Ants, ants, everywhere! This is especially true during rainy season or warm weather. Ants live in colonies whose size may vary from hundreds to millions of ants, all dependent on the species. There are several different types of ants in existence, but only a few of these species are house-invading ants.
Ants that invade your house can get into your food/drink, cause ant bites, and/or even cause significant damage to property. Also, they could even damage your plants. It can get frustrating to deal with ants and to get rid of them once and for all. Sure, there are several chemical-laced pesticides available that could help get rid of ants effectively. However, these chemicals are harmful for humans and the environment alike. So what is the next best thing? Natural, non-toxic ways to get rid of ants. Although these might be time-consuming and may even test your patience, they are sure to provide great results.
Suggested read: 17 extremely effective home remedies for ant bites
Home remedies for ants
Here are all the amazingly effective home remedies for ants to get rid of them naturally.
1. Alcohol
An alcoholic drink like tequila or even rubbing alcohol is an effective home remedy to get rid of ants.
Remedy
- Mix together equal parts of water and alcohol (rubbing or tequila). Pour this solution in a spray bottle and shake it thoroughly. Start spraying this on all the places and entry points where you suspect ant activity.
2. Baby powder
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Baby powder is another non-toxic remedy to get rid of ants from your home.
Remedy
- Sprinkle baby powder at all entry points, countertops, baseboards, windowsills, etc., to keep ants at bay. They won’t cross the line of powder.
3. Baking soda
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Baking soda is again an amazing natural remedy to help keep ants at bay.
Remedy
- Mix together equal amounts of baking soda and powdered sugar. Sprinkle this in all the areas you have seen ants at and even those you suspect could hide ants. The ants are attracted to the sugar, but ingesting it along with baking soda will kill them.
4. Borax
Borax is found to be very toxic to ants, thereby helping get rid of them naturally from your garden as well as your home. Ants are attracted to borax, and when they consume it, it is toxic to them, ultimately killing them.
Remedies
- In a bowl, mix together borax and sugar in 1:3 ratio. To this, add enough water to make it into a syrup-like consistency. Drop this in all those areas where you see ants to get rid of them quickly.
- Take equal amounts of borax, cornmeal, and a few drops of water in a bowl, to form a paste. Smear this paste in all the places where you see ants.
- In a bowl, mix equal amounts of food jelly and borax. Place this on a flat plate and keep it in areas where there are ants.
Pro tip: Borax is toxic to pets and small kids, so be careful while using it.
5. Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is another ingredient which is effective as an ant repellent. Its strong nature helps destroy the chemical signals that ants rely on to steer towards food sources and their nests. Without these signals, ants won’t be able to survive, and will thus look for new places to go.
Remedies
- Sprinkle cayenne pepper powder at all the places you suspect of ant activity.
- In a bowl, mix equal amounts of cayenne pepper and turmeric powder, and sprinkle this at all access points where you suspect ant activity. This will be an effective barrier against ants.
6. Cinnamon
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Cinnamon is a pungent spice, which is an effective, natural ant repellent. Its smell discourages ants from entering your home and contaminating the food and/or drinks in there.
Remedies
- To a cup of water, add half a teaspoon of cinnamon essential oil. Take a cotton ball and soak it in this solution. Use this to wipe down areas which the ants use to get into your home. Repeat this once a day, till all the ants go away.
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon powder at places you suspect of ant activity to get rid of them effectively.
Suggested read: 15 superbly effective home remedies for bed bug bites
7. Coffee
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Coffee has a strong smell, which is again a natural deterrent for ants. Ants can’t stand the smell of coffee.
Remedy
- Sprinkle coffee grounds in all the places you have seen ants, and areas where you suspect ant activity.
8. Cucumber peel
Ants have a natural aversion to cucumber, since they cannot stand its taste. So cucumber peel is another amazing remedy to get rid of ants.
Remedy
- Peel a cucumber and place the pieces of its peel in areas where you have seen ant activity. Every day, replace these dried out peels with fresh ones. Repeat as needed to get rid of ants once and for all.
9. Honey
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Honey doesn’t kill ants, but it sure does attract them in droves. The trick here is to divert them instead of killing them outright.
Remedy
- In a small paper bowl, place some honey and keep this outside, a little ways away from your house. A relatively short distance from your house, to be precise. Ants will soon swarm the small paper bowl. Move it further and further away from the house, refilling it as needed, to keep the ants away.
10. Lemon
Lemon is another amazing remedy to make your house ant-proof. Its pungent smell discourages ants from entering, while its acidic nature helps mask the ants’ scent trails.
Remedies
- Using a cotton ball, rub surfaces like doors, windowsills, countertops, door thresholds, and other possible areas where ants might get in, with lemon juice.
- Place small slivers of lemon peel around entrances and other areas where you have seen ants.
- Pour 3-4 drops of lemon essential oil on cotton balls and leave them in places where you suspect ant activity to deter them from entering into your home.
Pro tip: Use there remedies as needed, till you’ve gotten rid of all the ants from your home.
11. Liquid dish soap
Dish soap is an effective ant repellent, causing them to die of suffocation.
Remedies
- In 1 cup of water, mix together 1 teaspoon each of liquid dish soap and baking soda. Spread this solution in all the areas you suspect of ant activity.
- Mix together 1 part liquid dish wash soap and 2 parts water, and pour this into a spray bottle. Shake it thoroughly, and start spraying it over all the areas where ants are present. A few hours later, wipe up all the dead ants with a wet cloth or a paper towel. Use this remedy as needed to get rid of all the ants.
Pro tip: This dish wash soap remedy works best on cockroaches too.
12. Peppermint
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Peppermint has a strong smell, which makes it a natural insect repellent to successfully keep ants at bay. Ants hate pungent odors because it masks their natural scent trails, keeping them from detecting possible food sources.
Remedies
- Sprinkle some dried peppermint around possible areas of ant activity like garbage areas, doorways, around doors, countertops, and windowsills.
- Grow peppermint plants in your garden, or keep pots of peppermint plants inside the house at strategic areas.
- Add 10 drops of peppermint essential oil to a cup of water. Pour this solution in a spray bottle and use it to spray on all the areas where ants are present, to repel them.
- Pour 3-4 drops of peppermint essential oil to a few cotton balls. Place these at strategic points where you suspect ant activity. This will disorient them by masking their scent trails.
Suggested read: 14 amazingly effective home remedies for spider bites
13. White vinegar
White vinegar is another effective natural remedy to get rid of ants. Its strong smell is a huge deterrent to ants. Also, vinegar helps mask the ants’ scent trails, making them lose their sense of direction, and thereby getting rid of them.
Remedy
- In a bowl, mix together equal amounts of water and white vinegar. Pour this into a spray bottle and add a few drops of any essential oil (like lavender, tea tree, peppermint, or cinnamon) and shake the bottle thoroughly. Start spraying this solution around all the entry points or on the ants themselves. About an hour or two later, wipe up all the ants with a damp paper towel and throw them away. Repeat this remedy once a day till the ants are completely gone.
Pro tip: This vinegar solution can be used to clean windowsills, countertops, baseboards, and floors too.
These are all the most effective home remedies for ants, to get rid of them easily, naturally, and in a non-toxic way. If you know of any other means to keep ants at bay, let us know in the comments below.
Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License
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