Here are several hacks and steps you can use at home to get rid of ants naturally without using pesticides. The secret is to know the smells, scents, and odors that keep ants away.
1. Vinegar
Can vinegar repel ants? Yes, vinegar is the best and most effective natural way of keeping ants away from your kitchen and the house in general. Here is how to use vinegar to remove ants from your house:
- Get a clean spray bottle and add apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to a quarter level
- Use white vinegar if you want to get the best results
- Add the same amount of clean pure water into the container
- Shake well so that it is well mixed
- Spay the mixture on the areas were you keep noticing the ants
- You can also spray it on the entry points that the ants use to access the house
- Let the mixture settle on its own
- The apple cider vinegar smell will repel and keep the ants away
You may also simply use a few drops of vinegar to wipe on the surfaces where the ants like to walk on. This can include adding a few drops of vinegar on the flow after moping then you wipe using a piece of cloth so that it remains on the surface for some time.
- Mop the house
- Add a few drops evenly throughout the floor
- Use a clean dry mop to spread the vinegar so that the ants are repelled
2. Chalk
Chalk is a good, cheap, and readily available item that you can use to get rid of ants at home without using pesticides. The thing is, chalk contains calcium carbonate that repels ants hence keeping them away.
- Simply get a piece of chalks and make lines at the entry points
- Ensure the lines are as thick as possible so that the ants cannot walk past or come back
- You may also draw lines of chalk at the joints that the ants use to climb kitchen counters or cupboards
3. Lemon peels
Lemon juice and even peel extract are always a turn-off of ants. It is a good natural way of keeping ants away from your house without using pesticides. Here is how to use lemon in getting rid of ants at home naturally:
- Get about five or six lemons and cut them into small pieces
- Add a little water just to keep the solution well mixed
- Do not add to much water that will dilute the solution since we need it thick to repel the ants
- Blend the lemons plus the peels so that they all mix up well
- Add some salt to the lemon and stir
- Put the solution into a spray bottle
- Spay this on the areas that the ants keep
4. Garlic and Natural Paper
The idea here is to get a strong odor that the ants cannot stand. This is because ants communicate b leaving a trail of traceable pheromones for their kind to follow.
A solution of thick garlic and pepper will naturally keep ants away from your home and here is how to make the solution;
- Get three whole garlics and chop them to small pieces
- Get a handful of natural green pepper
- Blend this with a little water but ensure you do not make it dilute
- Spray this on the arears that you always notice the ants and their trails
- If you have some white vinegar, add it to the solution for it is a permanent way of naturally getting rid of the ants at home
5. Using Baking Soda for Getting Rid of Ants
Baking soda will not only keep ants away but it will also kill the ants. This is because ants have acids that they use as part of their digestion.
The baking soda reacts vigorously with that acid in the ants’ system because it will produce carbon dioxide thus killing them because they cannot stand the reaction.
- Get one and a half tea spoons of baking soda in a container
- Add one and tea spoon of powdered sugar into the container and mix it well
- Do not use water to mix if you want the best results
- Drop the mixture or spread it on the affected areas
- When the ants are attracted by the sugar and they take it, they will die
6. Peppermint oil for ants
Peppermint is one of the best solutions to naturally getting rid of ants around a pool or at home without using any pesticides. Ants will always do anything to avoid coming into contact with it. This keeps them away and they cannot bother you at all.
Here is how to make your own peppermint spray at home that will always help you to repel and keep ants away naturally.
- Add one glass of water into a clean dry container
- Get two teaspoons of witch hazel and add it in there
- Add three teaspoons of peppermint oil and stir well to mix
- Spay this directly on the areas where the ants like to visit
- If you know of their hideout, just drop some peppermint directly into it and boom, the ants will leave sooner than you expect
You may also just use pure essential peppermint oil to get rid of ants at home without making any complicated solution.
- Simply take some clean cotton wool
- Add some peppermint oil in a small container
- Soak the cotton wool in the oil
- Place the soaked cotton wool where you always see the ants
- You can also place them at every entrance
- This will keep away the ants from your kitchen and home easily
7. Fresh Orange peels
Orange peels are part of the citrus fruits family and the peels have a strong odor. Just like lemon peels, orange peels contain a strong odor that ants don’t really like.
- Cut the fresh orange peels in small pieces
- Blend them with just a little water to form a strong solution
- Sprinkle the strong solution around the entry points to keep ants away from your home
8. Coffee grounds
Ants also hate coffee grounds and they will always be repelled by the strong scent that emanates from the grounds.
Using coffee grounds to keep away ants is as simple as sprinkling the coffee grounds at the pints where the ants use to enter the house. Once they come into contact with them, they will not enter.
9. Cinnamon
Ants hate cinnamon and they will never want to cross anywhere that you have placed it on. You can take advantage of this and use cinnamon powder in getting rid of ants naturally at home.
- Take some cinnamon powder
- Sprinkle it on the areas where the ants like
- Just spread it in small amounts evenly such that it is not a bother by making the floor look dirty
10. Pepper
Natural pepper will always keep away ants because of the strong smell that they have. You may use black, green, or even cayenne pepper to get rid of the ants at home. Here is how to use it:
- Cut some paper into small pieces
- Sprinkle the paper around the house
- You can also place the pepper pieces in a blender
- Add a small amount of water and blend to get a strong mixture
- Ass the solution into a hand sprayer and sprinkle it around the house were the ants thrive
11. Onions
Ants will definitely hate the smell of fresh onions because it is too strong and repellant to them. This keeps them away from home.
- You can cut some fresh onions
- Blend with water to make a strong solution
- Sprinkle this in exact places that you always see the ants dwell in
- Just make sure you do not over dilute the onions just use little water to make a strong mixture
You may also chop fresh onions into pieces and scatter them around the house to keep the ants from coming into the house. Simply focus on areas that they like using to gain access into your house.
12. Adhesive Tape
You can use adhesive tape to manually trap the ants at home. As simple as it sounds, it works especially if there are just a few ants that are bothering you in at home.
- Rap the adhesive tape around the containers that the ants like to prey on
- Ensure that the sticky part is facing up
- Once the ants are stuck, you can remove the tape and discard it with the ants
- This is a good way of getting rid of a few ants that like invading containers with sugar, honey, or any other sweet things in the kitchen.
- This can however not help you if you are having a massive ant invasion in your house
Conclusion
Pesticides can sometimes have a bad odor or even negative effects on people especially if you are allergic to them. In some cases, you may be not in a position to go out and get the pesticides or you simply do not like the ones that are available around you.
Always remember to keep those solutions safe and away from your young ones. You may also want to wash your hands and avoid touching your eyes after making those solutions because they may irritate you.
Before using any of those for ants in clothes, you need to check your allergy history. While most of the natural control measures are safe, some people may react to them. Use natural repellants in moderation and ensure that they do not stain your fabrics.