Well, spring has sprung and the weather is warming up. You know what that means-BBQ, the park, vacation, and ants. These critters seem to find their way into your home no matter what you do. They wreak havoc in your kitchen and they don't let up until fall. Some of us will resort to the chemicals to clear them out. This can be especially dangerous if you have pets or little ones wandering around. It's scary to know they could get ahold of the traps or put their paws/hands in the spray zones.
A couple years ago I tried a some natural remedies for getting these pests out if my home. Among the efforts, I used cinnamon. I heard the little buggers don't like it so I coated my counters and sprayed water on it letting it sit a while then whipping it clean. Giant fail. I'm not sure if I should have used an oil instead, but this didn't work for me.
Then, I tried 1/2 and 1/2 vinegar and water in a spray bottle and let it sit. I wiped it clean and ... nothing! Strike two. They didn't let up. I found them in the sugar and around the stove. No matter how clean I kept the kitchen they wanted in. I found a trail of them climbing my trash can! Gross!
Then, one winter, I started using tea tree oil in my regular homemade cleaners. You can find more of those recipes here. Anyway, this got me thinking about the ants I would soon be dreading and whether or not they would shy away from the smell of the tea tree oil, which is pretty strong stuff. I did some research and I found a lot of people saying they do stay away from it.
So, this is my new line of defense. I use the 1/2 and 1/2 distilled vinegar and water spray and I add about two tsps tea tree oil and shake each time I use it. I use it on counters, the stove, windows, my trash can, etc. I also put it in my floor cleaner when I mop and I put it in water and dish soap when cleaning the inside of my trash cans. So far I have not been infiltrated by the ant army! As a side note, it's important to be careful with tea tree oil as it can cause skin reactions and some people can be allergic. Test it out before spraying it around your entire home! Tea tree oil is toxic if ingested! Do not eat it!
Other tips to help keep ants at bay:
- Always clean up spills as soon as possible, especially sugary ones. Use soap and water or your homemade cleaner.
- Try to resist using sweet smelling air freshener sprays. Some of these actually have sugar or sugar substitutes in them which attracts bugs!
- Clean your stove and counters after cooking or preparing food.
- Sweep floors often to avoid leaving crumbs for crawly critters.
- Avoid eating in the living room or bedrooms to minimize the areas in your home where crumbs might fall
- Empty trashcans often.
- Clean trashcans and recycling cans often.
- Try finding a raised cat or dog food tray and keep surrounding areas free of food.
I hope this helps some of you out! If you have another tried and true method of keeping the pests away naturally, leave a comment and let us know!
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