It’s prime season for ants, so don’t be surprised if you see a line of them in your kitchen marching towards their next target. While ants are not really harmful, they can be quite a nuisance. A colony of ants can eat through electrical wirings and food packets, and spoil food items as well. Having a colony of ants invading your home can lead to contamination of food, and in turn, illness. It is important then to make sure you get rid of ants in the safest way possible. So, here are eight ways you can get rid of ants using safe and easy home remedies.

1. Glass cleaner

Ants rely on their scented pheromones to find their way. Thus, diluting glass cleaning liquid and spraying it in their path helps clear their scent and keeps them away. Alternatively, you can also use a scented, soapy liquid.

2. Cinnamon

In addition to killing ants, cinnamon acts as a great repellant against any future ant invasions. You can put cinnamon and cloves at the entry points of ants. Also, you can simply sprinkle some cinnamon powder in affected areas like the kitchen countertops, floorboards, and especially anthills, to keep ants at bay. Adding cinnamon oil to mopping water also helps clean the entire house of ants.

3. White vinegar

Mix three parts vinegar with one part water to make a DIY vinegar spray. Spray this pungent mix under doorways and near windows to cover up the ants’ scent trails. You can also add a bit of vinegar to the water while mopping the floor. As ants don’t like the smell of vinegar, spraying this mix ensures that ants will stay away from your home.

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4. Citrus foods

Citrus foods like lemons and oranges are antifungal in nature and kill the kind of fungus ants feed on. Eliminating their main food source is a great way to get rid of them. Putting lemon juice or placing lemon peels in places where ants enter is quite effective. You can also squeeze some lemon into the water you use to mop the floor. Alternatively, you can add some orange peel to a cup of warm water and place it at entry points. This will help get rid of ants.

5. Coffee grounds

While there is no scientific evidence as to why this home remedy works, its efficacy cannot be denied. Sprinkling ground coffee in affected areas has been used as an ant repellant technique for years. You can use it both indoors and outdoors.

6. Peppermint

Peppermint is a known insect repellant and it’ll help keep ants at bay too. The strong smell of peppermint is something ants don’t like. So, they tend to avoid places that smell like it. You can mix about 10 drops of peppermint essential oil into a cup of water and sprinkle it at entry points or wherever you find ants. Using dry peppermint is also a good idea if you don’t wish to use peppermint oil.

7. Chalk

The calcium carbonate in chalks helps keep ants at bay. Spraying powdered chalk at places where ants enter works best. Apart from that, you can draw a line with chalk at the entry points as well as outside the house. Be careful to keep these markers away from small children.

8. Salt and pepper

If you thought salt and pepper are used just to enhance the taste of food, you are wrong. These also help keep ants away from your kitchen. Just sprinkle some salt or pepper near the places from where ants enter.

Ants generally hate strong, bitter, and sour smells. Sweets, on the other hand, are an invitation to ants. So, make sure your kitchen counters don’t have any sugar or sweets lying around. Instead, sprinkle some strong bitter-smelling products like the above to keep ants away from your kitchen and your home.

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