No doubt the army of little black ants are pesky and annoying. They can be commonly seen crawling around living spaces like houses, apartments and condos. Wherever that can lead them to find food and water sources. Below are the 7 Ways To Get Rid of Ants In Your Home.
1) Set Up An Ant Bait Using Borax
Borax is a type of sodium borate used as a household cleaning product for getting rid of stains, mould as well as to neutralise odours. Borax is also widely used as a repellent to eliminate ants. Here’s how it works: When consumed, borax would kill the ants since it can cause serious harm to their digestive systems. In order to set up the bait, mix equal parts of borax and sugar or jelly. Then, place the mixture where the ants usually appear in plain sight.
2) Fill A Spray Bottle With Vinegar & Water
Why vinegar, you say? Two words: strong smell. And that is why ants hate it so much. But of course, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a whole bottle of vinegar all over the crawling ants. Instead, mix equals parts of vinegar and water into a spray bottle. Locate the ants’ typical entry points and spray on them directly. Although the vinegar-and-water solution doesn’t exactly kill the ants but at least it does help to keep them at bay.
3) Seal The Cracks And Crevices
Sure, it would be (nearly) impossible to completely seal your home up! But the least you could do is try to find out and seal any major cracks or crevices typically found around the windows, doors and pipes. You can use a caulking gun to do so. Ants typically use these aforementioned cracks and crevices as their entry points to enter your home.
4) Ant-proof Your Home With Citrus
Believe it or not, citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges are among the ants’ most despised enemies. First, they can’t stand the distinctive scent while the acidic properties of these citrus fruits help to repel the ants altogether. But most of all, it can mess and break up the ants’ trails to seek their food source. You can pour a few drops of pure citrus juice into the crack, hole or anywhere you regularly spot the ants. Alternatively, try this method of combining several drops of pure citrus juice with water in a spray bottle and use it to spray on the ants’ entry points.
Another method you can try is to place orange or lemon peels in the area where ants are usually discovered. But keep in mind you need to replace the peels with the new ones, especially after they lose its scent.
5) Keep Your Home Clean
Food and water sources — these are the two major reasons that ants got attracted in the first place. In order to prevent them from entering your home, regularly clean your home such as mopping the floors and wiping the kitchen countertops. Make sure there are no spills, crumbs or anything sticky and sweet found in common places like floors or under the tables that cause the ants to show up.
Also, make it a habit of taking out the rubbish from the trash can on a daily basis, particularly the one in the kitchen. Remember to cover or keep any food — opened or leftover — in airtight containers or wrapped in plastics.
Be mindful of your home’s wet kitchen as well. As mentioned earlier, ants are also attracted to water sources. That means remember to wipe away any excess water from surfaces like kitchen basins and even water dispensers.
6) Use Chalk
Who would have thought that chalk can be used to repel the ants? Apparently, chalk contain calcium carbonate — a type of powdery compound or substance which can interfere with the ants’ pheromone trails. These chalk may not kill them but just enough to deter them from entering your home. Simply break the chalk apart and scatter them around your home or somewhere near the doors or windows.
Alternatively, try to identify their usual whereabouts (read: entry points) and draw a line of chalk across the ants’ trails to block their entrance. But in case you don’t have a box of chalk at home, your next best alternative is to use baby powder.
7) Sprinkle Coffee Grounds
The familiar smell of coffee is certainly among the best way to jolt you awake from daytime sleepiness. But for ants, it is a different story altogether since they dislike the smell. All you need to do is spread some of the (used, of course!) coffee grounds outside the edges of your home, especially in areas where ants are regularly spotted. This can help deter them and also block their trails.
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