How Can I Keep Ants Out of My House?

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There is no need to spray poisons around to keep ants out of your house or apartment. Even the most serious ant invasion can be controlled with a few simple home remedies that are chemical-free and work just as well as the strongest venom. Killing single ants inside the home should be avoided, as live ants are attracted to the smell of their dead companions, and will swarm to the place to be able to carry away the carcasses. Solutions that focus on keeping the ants out of your house, or work by discouraging them to come back are the best options.

To keep ants out of your house, start by finding the place they use to come in. Try to seal any possible holes to keep the invasion at bay, and make sure there is no garbage or anything attractive to ants near the entrance of your home. Windowsills should be clear of food, as these can be popular places for ants to enter.

Some of the most effective natural remedies to keep ants out of your house can be found in your kitchen. Ants will crawl away from cinnamon, mint, red chili powder, and black pepper. All of them can be sprinkled on countertops or cupboards, as they're not poisonous and highly effective. Planting mint and cloves in windowsills or outdoor gardens around the home will also help keep ants out of your house. Bay leaves, especially when dipped into mint mouthwash and placed around the food pantry, are another helpful option.

Creating a ring of Vaseline or chalk around windows and doors also helps, as ants will not cross lines draw with any of these products. While this may not help you get rid of the ants already present in your home, it will certainly discourage other ones to join the invasion. Baby powder is another great ant repellent. Sprinkling some on doors will keep ants out of your house.

Ants also hate vinegar. For an easy solution, just mix equal parts of vinegar and water and then sprinkle on counters and other food storage and preparation areas. If there are no small children or pets in the house, you can also use glass cleaner to spray areas in other rooms outside of the kitchen.

As ants get creative finding ways to get into the house, you may have to keep checking for cracks and holes, and trying a few different solutions to keep all of them out. There are many solutions that are effective, yet safe for your family.