ANTS!! They drive you crazy. They’re in your cupboards, on your counters, in your sugar bowl, under your sinks, crawling up your leg… ENOUGH!
So off you go to buy some ant traps. Once home, you stand in your kitchen trying to decide where the safest place to put them is. I mean let’s face it, this stuff is poison! Most of us either have children, pets or just plain don’t want it anywhere near our food. Then you start thinking about how toxic this stuff is and how as a society we are supposed to be going GREEN, blah blah and then you are left with the dilemma, which is worse..the damn traps or the ants?
What if I told you there was a better way? A way that was natural AND that you probably had the solution already in your home? Well, it’s true. There are all natural ways to rid your home of ants without the side effects, stress and guilt. Here are some of those ways….
VINEGAR
Pour some white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray along where the ants are coming in. It messes with the scent they leave for the rest of the ants to follow. Repeat daily for a couple days and you should see an improvement.
CHALK
Ants won’t cross a chalk line. No one knows why but it’s true. Maybe it’s in the ants code of conduct book or something. The only down side is chalk lines everywhere. Your house might look like a crime scene but hey, you won’t have ants.
BABY POWDER
Baby powder has the same effect as the chalk. Sprinkle it where ants come in and they will go elsewhere. It also has the same downsides as the chalk lines but at least it smells good.
LEMON JUICE
Spray straight lemon juice where the ants come in and they won’t know what to do. The lemon scent messes with their sense of tracking. Lime has a similar effect but I like to save those for my margaritas. Priorities!
DIATOMACEOUS EARTH
That’s a mouthful but what is it? Diatomaceous earth is a soft, crumbly, porous sedimentary deposit formed from the fossil remains of diatoms. Still confused? Yeah me too but it works. Plus, this one you put OUTSIDE of the home. Just sprinkle it around the perimeter of your home and it will keep away ants as well as other creepy crawly things. It’s also non toxic, just in case Fido decides to take a taste.
COFFEE GROUNDS
For some reason, ants don’t like the smell of coffee grounds. Crazy right? I mean it’s coffee! Anyway, Sprinkle this around the outside of your home to ward off ants. It’s also good around rose bushes and plants to keep the ants off of them too.
CORN MEAL
Sprinkle cornmeal around the outside of your home. The ants LOVE it, take it back to the nest and share with the colony. Ants can’t digest cornmeal so after they eat it, it expands and their stomachs explode. This one I feel a little guilty about. Don’t ask me what the difference is between poison and this method but to me it feels inhumane. Don’t judge!
ESSENTIAL OILS
Good essential oils to repel ants are peppermint, tea tree and lemon. Try mixing 8 oz of water in a spray bottle with 1/2 teaspoon natural soap, and 12 drops of the essential oil from the above. Another option is to place a few drops of essential oil on a cotton ball and wipe on baseboards and other entry points. You can also leave an essential oil-infused cotton ball in cabinets and other areas as needed. It’s like a little spa treatment for them. Sort of? Ok maybe not.
So there you have it. Try one or more of these methods and tell those ants to get packing! Good luck!
Newhouse & Sun Construction 