If you see an ant wandering around, you need to learn how to get rid of ants – fast! An ant isn’t possible to come on its own. There would be thousands of them more elsewhere – you just can’t see them. It may not be a huge issue when you have ants outdoor, but once they come inside, it’s a whole different situation!
When ants are walking, they always leave trails of scented pheromone behind. That’s why you always see lines of ants whenever you see one. The trail is handy as their way of communication, especially if they find food source. It’s a good thing that you can get rid of them with different safe solutions and methods that don’t involve chemical substances. If you want to know how to get rid of ants in the kitchen safely and efficiently, keep reading on.
How to Get Rid of Ants In Your House Using Essential Oils
There are several essential oils that are powerful and effective enough to deal with ants. Want to know how to get rid of ants? It’s simple; just use them and see how the condition improves.
Peppermint
How to Get Rid of Ants In Your House
Peppermint isn’t only safe, but it is also natural. Another bonus is that it smells also great! Peppermint is a great insect repellent that works not only for ants, but also other insects like mosquitoes. Simply combine 2 cups water with 20 drops of the peppermint oil. Pour the mixture in the spray bottle and spray it on your windows, around the baseboards, and other places full of ants. No need to wipe it; just let it dry and you won’t see them anymore. A word of advice, though, keep the oil away from the pets as they can be sick from it.
Tea Tree Oil For Ants
Tea Tree Oil For Ants
Just like the peppermint, tea tree oil is also great to repel the ants. Mix 2 cups water with 10 drops of the oil. Put it in the spray bottle and spray it whenever you see ant trails. Another way is to use several cotton balls. Saturate them with the slution and scatter them around the areas infested with the ants. If you feel that the smell is too strong, you can combine water, tea tree oil, and peppermint oil. It smells great and it is still potent. Again, keep it out of the pets’ reach. Cats, especially, will become ill when exposed to the oil.
Lemon Eucalyptus Oil For Ants
Lemon Eucalyptus Oil For Ants
Another way on how to get rid of ants is to use the oil from lemon eucalyptus tree. This tree has been known as natural insect repellent for centuries. The tree contains citronella, a natural substance that has been used in making candles to repel any flying bugs, like the mosquitoes – and it works quite well to combat ants too. Make sure that you keep this oil carefully – it should be away from pets and also kids. Despite the name (lemon), don’t ingest it. It isn’t for ingestion.
No need to mix this oil with water or whatsoever. Then saturate some cotton balls in it. Place them in areas full of ants. You can change them on a weekly basis. But feel free to change them once every 3 days – or around twice a week. The oil can be found or purchased easily from online stores or the health food local stores.
Cinnamon Leaf For Ants
Cinnamon Leaf For Ants
If you have essential oil with Cinnamon Leaf type, then you can also use it to repel the ants. It contains natural substance of trans-cinnamaldehyde that can repel and kill ants – the aggressive red ants included. You can use some cotton balls saturated with the oil and leave them on areas full of ants. If you don’t have the essential oils, you can use the powdered cinnamon too. Sprinkle the powder on the affected areas, especially the baseboards and window sills.
Neem Oil For Ants
Neem Oil For Ant
One way of how to get rid of ants is to use Neem oil, extracted from the same Neem tree. This tree originates from India and it is quite potent to deal with ants. You can use the diluted neem oil to prevent the ants from wandering around the house. However, the full-strength neem oil isn’t the same as the diluted neem, or any product having the extract. The full-strength neem oil is super potent while the diluted one isn’t really working or promising.
Best Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants
Silicon Dioxide or Diatomaceous Earth
Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Ants
If you are familiar with silica, then Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a type of it. It is made from diatoms, the aquatic organism’s fossilized remains. DE is pretty harmless as it isn’t poison and it isn’t toxic. It is pretty safe for kids and pets. It can kill insects, like ants, by tearing up their exoskeleton layer so they will lose their body liquid and become dehydrated. Despite its harmless nature, be advised not to get it on the skin. You shouldn’t breathe in it either because it’s an irritant. Make sure to wear a mask or a nose cover to protect your mouth and nose. Wear gloves too when you sprinkle it.
Buying the food-grade DE is super easy – and it is easily accessible too. You only need to sprinkle it on places where you see the ants. Basically, you need to follow the directions on the package and you should be fine. Don’t take it for granted. Yes, DE is harmless but not so much if you inhale it or have it on your skin.
Dish Soap and Glass Cleaner Combo
Dish Soap and Glass Cleaner Combo for ants
Glass cleaners and liquid detergents are the things you generally have at home, so it should be easy to fix. This mixture will leave the scented trail so you can cut them off from their friends. Mix the liquid detergent (or the dish soap) with glass cleaner (usually in the form of spray-on). Pour the mixture in the spray bottle and then spray it on areas where you see ants gather around. If you can track them, you may know where they originate, and then spray the solution right on their entry points. This method on how to get rid of ants may not have any scientific reports, but many homeowners claim that they manage to keep the ants away.
Hand Soap
Hand Soap
In the event that you dislike the smell of the glass cleaner, you can use hand soap and water to create a repellent. The idea is to put the soapy water in the spray bottle so you can remove the scented trail. Just like the glass cleaner and dish soap mixture, you simply spray on the entry points and the ants’ trails. Whether you want to wipe of the soapy water after the spray, it is up to you. Some people prefer wiping it down, while some would let the water drench the area, completely removing the scent.
Boric Acid
Boric Acid
Whereas DE isn’t a poison, boric acid is. It can kill the worker ants along with their queens quite effectively. In general, it takes around 3 weeks of the exposure time to kill them all. Boric acid works by causing erosion on the ants’ outer shells and also their stomachs. Keep in mind that you must wear gloves when handling it. And you must keep it away from kids and pets. Remember, they are poison so they are pretty dangerous. It’s better to use it when you want to learn how to get rid of ants outside.
How do you create the solution? Simply mix a cup of (warm) water, 8 teaspoons of sugar, and half teaspoon of boric acid. Stir the mixture well so the boric acid and the sugar dissolve. Have some cotton balls and saturate them with the mixture. Place them around the house, especially on places infested by ants. If you want to leave it in containers, you can do it too. After the usage, you need to wash the containers well or just throw them away.
Boric acid is also useful for homemade ant traps. You can combine the boric acid with sweet stuff, like corn syrup or maple syrup. Then simply spread it on a disposable and flat surface (such as cardboard) and place it on areas full of ants. You can always buy the boric acid easily from online stores. Or try checking the gardening store or the hardware store – you should be able to find it there.
Pepper powder
Pepper powder
As a spicy herb, pepper is tasty although the smell isn’t for everyone. Well, do you know that ants also dislike the smell? For them, the smell of pepper is quite irritating. That’s why you can try the red, or cayenne, pepper or the black one. There are several methods on how to get rid of ants with this option. You can always use the pepper powder and then sprinkle them around the places infested by the ants. If you see ants’ trails, you can sprinkle them there and notice that they may stay away from the area. You can also crush some cayenne peppers and mix them with water. Put it in the spray bottle and spray it whenever you see ants gathering around. Be careful not to get the mixture on your facial area, especially your eyes. Wash your hands after every application or use.
(White) Vinegar
white vinegar
You can always use white vinegar to deal with the ghost ants. You can use the vinegar alone or you can mix it with 50:50 ratio of vinegar and water. Your human nose may not be able to smell the vinegar after it dries off, but ants can. And ants hate the smell so much. Feel free to use the diluted vinegar mix (or simply the vinegar alone) to clean hard tops or surfaces, such as countertops and floors. You can do this after every use or cooking. Ants won’t be present, for sure.
Borax for ants
Borax for ants in house
Are you interested in knowing how to get rid of ants with borax? But first, you need to know that borax and borid acid are completely two different things. But they do share the similarity of being able to kill ants and remove them. Be advised that borax (or sodium tetraborate) mustn’t be used when there are pets and kids. Making the solution is similar to boric acid. You need to mix warm water, sugar, and borax together. Purchase it from online stores, gardening stores, or the hardware local stores. Borax is good for getting rid of fire ants around your house, make sure you remove their nests so that these tiny fire ants do not enter your house. In addition, please block access using diesel oil.
Those are some possible solutions on how to get rid of ants without any chemical substance or solution. Simply choose one that fits your preference.
