If ants have taken over your home, and are becoming an irritating problem, natural solutions could be just what’s needed to rid yourself of them. There are various strategies available and many can work.
Cinnamon, peppermint and essential oils are popular remedies to repel ants. All three will keep them away from your house.
Peppermint
Peppermint is an effective natural insect repellent that works to keep pests out of your home. Ants especially dislike its scent, making peppermint an effective natural solution against an ant infestation.
Planting mint around the perimeter of your home is an effective way to deter pests without using harmful chemicals that could endanger both you and your pets. Plus, its fragrant fragrance keeps it smelling fresh!
Add lemon eucalyptus oil and water together for a good ant deterrent, creating a spray to apply around doors and windows that is particularly susceptible to ants.
Castile soap mixed with water in a spray bottle can also help eliminate ants. Poison-free ant traps may also prove effective.
Vinegar spray can help mask pheromone trails and make it harder for ants to find their way in, which is particularly helpful when cleaning off an area where ants have been visiting regularly, helping prevent them from returning time after time. This method may prevent future visits by these pesky invaders!
Essential Oils
Essential oils can be an excellent natural way to combat ants as they are non-toxic and safe to use around pets and children; also easy to store away in cupboards. Essential oils have also been known to boost moods while reducing stress.
Make a homemade ant repellent by mixing 15 drops each of lemongrass, eucalyptus and cinnamon bark essential oils with water and vinegar in equal parts to form a 1:1 solution – spray this solution onto areas infested by ants three times daily for several days!
Clove oil is another effective ant control solution as it interferes with the trails that ants use to communicate, while it can be mixed with other essential oils for enhanced effectiveness.
Apply a few drops of essential oil on cotton balls, then place them at potential entry points and nesting sites where ants could enter to prevent infestation. Replace cotton balls weekly until ant activity subsides.
If you don’t want to directly spray ants, diffuse essential oils that they dislike such as peppermint and citrus to deter their entry. A portable SpaRoom Diffuser for Essential Oils makes this easy!
Use citronella, lavender, tea tree and peppermint essential oils mixed together in a spray bottle as an effective ant repellent to use throughout your home or in common entry points from which they enter. Apply this blend everywhere where ants may be present or they enter, including at any times of day when possible.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of the most versatile baking ingredients, but it also serves as an effective natural defense against ants. By creating an environment less attractive for them to visit, cinnamon helps deter their presence in your kitchen and prevent them from entering!
Deterring insects from coming into your garden by making food difficult for them can also help. That means they won’t take home plants they find there!
Cinnamon comes in two main forms that you can use as natural remedies against ants: ground cinnamon and cinnamon oil. Each form works differently; therefore it’s essential that you select one which best meets your individual needs.
Cinnamon and neem oil may also help repel ants effectively. Neem is an herb used by gardeners to ward off aphids; therefore it should work just as effectively against ants.
Lastly, if you have a sandbox in your yard or child’s play area, add some cinnamon powder to it to prevent ants from visiting it. This should deter them.
Cinnamon may not be an infallible solution to getting rid of ants, but it is an effective natural remedy that won’t harm you or your pet, not to mention cost-effective and simple to use!