The Kitchen Ingredient That'll Make Ants A Thing Of The Past

When the weather gets warm, the ants go marching in. Before you know it, they're scurrying across the countertop, getting into the pantry, and invading your garbage pails. While you want to avoid squishing ants in your home, the good news is your kitchen already has the ingredients you need to fend them off. A little bit of water and the versatile cleaning tool that is vinegar should do the trick.

Mix equal parts of the two and pour it in a spray bottle. Mist down your countertops and any other areas where you've seen the little critters. You may have to repeat the process a few times a day until they're completely gone. According to WebMD, ants leave behind a chemical trail so the other ants can follow this scent. The vinegar will eliminate that scent preventing the ants from following the trail to return.

This vinegar and water trick is a great way to get rid of these pests while eliminating the need to use harsh chemicals. If you don't want your house stinking like vinegar, there are plenty of other natural remedies that can help you with an ant infestation.

Ants find pepper, both the red or black varieties, to be repellant and will avoid it. Pour some in places that are out of regular view where you see ants like behind the fridge. Strong smells like peppermint and tea tree oil are noxious to ants. 

Take two cups of water and put 10 to 20 drops of peppermint essential oil in it. This mixture can be sprayed in infested areas. Alternatively, you can mix five to 10 drops of tea tree oil with the same amount of water. Dip a few cotton balls in it your mixture and leave these where you spot ants in the house.

Ants are also known to not be fans of coffee. Next time you brew a pot, don't throw out the ground. Pour a bit on a piece of cardboard or tin foil and leave it where the ants are gathering in your home. 

Though baby powder won't kill ants, it will deter them from entering certain areas. This is because they won't step into it. So, you can pour some around an area you don't want them to cross and create a barrier with your talcum. 

Diatomaceous earth will actually kill your ants. According to Hunker, this is because it penetrates their exoskeletons and dehydrates them until they die. There are a few ways you can use it. The first is sprinkling it directly onto ants or their anthill. You can also pour some into a bit of sugar. The ants will come for the sugar and then be exposed to it.

Diatomaceous earth can also be used like baby powder to create barriers at entry points. If you want to treat a large area, mix a tablespoon of it with four cups of water and two to three drops of soap and pour in a spray bottle. Spray the areas where you keep seeing ants or want to prevent them from entering.