compel them to investigate the source. That being said, garbage bags that emit smells cockroaches usually like to stay away from, like mint, should help you keep these pesky insects away from your kitchen.

While, in theory, a scented trash bag seems like a solid plan to get rid of unwanted roaches, it might not always be a sound one. Cockroaches have a keen sense of smell and would still be able to detect the scent of overripe food items inside the garbage can despite your best efforts to mask the odor with artificial smells. To make matters worse, fruity or sweet-smelling trash bags would be akin to a dinner call for them, as they would mimic the odor of food, and these pests would answer the call with unbridled enthusiasm, swarming the can in no time.

But that's not to say that scented trash bags are completely worthless. You just have to get ones that mimic the scents cockroaches naturally find repelling and classify as toxic. So, a viable option would be to get plastic bags that smell like various types of mint, including spearmint, winter mint, and peppermint. Since these smells are added to the bags during manufacturing, they're naturally strong and would do a good job of masking food scents. But it's best to err on the side of caution and keep the trash can as clean as possible and free of odors.