Best home remedies for getting rid of ants
Here are some home remedies we think are the best of the bunch when it comes to getting rid of ants.
14/05/2019
Ants – the scourge of spring for so many people. These unwelcome house guests sure are pushy, happy to just march on in through an open door or in fact the tiniest of cracks. Their focus on finding food makes them pretty determined, so the only solution is to tackle them at the first sighting.
If the thought of using chemical bug killers is not appealing don’t worry, there are lots of home remedies that you can use instead. Here’s some more information on those we think are the best of the bunch when it comes to getting rid of ants.
Dish soap spray
Mix together one teaspoon of soap and the same of baking soda with water and place in a spray bottle. Shake to mix well and then spray where ants are living inside and at both known and possible entry points. This is effective very quickly so you do need to clean up the dead ants regularly.
Peppermint essential oil
This is an easy way to kill the scent trails that ants leave to let their friends know where to find food so you can stop them wanting to come in. It also drives any ants already in your home away. To use simply add a few drops of the oil to a cotton ball and dab around the areas where ants are coming in, and leave other oil infused cotton wool balls in areas inside where the ants are hanging out. You may need to replace these after a couple of days for the best effect.
*Tea tree, orange, and lemon essential oils all work in the same way. If you want to make a super-strong spray rather than mess about with cotton balls simply mix together in a spray bottle a quarter cup of cold, boiled water, the same measure of cheap vodka, 15 drops of both the peppermint and the tea tree oil and 7 drops of either orange or lemon oil. Shake and then spray wherever you have seen the ants hanging out or coming in.
Vinegar
You can make and use the spray mentioned above by replacing the vodka with apple cider vinegar and 30 drops of just one of the oils.
Sugar and soda
For this approach mix equal parts of powdered sugar with baking soda in a few shallow trays and leave them in places where the ants are hanging out. They will feast on the sugar until the soda kills them.
Dried coffee grounds
If you know where they are coming in sprinkle
those areas with your used and dried coffee
grounds and they’ll leave you alone.
*Cornmeal and cream of wheat are two more powder
like food substances which are used like coffee
grounds and have similar effects.
If you don’t have easy access to these ingredients don’t worry, there are lots more home remedies around online for you to look at and try. It may take a little determination but there are ways to successfully get rid of ants without using chemical sprays.