Getting rid of ants in your home is very easy when equipped with the right information. The use of chemical pesticides is one option but due to the dangers posed by this method both to people especially children and pets makes it less popular. There are a number of natural simple and safe ways to eliminate an infestation of ants without risking your family’s or pets health. The ecosystem needs these ants and the best way to deal with their annoying home infestation would be to drive them away as opposed to killing them. Step 1: Keep your House Clean
The first step in controlling pest infestation is keeping the house as clean as possible. Avoid leaving food crumbs and spilt sweet liquids (sodas, tea or juices) on the floor or on table tops because this is what mainly attracts ants into your house. It is also very important to keep your food well covered and in tight sealed containers. Cleaning food particles after your pet eats is equally important.
Step 2: Use Natural Homemade Remedies
There are several ways to get rid of ants using locally available remedies. The following is a list of possible solutions to an ant infestation problem.
Lemons: the citric acid in lemons is very effective. Mixing water and lemon juice in a spray bottle then spraying in areas where there are ants is one of the most successful methods.
Garlic and Cinnamon: another easy and safe way of keeping these pesky pests from your home is placing garlic cloves and cinnamon sticks in the food cupboard and other areas around your house such as windows, corners, and doors.
Vinegar: spraying vinegar in paths used by ants to get into your home is another way of discouraging these unwanted house guests. The strong smell and the fungicidal properties in vinegar repel the ants on countertops, windows and sinks. Both classic white vinegar and apple cider vinegar work almost the same way.
Cornmeal and Cucumbers: What? Yes! Cornmeal helps in killing ants. Although a very safe type of food for humans, cornmeal works differently on ants. When ingested by ants the cornmeal cannot be digested and thus the ants die. Cucumbers on the other hand are repulsive to ants and they will leave your house immediately they run into cucumber pieces in their path.
Pepper and Table Salt: Using salt is one of the cheapest ways to remove ants from your home. Just mix the salt in hot water and use a spray bottle to spread this solution where you see ants. Black pepper or cayenne pepper also works magic on ants. Mix the pepper in water and spray on ants and they are gone!
Baby Powder and Perfume: Ants dislike strong scents therefore soaking a ball of cotton wool in strong perfume and placing it in their entry points helps keep them away. Scented baby powder works just as well.
Mint: This can be used in several ways. You can plant mint around the house, place dried mint leaves (sometimes crushed) in areas where ants are likely to pass like shelves, or place used mint tea bags to block their entry points.
These are just a few examples of how to deal with ants infesting your home. The key thing here is persistence and you can try different methods at once or as substitutes when one remedy does not work.