I get asked a lot of cleaning questions, with one of the most common being how to get rid of ants. (The very most common is: “Will you clean my house?”)
If ants have ever invaded your home, you know they’re unsightly and appear out of nowhere. Once you see the first ant, it seems like there are suddenly dozens all over your house.
While I won’t clean your home for you, I’m happy to share with you these tips on how to get rid of ants without having to call an exterminator.
How To Get Rid Of Ants in the House
Keep Ants out of the House
Here are a few general steps to follow to get rid of ants in your house. To get rid of ants in the kitchen or bathroom, or ants outside in the yard, there are a few additional steps which I’ll cover more fully below.
1. Destroy the Scent Trail.
Ants enter your house in search of food. As they forage, they leave behind a path for other ants to follow. That’s why it’s important to squash any ant you see crawling, and to clean regularly.
Using Vinegar
A vinegar-based cleaner disrupts their scent trail. Try this all-purpose natural homemade cleaner. Adding 6 drops of peppermint essential oil (not extract) to 8 oz. of the cleaning spray will deter ants as well as cockroaches and spiders.
Using Borax
An ingredient often used in homemade laundry detergent, Borax is a natural mineral that can be used to kill ants and to get rid of cockroaches. It’s not toxic for humans or pets but is lethal for ants.
It’s not a quick ant killer, though. Instead, borax ant killer works because the scout ants — the ones you see on the counter — take it back to the colony where other ants eat it. Eventually, this causes the entire colony and its queen to starve.
If you want to try this slow-based solution, you’ll need to make the borax attractive to the ants by mixing it with sugar.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of powdered (confectioner’s) sugar and 1 tablespoon of borax.
- Sprinkle this mixture where you often see ants. They’ll consume the mixture and take bits back to the colony where other ants will eat it, too. Eventually, the borax will poison the entire colony.
Note: this may lead to seeing even more ants, which is why I prefer using diatomaceous earth-based approach.
Using Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is made from soft sedimentary rocks. Although it looks like fine powder, it actually has sharp, microscopic edges that cut through insects’ exoskeletons and digestive tracts. (It’s also great for controlling fleas, cockroaches, and other crawling bugs.)
Lightly sprinkling DE along windowsills, outside doors, or any other place you often see ants will disrupt their path. It’s a fast way to keep them out of your home. Combine it with the steps below to deal with the ants that are already inside, and you’ll quickly have your ant problem under control.
2. Clear out Their Hiding Places.
- Toss or recycle any stacks of newspapers that have piled up in your home — ants love to hide in them.
- Put away pet food between feedings and wash pet bowls after each use. (A thin coat of petroleum around the base of the container will keep ants from climbing into it.)
- Keep dirty laundry and towels off of the floor.
- Stop ants from coming inside by following the steps described below about getting rid of ants in the yard.
Get Rid of Ants in the Kitchen
Once you’ve started seeing ants in the kitchen, it’s time for deep-cleaning. In addition to the general steps to get rid of ants described above, there are a few more measures you need to take to get rid of ants in your kitchen.
If you’ve got the time, use this Kitchen Spring Cleaning Checklist to get every nook and cranny spotless. Otherwise, do at least the following:
- Keep the sink free of dirty dishes.
- Scrub your sink and run the garbage disposal to eliminate food residue.
- Empty the crumb tray in your toaster or toaster oven.
- Clean your microwave.
- Put all food away. Store dry-goods in airtight containers. Stash fruit in the refrigerator until the ant infestation is gone.
- Clean your trash cans.
- Sweep and mop the floor. Adding peppermint oil to this homemade floor cleaner will help deter ants, too.
Get Rid of Ants in the Bathroom
You may have noticed ants crawling near sinks or on the floor near the base of your bathroom cabinets. To get rid of ants in the bathroom, follow the general tips to keep ants out of the house described above. Then take the following steps.
- Clean your bathroom drains. If possible, pull the drain stop out and scrub it to remove biofilm and other residues that can attract ants.
- Fix any leaks, however minor, and add caulk to seal gaps around pipes under the sink.
- Keep the bathroom trashcan empty. Give it a good scrub, too.
- Hang up damp towels and bathmats.
- Don’t let dirty clothes accumulate on the floor.
- Purge clutter under your bathroom counter and in drawers, so ants don’t have a place to nest.
- Add peppermint essential oil to your homemade bathroom cleaner. Its scent deters ants, too.
How to Get Rid of Ants Outdoors in the Yard
Ants enter the home through cracks and crevices, so it’s smart to address outdoor sources and entry points if you want to control them indoors.
Locate and Destroy their Nest
Ants enter your home scouting for food. Once they find it, others will follow their scent trail to the buffet. To stop them, you need to locate the colony where they nest and destroy it.
Signs of Ant Colonies Outdoors
Look in your yard and along your home’s foundation. You can often recognize black ant colonies by the soft, fresh soil on top of it. Carpenter ants build nests in damaged or moist wood. So, inspect your home’s siding, wood piles, damaged trees, and rotting stumps.
Use Boiling Water to Destroy It
The easiest way to destroy the colony or nest is by pouring boiling water on it. This requires a bit of planning and care. You’ll want to make sure you have enough water to soak the area.
If you’re working solo, move a beverage cooler close to the spot and pour boiling water into it, then close the lid while you heat another pot. Once you’ve got enough water, open the cooler and tip it onto the ant colony.
Keep New Ant Colonies from Forming
Just as cleaning is the key to getting rid of ants in the house, keeping your yard and garden maintained will help deter ants from forming colonies, too.
- Mow at least once a week during the growing season.
- Water your lawn, especially on hot days, so ants don’t try entering your home in search of moisture.
- Trim tree branches and shrubs so they provide an accessible bridge for ants to use.
- Rake leaves and other debris away from your foundation walls.
- Pick up fallen wood and extract stumps rather than letting them rot in place for carpenter ants to set up home.
- Remove junk, put away toys, and keep debris out of your yard, so ants don’t mistake it for a sheltered location.
- Don’t grow ant-attracting flowers (like peonies, clematis, lilies) or vegetables (artichokes) near your home’s foundations.
- Use caulk to seal gaps around windows and pipes and replace worn weatherstripping.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth below dryer vents and other openings; it cuts through their exoskeletons so ants won’t walk through it. Add more after heavy rain.
Although getting rid of ants naturally takes a bit more effort than calling an exterminator, it does work. Plus, you get a clean house and tidy lawn and garden in the process.
Note: This article first appeared on Aug. 3, 2013. It has been revised and updated for republication.
More How-Tos:
- How to Get Rid of Cockroaches
- How to Clean a Keurig and Fix a Broken One
- How to Get Rid of Pantry Moths
Pin How to Get Rid of Ants Naturally for later!
Thank you for your advice, borax and sugar mixture is wonderful, ants are my difficult problem every year in warm weather. For years, I tried different natural stuff and chemicals, but no way , thanks.
Hi Laila,
I’m happy to have helped!
I have a large cement planter outside on my patio full of dirt. The planter has only dirt in it. I was going to put in a plant, started to shovel and discovered a full blown nest of tiny black ? and eggs. How do I get rid of these without ruining my planter?
Hi Sharon,
I’d just dig in some diatomaceous earth. It’s an organic pesticide that is safe for plants and should kill those ants in about 48 hours. Happy gardening!
NEVER HAD ANTS IN MY HOME/ HAD A NEW CERAMIC FLOOR PUT IN AND AFTER A FEW WEEKS I SAW SOME TINY ANTS/ SPRAYED AND THEY WERE GONE. JUST HAD A NEW CERAMIC TILE FLOOR INSTALLED IN MY KITCHEN A FEW WEEKS AGO AND CAME HOME TO TINY ANTS ON MY COUNTER???? WHATS UP? IS IT THE CEMENT BOARD UNDER THE TILE DRAWING THEM IN???
It’s probably not the cement board but the time of year. Ants like to invade our homes in the spring and autumn. Give your floors and counters a thorough cleaning then try the peppermint spray.
My husband and I have had a problem recently with ants in our home. We can’t quite figure out how to get rid of them. I like your tip to destroy the scent trail so that they can’t follow a path left behind by other ants. The problem is that we can’t find a specific pattern in the way that they’re moving. It would probably be best if we just called a pest control service to take care of the problem.
That’s odd since your URL (which I removed) indicates you operate a pest control company. Lousy advertising for you. Go spam elsewhere and stop being a human cockroach.
A 50/50 mixture of sugar and borax works great at killing ants. The ants carry it back to the nest too. I’ve used it succesfully on those tiny black ants. For years my parents had tons of ants crawling in and out of the foundation of their sun porch. I mixed up a batch and sprinkled it all along the perimeter outside and they were gone. If ants are dying at the site of the mixture, cut back on the borax. And since this has sugar in it, please be sure to keep it out of reach of children and pets!
Thanks for the tip!
I used left over coffee grounds and leftover coffee, outside, when I see a mound. They seemed to move on. I poured the left over coffee along sidewalk cracks, perimeter and along the foundations. I could not begin to tell you if you have to keep on doing it, since I did it whenever I had them. I was doing it in Michigan, have since moved to Tennesse and this will be the first year here. I also had my sister try it on the giant (at least a foot tall) mounds at her house in Florida. Worked like a charm. The big plus for me was that the coffee and grounds acted as a soil amendment.
Great tip, Debra, and like you said it’s a great soil amendment, too!
The borax mixture works great, except I use maple syrup instead of the sugar because they can’t resist the sweet smell, then I soak the mixture up with cotton balls & place them in the problem areas
Thanks for sharing that tip!
where do I get the lavender scented item? and is it peppermint scented extract?
Both are essential oils, not extracts. You can find them at Target or Walmart sometimes, along with hobby stores (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby). I buy mine on Amazon.
What great hints – I’m especially liking the lavender and peppermint since they’re wonderful scents. 🙂 Your post was also voted most on Inspire Me Monday today! Congrats! 🙂
Thank you! I love those scents, too. 🙂
I’ll definitely try the lavender and peppermint on the tiny ants that have just shown up here for the first time.
Oh, those tiny ones are so annoying, aren’t they? Just remember to spray daily so the scent stays fresh. 🙂
I do have this ant issue every so often. Finding out how they are getting in is key. You had some great tips. Thanks
Thank you for visiting!
Peppermint and lavender scents is not something I realized would help. I will definitely have to give this a try this summer. Thanks for the suggestion. #TTT
They really help!
Thank you for sharing this- every spring we have a week or two where no matter how clean I keep our home, the ants come in. It drives me nuts! I’ll be pinning this for that time!
Our ants seem to show up in the first two weeks of March, year after year. I try to go through this list at the end of February for that very reason. 🙂
I just noticed some today in my pantry….. I wanted to cry….. I am a clean freak!…..Will use some of these wonderful tips… Thanks!
You’re welcome! It’s that time of year when even clean freaks are likely to see ants, so don’t get down on yourself. 🙂
Ants are brilliant, industrious, little workers. That’s about the only thing admirable about them. Your tips are excellent as well. I have two more that you might like to add to your post later on. Bay leaves and cinnamon are deplorable to ants. My grandmother used to lay bay leaves out when the ants began coming inside. She kept bay leaves tucked around inside of the kitchen cabinets and sprinkled ground raw cinnamon on the paths that the ants marched one by one. I think the bay leaves work a little better than cinnamon.
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Excellent tips. Thank you for sharing them!
It’s so tough to get rid of those things once they find their way in! Last year I found that Borax was really the only thing that would do it for us.
Borax is wonderful stuff!
Please keep me updated on latest ant home made pesticides
When I see the ant I feel irretated. Do you give me any suggestion/home made easy process which I use at the time of daily floor cleaning for avoid ant/any other insects?
Cornmeal is also a good way to get rid of ants. They can’t digest it once they eat it, and they take it home to their nests to share! In the Spring we had a lot on the front walk and a nest in the yard. I sprinkled cornmeal and then they were gone. It’s good because it’s not poison and won’t harm the birds or squirrels.
I hadn’t heard that one. Thanks!
It will not work on the TINY black ants that we have been faced with. They seem to be immune to the natural or clement remedies that work for medium and large sized ant species. Admittedly, cornmeal has worked in the past. It just will not work for these. These are some very, very “determined” TINY ants. Bleach and/or mop cleaner don’t even destroy their scent trail/thwart them. Once it dries, they are back as if you did nothing at all. I don’t know if they are protein or sweet ants, because they seem to have no presence at all. Anything made of liquid(including water itself) kills them on contact instantly–far more quickly than larger ants, but larger ants are far, far easier to get rid of. Am trying cologne now; maybe that will work.
The peppermint works on the little ones. I tried it once and have used it every year since then. If I don’t use it then we are infested with these little nuisances around our home. I take the oil and mix with a small amount of water and wipe down all surfaces then I mix a small amount with water in a spray bottle and spray around windows, doors and appliances every day, sometimes several times daily and pretty soon the ants are gone. Not to mention this makes your house smell amazing!
Great info about the lavender scent that ants don’t like! Ants always make me just a little twitchy (I have been known to cry about ant invasions) and while I have found something that works to get rid of them once they have arrived, knowing what repels them is super!
Ants make me twitchy, too. Ever notice how, once you see them, every little itch makes you jump around because you’re certain they’re crawling on you? Ugh!
I feel the same way would apple cider vinegar work to kill the trail
It should, yes.
I have also found that peppermint is good to keep spiders away. We had a problem with them and our bug man told us what to use add peppermint to a little water and spray everywhere that spiders go and it really works well.
It sure does. I cover that in How to Get Rid of Spiders Naturally. 😉