Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Ants In The House – Your Complete

ByRimon Chowdhury Updated on

There’s a certain kind of frustration that bubbles up when you spot it: a single, determined ant marching across your kitchen counter. Then you see another. And another. Before you know it, a full-blown ant highway has formed, and your peaceful home feels more like a picnic ground.

I know the feeling well. As a gardener, I spend my days working in harmony with nature, but I draw the line at my front door! If you’re tired of this annual invasion but hesitant to use harsh chemical sprays around your family, pets, and houseplants, I promise you’re in the right place.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the very best home remedies to get rid of ants in the house, using simple ingredients you likely already have. We’ll explore how to think like an ant to find their source, mix up powerful and safe solutions, and finally, build a fortress to keep them from ever coming back.

Why Choose Eco-Friendly Home Remedies for Ants?

Before we dive into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” Reaching for a can of insecticide might seem like the quickest fix, but turning to your pantry first offers incredible advantages. The benefits of home remedies to get rid of ants in the house go far beyond just saving a few dollars.

When you opt for these methods, you are choosing:

  • Safety First: These remedies are significantly safer for use around children and curious pets who spend their time at floor level. No worrying about toxic residues on surfaces or in the air.
  • A Healthier Home: You maintain better indoor air quality by avoiding aerosolized chemicals that can trigger respiratory issues or allergies.
  • Gardener-Friendly Solutions: Many of these solutions won’t harm your precious houseplants if they come into contact. They are a natural extension of the sustainable practices we use in the garden.
  • Cost-Effectiveness: A bottle of vinegar or a box of baking soda costs a fraction of specialized pest control products. You’re using items you already own!

Ultimately, using eco-friendly home remedies to get rid of ants in the house empowers you. It puts you in control, using simple, effective ingredients to protect your home’s ecosystem. This is the heart of our home remedies to get rid of ants in the house guide.

First Things First: Playing Ant Detective

Here’s a secret from an old gardener: you can’t win a battle if you don’t know your enemy. Simply wiping away the ants you see is like trimming a weed—they’ll just grow back. To truly solve the problem, you must find the source.

Follow the Trail

Ants are creatures of habit. They leave behind an invisible chemical trail (called a pheromone trail) for their friends to follow to the food source—your kitchen! Don’t wipe the trail away just yet. Instead, watch them. See where the line begins and where it ends.

Your goal is to find their entry point. Look for tiny cracks in:

  • Window sills and door frames
  • Baseboards and flooring
  • Caulking around sinks and pipes
  • Foundations or walls

Remove the Invitation

Ants are in your house for one reason: food and water. Before you even begin treatment, do a thorough cleanup. This is one of the most crucial home remedies to get rid of ants in the house tips.

Wipe down all counters, sweep the floors, and check for hidden spills under appliances. Store sugary items like honey and syrup in sealed bags, and transfer cereals and pet food into airtight containers. A clean kitchen is your first line of defense.

Your Complete Guide: The Best Home Remedies to Get Rid of Ants in the House

Alright, your detective work is done. Now it’s time to take action! These are my tried-and-true, gardener-approved remedies that work wonders. We’ll cover both deterrents (which repel ants) and baits (which eliminate the colony).

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The Classic Deterrent: White Vinegar and Water Spray

This is the simplest and one of the most effective first steps. The strong smell of vinegar masks the ants’ pheromone trails, confusing them and disrupting their lines of communication.

  1. Mix a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water in a clean spray bottle.
  2. Spray directly onto the ants you see. This will eliminate them on contact.
  3. Wipe up the ants, then spray the entire area where you saw them—countertops, baseboards, and floors.
  4. Let the vinegar solution dry. The smell will dissipate for you, but ants will still be able to detect it. Reapply daily for a week or after every cleaning.

The Sweet Trap: Borax and Sugar Bait

If you have a persistent infestation, a deterrent isn’t enough. You need to target the nest. This bait is a slow-acting poison that worker ants will carry back to the colony, ultimately eliminating the queen and the entire nest.

A strong word of caution: While borax is a naturally occurring mineral, it is toxic if ingested by pets or small children. Place these baits in areas they absolutely cannot access, like under appliances, behind cabinets, or inside sealed bait stations.

  1. Mix about 1/2 cup of sugar, 1.5 tablespoons of Borax, and 1.5 cups of warm water. Stir until the sugar and Borax are completely dissolved.
  2. Soak cotton balls in the mixture and place them on small pieces of cardboard or in bottle caps.
  3. Place the baits near the ant trails but out of reach of pets and kids.
  4. You may see more ants at first—this is a good sign! It means they’re taking the bait. Resist the urge to spray them. It can take a few days to a week to see a major reduction.

The Abrasive Barrier: Diatomaceous Earth (Food-Grade)

This is a fantastic, non-toxic powder that works mechanically. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is made from the fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms. To us, it feels like a soft powder, but to an ant, it’s like walking over shards of glass.

It scratches their exoskeleton, causing them to dehydrate and die. It’s crucial to use food-grade DE, which is safe for mammals to ingest, not the kind used for pool filters.

Lightly dust the powder in thin lines along areas where ants travel: behind appliances, along baseboards, inside wall voids, and across thresholds. It only works when dry, so you’ll need to reapply it if it gets wet.

The Scent Overload: Essential Oils and Spices

Ants navigate by scent, and you can easily overwhelm their senses with strong smells they hate. This is a great, pleasant-smelling deterrent.

  • Peppermint Oil: Add 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil to a cup of water in a spray bottle. Spray around entry points.
  • Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon or cinnamon essential oil is a powerful ant repellent. You can sprinkle a line of ground cinnamon across their entry point, and they will not cross it.
  • Citrus: Ants dislike the smell of citrus. Wipe your counters down with lemon juice diluted in water or leave lemon and orange peels near entry points.

Creating a Fortress: Long-Term Prevention Strategies

Once you’ve dealt with the immediate invasion, the final step in our home remedies to get rid of ants in the house best practices is to ensure they don’t get a second invitation.

Seal Entry Points: Use caulk to seal every crack and hole you found during your detective work. Pay close attention to windows, pipes, and electrical wiring entrances.

Maintain a Clean Zone: Diligence is key. Wipe up crumbs and spills immediately, empty your trash regularly, and don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink.

Garden with Care: Trim back any tree branches or shrubs that are touching your house, as these can act as a bridge for ants. Also, check your garden plants for aphids—ants “farm” aphids for their sweet honeydew and will travel far for it. Managing aphids in your garden can reduce ant pressure on your home.

Common Problems with Home Remedies (and How to Solve Them)

Even the best plans can hit a snag. Here are some common problems with home remedies to get rid of ants in the house and how to troubleshoot them like a pro.

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Problem: “The ants are just walking around my cinnamon/DE barrier!”

Solution: Your barrier likely has a tiny, invisible gap in it, or it isn’t wide enough. Ants are persistent! Reapply the line, making sure it’s continuous and at least a quarter-inch wide.

Problem: “I put out the borax bait, and now there are even MORE ants!”

Solution: Don’t panic—this is exactly what you want to see! It means the scouts have successfully alerted the colony to a major food source. Let them feast and carry the bait back home. The population will crash in a few days.

Problem: “My vinegar spray works, but they keep coming back.”

Solution: A spray is a contact killer and trail-disruptor, but it doesn’t address the source of the problem—the nest. You need to pair your deterrent spray with a long-term solution like a borax bait to eliminate the colony and a barrier like DE to block reentry.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sustainable Ant Control

How long do home remedies take to work?

It varies. Deterrent sprays and barriers work immediately to repel ants from a specific area. Baits, like the borax and sugar mix, are slower and can take several days to a week to wipe out the colony, as the workers need time to transport it back to the queen.

Are these remedies safe for my houseplants?

Yes, for the most part. A light dusting of food-grade DE on the soil can help with fungus gnats and won’t harm the plant. A vinegar spray should be kept off plant leaves, as its acidity can burn them. Essential oil sprays are generally safe when diluted properly.

Can I use these methods outside in my garden?

You can! Diatomaceous earth is great for creating a barrier around the foundation of your home. However, be mindful that DE can harm beneficial insects like bees, so apply it carefully where pests are active and avoid dusting it on flowers.

What’s the difference between a deterrent and a bait?

A deterrent (like vinegar, essential oils, or cinnamon) repels ants with a scent or barrier they don’t want to cross. A bait (like the borax trap) attracts ants, inviting them to eat it and carry it back to the nest, which eliminates the entire colony from the inside out.

Why do I get ants every single spring?

Spring is when ant colonies become active after winter dormancy. They send out scouts to search for new food sources to feed their growing population. If a scout finds an easy meal in your home one year, they’ll remember and likely check back the next.

Your Ant-Free Home Awaits

Dealing with an ant invasion can feel overwhelming, but you are now armed with a complete, sustainable home remedies to get rid of ants in the house action plan. By playing detective, choosing the right remedy for your situation, and focusing on long-term prevention, you can reclaim your space effectively and safely.

You don’t need harsh chemicals to have a clean, pest-free home. All you need is a little bit of knowledge and a few simple ingredients from your pantry.

So take a deep breath, head to your kitchen, and get started. You’ve got this!

Rimon Chowdhury
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