Ants are an issue for a lot of people, whether you are dealing with the summer months or the spring, and ants are more than just an annoying little insect. There are of course a lot of chemical sprays that you can use to get rid of ants, but if you have children or pets, these chemicals can cause severe skin reactions, and can also be toxic which then can lead to possibly fatal life-threatening situations. There is also the fact that the chemical sprays are not good to be breathing in on a regular basis, even if you have good ventilation in your home, since it can cause you to suffer damage to your lungs. If you are in need of alternatives to chemical sprays to get rid of ants, here are four great ways you can rid the ants without possibly damaging your own health.
Cinnamon
Using cinnamon all around the areas where the ants are collecting is by far one of the best non-toxic methods to get rid of ants. If you notice that you have an ant problem in the kitchen all around the counters, this can be a very difficult area to treat due to cooking and preparing foods on the counters. You should start off by sprinkling cinnamon all around the counters, around the back of the counters and edges, and on the floor where the cabinets meet. The cinnamon method works really well because ants hate cinnamon, plus they will try to take it back to the main nesting area, and it will kill off all the other ants that are in the nest. Cinnamon will only cost you a few dollars at your local retail or grocery store, which is also great for people who are on a budget. Another good aspect to the cinnamon is that it will leave your home smelling really good. It can be a little bit of a hassle using cinnamon, especially if you have to put it around the counters like most times you have to do, but it works like virtually nothing else. When you are using the cinnamon it is important to keep in mind that this product gets everywhere, so you need really to watch out if you are cooking near the cinnamon. If you have cats or dogs, you should also make sure to keep them away from the cinnamon areas, because animals could not consume too much of this product as it can make them sick, but it’s not toxic.
White Vinegar and Water
Another natural way you can get rid of ants is to use a white vinegar and water solution, put it into a spray bottle, and just spray all the areas where you know the ants are gathering. The solution is made up of one part water to one part white vinegar, which means it won’t smell as strong as using a more concentrated dose of vinegar. If you know the ants are coming in from a certain crack or wall, you definitely want to focus on spraying around that area first. You can use the mixture like a disinfectant cleaner too, so you can wipe down the tables, counters, and appliances without having to worry about the nasty toxic chemicals getting into your food products. Although the smell might not be as bad with the one-to-one solution, it still is fairly obvious you used vinegar, so that smell might turn some people away from wanting to use this method. One very positive aspect about using this solution is that you can buy a huge jug of white vinegar from your local grocery store for $3, so it’s really cheap to buy, and the jug should last you a long time.
Coffee Grounds
If you drink a lot of coffee, then you probably have a lot of coffee grounds you throw away everyday. Well, it just so happens that you can reuse those coffee grounds as a natural way to get rid of ants, and it won’t stink up your house in the process. All you have to do is get some coffee grounds and sprinkle them all around where the ants are coming in or collecting. Ants do not like coffee grounds, so that means they will avoid the area at all costs, but just make sure they are not moving to another area of your house. You can put the coffee grounds wherever you need to, it’s not toxic so your pets and family are not going to get sick if they eat some of it, and your essentially reusing a product you use everyday anyways.
Cucumber Peels
You might decide to go out and buy some cucumbers to put on your salad or in your food, but you can also get rid of ants using the peels at the same time. Ants do not like cucumber peels, since there is a chemical in the peel that kills off the fungi the ants like to eat, so they will be running away from anywhere the peels are placed. You can peel the cucumber and cut the peels into small pieces, then just place the peels in problem areas, and especially around the entrance if you can find it. Even if you don’t eat cucumbers, you can buy them at your local grocery store for a dollar, so it’s an inexpensive alternative to harsh chemicals, and it will make your house smell good.
These are just a few of the most common and inexpensive alternatives to help you get rid of ants in your house. You really want to get rid of the ants as soon as you begin seeing them, because you never know what types of diseases that ants can be bringing into your house, and some ants can even bite you depending on the types of ants you are dealing with. You do want to use caution when using these alternative methods as well, because while these are non-toxic options, your pet still could end up getting sick if they eat the cinnamon or other types of food products.
