Summer is finally here. This season is all about sunshine, outdoor barbecues, drinks on the patio, and trips to the beach. Unfortunately, however, summer also means ants.
As the weather warms up, ants invariably invade homes. Ants can go from a small problem to a big one, and professional exterminators can be super expensive. If ants start invading your home this summer, don’t panic. Try these cheap, easy, and quick ways to get rid of pesky ants in your home.
Before trying these great tips provided by Do You Remember, it is important to determine how the ants got into your home. Like other pests, they will come to you if you leave your door open for an extended period of time. So, unless you have a screen, keep your door closed!” . Ants also love sweet foods. Food should be placed on the counter with sealed lids on the jars, and sticky counters should be wiped down immediately.
If you try all of these things and ants still invade your home, try the following three tips
- Cinnamon
Ants don’t like cinnamon and will avoid areas with cinnamon. For this hack, you will need
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon essential oil
- 1 cup water
- Cotton balls or cloth
- Cinnamon cloves (optional)
First, mix the cinnamon essential oil with water. Next, soak a cotton ball or cloth with this solution. Wipe the counter tops and other surfaces where ants have infested. Continue doing this once a day until the ants are gone. As an additional measure, place cinnamon cloves near doors and windows.
- Vinegar
Like cinnamon, ants do not like the smell of vinegar. For this method, you will need
- Distilled white vinegar
- Water
- Lemon essential oil
- Spray bottle
First, fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water. Add a few drops of lemon essential oil and shake well. Spray on floors, counters, baseboards, and anywhere else you see ants. Repeat this daily until the ants are gone.
- Borax
Not as easy to use as the other two hacks, but really powerful. The point of this method is to attract ants, not stop them. They take the bait mixed with borax back to the nest and share it with the other ants, which will eventually be wiped out. For this hack, you will need
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon borax
- 1 teaspoon water
- Plastic container with lid
- Something to poke holes in the lid
First, mix all ingredients together in the container. Fasten the lid and drill a few holes in the top of the lid and on the sides of the container so that only ants can get in and out. As long as there is hope, the ants will soon disappear.
- Borax and cotton balls
Speaking of borax, this is another black art that is very effective in killing ants. Simply mix ½ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of borax in a cup of warm water. Soak a cotton ball and place the cotton near where ants are in your house. They will feed on the cotton balls and tomorrow you will be history!
- Rinse, rinse, rinse!
Always rinse containers with water before placing them in the recycling bin. Any residual sugar will attract ants, even if you leave the recycling bins outside. When ants are attracted to the recycling bins in your backyard, they will find a way to get inside your home.
- Look for ant hills.
Ant hills are home to thousands of ants. Look around your yard for ant hills. If you find an ant hill, a few minutes with the hose should fix it. If you can stop ants from entering your home from the outside, you are one step ahead.
- Chili peppers
Ants absolutely hate chili peppers. If you have any idea where ants are infesting your home, sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on the area. However, if you have pets or small children, this may not be a good idea. Cayenne pepper can be irritating to the skin and eyes.
8. An Ounce Of Prevention
As with anything, the best way to keep ants at bay is to on-go. Ants generally begin their infestation in the spring (or when the weather is milder), so be sure to fill cracks, keep your counters and kitchen clean and free of sticky sweet stuff, and clean the surfaces of your home using the methods described in (2).
If these methods do not solve your ant problem, we recommend hiring a professional exterminator. But I hope I don’t have to do that again after hearing this!
