How to get rid of ants – easy ways to keep your home ant-free

How to get rid of ants – easy ways to keep your home ant-free

Ants might look cute, but they can be real pests for any home owner. There are over 12000 ant species in the world, and while most are harmless to people, some of them can be very problematic. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn how to repel ants and figure out the right methods to achieve that. Which is why we need to know the right methods to eliminate any ant infestation. Here’s how to do it.

Clean everything in your home

Ants are attracted to any piece of food, so it’s a good idea to wash your dishes as often as possible. We recommend doing that often to ensure that nothing is left for ants. Once that happens, it becomes a lot easier to get rid of them, and that on its own is a very important aspect to take into consideration.

Use diatomaceous earth

This is not poison, but it kills the ants via absorbing the oils found in their skeleton. What happens is the ant dries out. With that being said, diatomaceous earth can be irritant for the human skin. So you can end up dealing with a variety of issues, which is one of those things that you really want to avoid. Make sure that you follow the package directions, the manufacturer tells you how to use it.

Coffee grounds

What a lot of people don’t know is that coffee grounds are actually repelling ants. That’s why it can be a great idea to use those on a variety of surfaces, especially near food for example, or on windowsills. Change the grounds from time to time, because they lose their potency when they become dry. It might not seem like a whole lot in the beginning, but addressing this can actively make a huge difference.

Boric acid

Boric acid is poison and it can kill the ant queen and worker ants. However, it does that over 3 weeks of exposure. The important thing to note is that it can be hazardous for you too, so you need to be extra careful in regards to how you use it. With that in mind, it’s definitely worth taking into consideration and you will find it’s very dependable when it comes to dealing with ants.

Neem oil

Native from India, neem oil is great against a variety of different insects and ants too. You should use it around plants. Ants do go near plants and that can affect them quite a bit. Make sure that you use full strength neem oil and not diluted oil, because that can be quite problematic. It’s still worth giving it a try, and in the end the benefits are quite impressive. It’s easy to find and buy online, so that’s certainly something to think about.

Cornstarch

The benefits of cornstarch are quite impressive, but it can also be great against ants too. The idea here is that you can pour it on a group of ants and then add water on top of it. Or you can cover the ants with it and then vacuum them. It’s definitely worth using it and the best part is that it’s efficient and it works much better than you would expect.

Boiling water

Sometimes you just have to go the traditional route and this is what we mean. Pouring boiling water over ants will kill them, and that alone is definitely a solution to consider. However, this will not kill the entire colony. However, it will deter many ants from coming back. That means you must find every ant hole and pour some boiling water in it for the process to work.

Vinegar

White vinegar in particular can work very well here, and you will notice it’s very efficient and dependable. It’s very useful when it comes to dealing with ants, and you can rely on using it quite often too. We do recommend it, and the best part is that you can obtain a significant amount of value and quality from it. Just give it a shot and you will see that for yourself.

Lemon eucalyptus oil

It’s actually a very good oil that can be an insect repellent. The reason is that it has citronella, which is known for being efficient against bugs and mosquitoes. It’s also good against ants too. However, this can be dangerous for pets and kids alike. That’s why you want to be very careful when you use it, and the results will be more than ok if you follow the instructions.

Tea tree oil

A combination of tea tree oil with some peppermint oil and water can keep ants away. The best part is that it’s highly reliable and efficient, and the quality as a whole is second to none. With that being said, you can also mix it just with some water in a spray bottle and then spray it around the house. The mixture can actually have a very powerful smell, so use the first option if this is too much.

Peppermint

Peppermint is widely known for being a great insect repellent. You can combine it with 2 cups of water and use it in a clean plastic spray bottle. Spray that mixture around the windows and baseboards and you will be good to go. Let it dry and then repeat, it will be totally worth it.

Conclusion

As you can see, getting rid of ants is not that hard, provided that you know what you need to use. Thankfully, these methods are proven to work very well, and you will be impressed with their efficiency and quality. Rest assured that there will always be some challenges, situations when ants can be hard to tackle. But if you do it right and use a combination of these ideas, the chances of getting rid of ants can increase exponentially. Also, take the right safety precaution s, since many of these compounds can be dangerous to use or manage!