Natural Ingredients to Help Ward off Ants From Your Home

Ants are among the unwelcome creatures in your home. Seeing a trail of ants can be irritating, but not impossible to get rid of. If you are not comfortable using chemical insecticides in your home, particularly in your kitchen, here are some natural ingredients that can also help you get rid of ant invasion.
The most basic thing to remember is to keep your area free from food crumbs. Immediately clean the dining table and the floor after eating so ants will have no food particles to pick up after you have eaten your meal or snack.

Here are other natural ingredients that can ward off ants.

Cinnamon
You may love the scent of cinnamon, but ants hate it. Sprinkle cinnamon powder where ants are visible and they will avoid the area.

Vinegar
Ants hate the smell of vinegar. During seasons when ants are seen all over, splash some vinegar where you see ants marching- particularly on your window and door frames, or just about any part of your house to deter ant invasion.

Lemon
Aside from cooking purposes and keeping your kitchen smelling clean and fresh, lemons can also keep your kitchen ant-proof. Simply squeeze lemon juice into the cracks or holes where you see ants getting in. Place some small pieces of lemon peel around the entrance holes, too. The ants will soon catch on that they are not welcome.

Salt
Dump a layer of salt along the path where ants crawl and they will turn their back in defeat.

Baby oil
Apply some baby oil to areas where ants frequently march on and they will have a hard time making their way across the slippery surface. After several repeats of this baby oil trick, the ants will eventually give up and retreat.

Spicy trap
Set up a spicy trap for black ants by sprinkling some ground red pepper or curry powder near their entry point. There’s a big chance they won’t be back anytime soon.

Peppermint
Peppermint smells stinky to ants. Place some peppermint tea bags near areas where you see ants enter. You may also do the same outside your house and ants will get the message that they are unwelcome.

Cloves and Bay Leaves
To ant-proof your kitchen for the whole year, place bay leaves or whole cloves in the corners of cupboard shelves and window sills. These spices have long lasting effects against ant invasions. Ants can’t stand the smell of bay leaves therefore they will avoid these at all costs. Place some crumpled bay leaves on your window sills to keep ants out.

Copyright © 2011 Athena Goodlight