Are you looking for some easily accessible household products that kill ants? This is a very thorough list of effective ant repellent items that you probably already have on hand!
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Great Natural Ant Repellent
For such tiny little creatures, ants can be extremely destructive and annoying!
Accidentally leave food on the counter too long? Covered in sugar ants!
Have a wood frame home? Look out for carpenter ants!
Trying to enjoy family movie night and something bites your foot? The dreaded fire ant!
Whichever type of ant you are dealing with, they can all be a nightmare to live with and a nightmare to get rid of!
I really like to avoid harsh chemicals in our home. We have four kids and I don’t want to expose them to that. However it can be tricky sometimes to get rid of insects using natural insect repellents.
So pull out all the stops!
Use as many of the items on these lists as possible! The more you can incorporate in your home, the more likely you’ll be to see the ants pack up and leave!
Essential Oils that Repel Ants
As an aromatherapist, my first go to when it comes to repelling ants or any other pest, is essential oils!
There are so many essential oils that repel ants that I made a separate post detailing how essential oils can repel ants and which essential oils you should use.
You can read about the 11 Essential Oils that Repel Ants here.
When you use these oils you want to focus on applying them along the edges of counter tops, around window and door frames, and anywhere else that you frequently find ants in your home.
I apply them neat on cotton balls, I mix them in a water solution and spray them using a spray bottle, etc.
Definitely click the above link to find out the details!
What plants repel ants?
In addition to essential oils, there are also plants that you can plant around your home to deter the ants from entering your home in the first place!
This is also such a large list that I created a post exclusively to cover the details.
You can read about 17 of the Best Plants to Repel Ants here.
I recommend including as many of these plants as possible in your flower beds and gardens to keep the pesky ants at bay!
There are also some great ornamental plants that will not only repel the ants but look really pretty outside your home:)
Household Items
In addition to essential oils and plants, there are quiet a few household items that will repel ants that you probably already have at home!
Let’s take a look at them! I’m including as many items as I have found in my research. Some will be more effective than others, and some might be more effective for certain types of ants than others. You’ll have to experiment to see what works for you!
But I want to give you as many options as possible! The more items you use the less likely you will be to see ants. The goal is to make your home as inhospitable to ants as possible!
Household Products That Kill Ants
Let's delve into the best household items to deter or kill ants!
They are not in any particular order.
Did you know that a soapy water mixture will kill ants instantly? Use equal parts dish soap and water and spray on ants that you see in your home. The soap will suffocate the ants, killing them instantly.
Black pepper, as well as cayenne pepper, will also deter ants. Simply sprinkle it in areas you want to prevent ants from entering. Whether its in the backs of kitchen drawers, behind appliances, the corners of counter tops, etc.
White vinegar is also something that ants detest! Spray your counters down with white vinegar, or wipe them down. This will not only help keep your counters clean but the vinegar will repel the ants!
You can also spray this around window sills and door frames.
Diatomaceous earth, or DE for short, is a natural safe substance that will kill ants and other insects. It destroys their exoskeleton which will kill them.
Simply sprinkle it in areas you want to keep ants out of.
Boiling Water
Boiling water is an option that isn't for inside the home but outside.
Pour boiling water on ant hills to kill ants!
Coffee grounds also deter ants. But they need to be wet. So used coffee grounds are the best to use.
The only downside to coffee grounds is that you can see them. However it might be effective to apply them outside around the perimeter of your home to help deter the ants from even making it inside.
Mix cornstarch and sugar together to kill ants. Sprinkle this on counter tops, around baseboards, etc. The good thing about this is that the ants will also take this back to their nests. The goal is to get rid of the queen ant!
All citrus repels ants. So take your citrus peels and put them in your flower beds around your home, or behind appliances and in places they can't be seen indoors. Be sure to replace them frequently.
Mix one part lemon juice to three parts water and spray your counter tops, around doors and window sills, etc. to repel the ants!
If you're worried about the lemon juice hurting a surface be sure to test it in a small spot first.
Mix sugar and borax together and then dissolve in a cup of water. You can soak a cotton ball or a cotton round in this mixture and place in the corners of your countertops, behind appliances etc. The ants will take the sugary substance back to their nest. This is great to help eliminate ants.
I would recommend placing this in a place you aren't worried about children or pets finding. You don't want them getting ahold of borax.
Effective Ant Repellent
If you do not have an ant problem yet, or if you have finally gotten rid of the ants and don’t want them to come back, what can you do to make sure they never come or return?
You can still implement all of the above options that are listed as preventatives to keep the ants permanently away.
Also, be sure that you are keeping your home as crumb and food free as possible. After preparing meals be sure to clean up and wipe down your countertops as soon as possible.
Don’t leave food out on the counters, make sure everything is sealed and put away.
Also, when cleaning your counters after preparing food wipe them down with either the lemon juice mixture or white vinegar.
And of course, still plant the ant repelling plants around your home and use essential oils in your home frequently.
These things should all greatly help to keep the ants away!
Ant Repellent
These natural ant repellent ideas should do the trick.
However, if you have tried every single one of the above methods and the ants still insist on invading your home, then it might be time to pull out the big guns and contact a pest control specialist.
While I do prefer to do things naturally, you can’t live with a major ant invasion either! Especially if you have children and pets and the ants bite! If this is the case explain to your pest control specialist that you want to do things as natural as possible and see what options they have available.
One way or another you deserve to be ant free!
