How To Get Rid Of Ants: 11 Effective Methods To Keep Your Home Ants Free

Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, limes, and lemons, are an amazing tool for fighting ant infestations. Citrus peels contain the acidic oil D-limonene which is toxic to ants.

To use these fruits, cook the peels in a pot filled with water until it steams, but not boils. Leave this mixture to cool overnight, and you’ll get a liquid that kills ants upon contact and removes the scents responsible for creating their trail. 

This method is great because it’s natural, uses what would otherwise be thrown away and smells good, unlike store-bought insect sprays. However, boiling citrus peels requires a long preparation time, and getting the peels may be a challenge if you don’t consume citrus fruits.

Just like citrus peels, vinegar works because it’s acidic by nature. To create a vinegar solution, we recommend combining the vinegar with equal parts of water to dilute the mixture. Next, pour it into a spray bottle and use it as a spray. The solution will kill ants immediately and mess with their trails.

While this method involves little prep time, the smell of vinegar may still linger for a few days, despite diluting it with water.

In general, spices like black pepper, cinnamon powder and cayenne seasoning are repulsive to ants. Ants shun the powerful and pungent odour of these spices, so you can keep ants away from infestation areas by sprinkling some powder around the area.

This makes your kitchen smell amazing and is a fuss-free way to deal with an infestation. However, spices don’t kill ants – they simply deter them, so in the long run your ant problem may still persist.

While citrus fruits and vinegar kill ants upon contact, baking soda kills ants when it’s consumed. Hence, in order for the baking soda to be effective, you must first trick the ants into eating it by mixing it with equal parts of sugar and leaving it out in the open.

While this is relatively easy to set up, it may not be the most effective method. Moreover, this method may become a hazard for those with pets or toddlers at home. Consuming large amounts of baking soda can result in an overdose or allergic reaction.

If you’re just moving into a new space, or don’t have many items in your pantry, you can consider using salt to get rid of ants.

Salt, just like baking soda, kills ants through ingestion. In this case, simple table salt mixed with water can form a mixture that eliminates ants by dehydration. Simply add the mixture into a spray bottle, and spray a light mist over key areas around the house.

This method requires fewer ingredients and is less toxic for pets and children. However, you’ll need to spray the mixture frequently on the affected areas in order for it to be effective.

Cornstarch is a well-known ant killer, but it may be less intuitive to use. Unlike salt, which works simply by dissolving it in water, using cornstarch will require you to find a way to trap or cover ants with the powder.

Additionally, when covering ants with cornstarch, a powdery mess is created. Despite this drawback, cornstarch is sometimes the chosen option just because of how simple it is.

Detergents such as glass cleaners, dishwashing liquids or hand soap can be used to deal with ant infestations. They can remove scent trails that ants use to attract their colony, leaving them disoriented. This deters ants from approaching your living spaces and food.

While normal household detergents can be useful in removing the ants’ scent trails, it’s best to keep your space clean with dedicated household cleaning detergents!

Essential oils like plant oils, lemon, peppermint and eucalyptus, are a pleasant-smelling way to deal with ants in your home. Just mix a few drops of essential oil with water and use it as a spray around the house to deter ants from running all over the place.

It’s important to note, however, that this method may not be suitable for homes with pets. While the scent of essential oils is often said to improve your mood and well-being, the smell may be off-putting for house pets. Cats, in particular, are exceptionally sensitive to essential oils.

Remember chalk from your days in school? Well, that same chalk is made of calcium carbonate, and when drawn in a thick line, will interfere with an ant’s scented trail. This makes it much harder for ants to find their way to their food targets.

This is a quick and easy solution, especially for temporary events where you may be outdoors preparing food. However, chalk is easily washed away by rain and water so you’ll need to redraw the lines from time to time.

Diatomaceous earth is the common name for silicon dioxide dust obtained from fossilised algae. Simply sprinkle a small handful near ant nests and watch it work its magic!

This powder is lethal for ants, and while it isn’t poisonous in nature, it could potentially cause respiratory irritation. Thus, it’s important to exercise caution if you have children or pets at home, or if you or a family member has a respiratory condition.

Ant baits, or gels, are tiny, enclosed capsules that are set up in ant-infested locations.

The pods contain poison that the ants bring back to their nest, thinking it’s food. When the poison is ingested, the ants are killed. Therefore, this method is commonly cited as being very useful for eliminating entire colonies.

Ant baits and gels are toxic by nature and can be dangerous if you have pets at home. Also, finding the right location to set them up is often a challenge.

For general cleaning, you can use Selleys Multi-Purpose Cleaner, which is specially formulated for household use.

This multi-purpose cleaner effectively cuts through grease, grime and dirt on key surfaces like countertops, floors and tiles. Moreover, because it’s gentle on the skin, clothing and furniture, it can be used on a variety of surfaces.

Use Selleys Multi-Purpose Cleaner to keep ants at bay and protect your loved ones from germs!

Selleys Liquid Sugar Soap is a strong, high-performance cleaner that effortlessly breaks down heavy-duty grease and grime. It’s highly concentrated, so a 750ml bottle of Selleys Liquid Sugar Soap can yield up to 30 litres of cleaning solution when diluted with water.

Selleys Liquid Sugar Soap is safe for most, if not all, washable surfaces including walls, floors, tiles and laminated surfaces. Thus, it’s the best choice for thorough deep cleaning!

To fill these cracks, you can use Selleys Wall Putty Tube. This ready-mixed filler is water-resistant and has anti-mould properties. It also comes in a tube form for easy application so you can fill any cracks or gaps in your wall easily and effectively.