The last place you want to fight off ants is the same place where you prepare and keep food. Using harsh chemicals in the kitchen can risk contamination. Thankfully, there are natural ways to get rid of ants, whether you’re dealing with a field ant, fire ant or even a crazy ant.
7 natural ways to get rid of ants
Many species of ants are drawn to sugar.
Food like jelly, syrup, honey and candy are all high on an ant’s list of tasty treats. They’re also all items easily spilled in the kitchen. Tiny blobs of jelly and little candy crumbs may get missed during clean-up, but an ant will find them. Once they do, they walk over and leave behind a scent trail that invites their buddies to join them.
Even if the food is gone, the ants remember where it was and can keep coming back to look for more.
Being especially careful when preparing food with sugary ingredients or when eating sweet snacks can help keep the ants away. But, if they do find their way inside, you can fight them off with these natural ways to get rid of ants.
1. White vinegar
If ants manage to get hold of a special snack before you can clean it up, you’ll need to deal with their scent trail to really get rid of them. The best, natural ingredient to take care of this is white vinegar.
Grab a spray bottle and fill it with equal parts of white vinegar and water. Spritz it all over your kitchen to mask those trails. Ants won’t be able to find the scent, and if they’re unable to smell their trails, they’ll stop coming around.
For even more ant-repelling power, add about 10 drops of tea tree oil to your spray. This enhances your scent destroyer, and it also disinfects, deodorizes and cleans.
2. Sidewalk chalk
Common sidewalk chalk is for more than just art projects. It can also serve as a natural way to get rid of ants. By drawing a line around all of the entry points in your apartment, you can ward off the tiny pests. The calcium carbonate in chalk actually repels the ants.
If drawing all over your apartment with chalk doesn’t sound too appealing, you don’t have to cross off this repellent from your list. Scatter powdered chalk along all entry points to your apartment (that includes windows) to keep ants at bay.
3. Lemons
Ants aren’t a fan of the aroma of lemons, but people are. Most love the fresh, citrusy smell, so using it as an ant repellent is no inconvenience. Simply squirt some lemon juice along the entryways of doors and window sills, as well as into any holes or cracks where you frequently spot ant activity.
You can also scatter small slices of lemon peel around the outside of your entrances. Even cleaning the floors by mixing the juice of four lemons with a half-gallon of water puts enough scent into your kitchen to make your apartment too smelly for any ants.
4. Mint
Another scent ants hate is mint. It’s a natural insect repellent for multiple pests. You can even plant mint outside in window boxes or put pots on your balcony to keep ants from ever entering your apartment.
Once ants are in, a few drops of peppermint essential oil will send them packing. For areas where you don’t want the oil to come in direct contact with a surface, put two to three drops onto a cotton ball and leave that in the space. These can go anywhere ants frequent.
5. Cayenne pepper
Send your ants packing by playing a little trick on them. They’re looking for sugar, so surprise them with something a little less sweet. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper along the back of your countertops or on your baseboards. This sends ants a clear message that their sweet teeth won’t find satisfaction here.
6. Cinnamon
Unlike cayenne, cinnamon does more than just repel ants. It can actually work as a natural ant killer. Cinnamon suffocates ants when they inhale it. By sprinkling a little right on top of a trail of ants, you’re dosing them to their death. Then, it’s just a quick run of the vacuum and mop, and they’re gone for good.
Using cinnamon essential oil will also keep ants away but without deadly consequences.
7. Natural ant spray
For a natural spray to keep around at all times, you don’t need to buy anything fancy. You can say goodbye to ants, and do it yourself. For the mix you’ll need:
- 4 ounces of water
- 2 tablespoons of vodka
- 15 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops of cinnamon essential oil
Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, and shake it up before using. It also makes a great room freshener.
Say goodbye to ants while keeping it natural
Ants aren’t like other creepy crawlies that invade apartments. They’re not sneaky, they don’t hide and they keep going back to the same places. They’re easier to spot and easier to deal with as a result.
However, ants like kitchens, which is not the best room for chemical repellants. With so many natural ways to get rid of ants, you can easily manage the problem without risking food contamination or creating a dangerous area in your home.
Leave the bug sprays and insect traps for outside. Once the ants make it in, give them their departure papers the natural way.
