Are you having troubles with ants in your home? These social insects intrude your house in the hope to find food, and they usually come in large number. Even though pest control services can help in this situation, they are often expensive.
However, there’s something you can do to eliminate these annoying pests from your house. All you need to have it few natural ingredients which are easily available and cheap.
How to Keep Ants Away from Your Home
The first and most important step in managing your problem with ants is finding a way to keep them away from your house. Their strongly developed sense of smell and desire for sugary foods attract them to the food left in the cupboard and on the counter.
This means that they will notice even an empty can of soda due to the sugar left on the rim. Therefore, make sure to rinse any bowl or container which had contact with food before throwing them in the trash.
How to Eliminate Ants from your House
No matter how hard you try to keep your home perfectly clean, ants might find some of your food that’s tucked away.
Here are few clever hacks to prevent them from entering your house.
1. Cinnamon
For some reason, ants hate the smell of cinnamon. So, here’s how to use it to keep them at bay.
Things You’ll Need
- 1 cup of water
- ½ tsp. of cinnamon essential oil
- Cloth or cotton balls
- Optional – Cinnamon cloves
Instructions
Add the essential oil to the water and stir well. Soak a cloth or a cotton ball in the solution and use it to wipe areas from your house where ants are likely to appear. Do this once a day until you see no ant in your home.
Also, you can leave cinnamon cloves near your windows and doors.
2. Vinegar
The smell of vinegar repels ants. This is how to use it:
Things You’ll Need
- Water
- Distilled vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Lemon essential oil
Directions
Pour water and vinegar into a spray bottle in 1:1 ratio. Then, add several drops of lemon oil and shake the spray bottle.
Shake it before every use. Now, all you have to do is spray around places where ants appear, such as baseboards. Do this once a day until all ants disappear.
3. Borax
The last trick actually attracts ants, eventually killing them. They take it to their nest and share it as food.
Things You’ll Need
- 2 tbsp. of sugar
- 2 tbsp. of peanut butter
- 1 of water
- 1 of borax
- Sharp object
- Plastic container with lid
Directions
Put all ingredients in the container and mix well. Cover with the lid and poke several holes through the container’s sides and the lid so that only ants can enter and leave.
Here’s a video that shows more tips on how to eliminate ants from your house and yard:
Note: if you see none of these tricks help you solve your ant problem, it’s best to consult a professional.