Ants are pretty harmless by themselves. Unfortunately, they almost never travel alone, and an infestation of ants in your home can be a huge bother, not to mention the food you'll have to throw away. Trying to get rid of them using poisons can also be harmful to small children or any pets you may have. Here are some natural ways to scare those ants away and prevent them from coming back using just natural, organic products most people keep at home or can easily get at the grocery store. |
|
|
|
Cucumber / Citrus Peel
Place cucumber or citrus fruit peel wherever you're seeing a lot of ants coming from. Citrus fruits and cucumbers are toxic to a certain tiny mushroom ants feed on, so they avoid them.
|
|
Cinnamon Sticks and Cloves of Garlic
Follow the trail of ants and try to identify where they're entering from, such as windows, doors or other gaps found throughout your house. Place cinnamon sticks or cloves of garlic as close as possible to them. Cloves of garlic give off a strong smell, so it is recommended to leave cinnamon sticks, which have a more pleasant aroma. If you do choose garlic, make sure you peel it and cut it up before you put it down. You can put cinnamon sticks in your pantry as a preventative measure against future ant visits.
|
|
|
|
Vinegar
Put some vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the places where you last saw ants, as well as their (suspected or known) points of entry. Vinegar harms their sense of smell and destroys the pheromones they leave behind them to help them find their way.
|
|
|
|
Talcum/Chalk Powder
Create a small 'barrier' of talcum or chalk powder in the ants' points of entry. The talc, the material found both in talcum powder and chalk, destroys their sense of smell and makes it extremely hard for them to cross, so a little barrier will help prevent them from coming in where you don't want them.
|
|
Black pepper
Sprinkle some black pepper on the trail of ants and see how they quickly disperse. Now you can track them and see where they came in from. Make sure you sprinkle some black pepper there, too.
|
|
Mint
Another handy tool that disrupts the little intruders' sense of smell is mint. There are several ways you can use mint to do so. Firstly, you can plant it in your garden and around your house, close to doors and windows. Secondly, you can place some mint leaves by the windows of your home. Like the cinnamon sticks, this too can be placed in the pantry to prevent future intrusions.
|
|
Cornmeal
If you encounter a really big problem with an ant infestation, you may want to use cornmeal. Cornmeal doesn't just prevent ants or makes them run away - it kills them. Ants see it as food, but in reality they can't digest it and eventually die after eating it. It won't kill them as quickly as poison, but it definitely works. It's also cheap and environmentally friendly to use in your home.
|
Images Courtesy of: freedigitalphotos.net
8 Natural And Safe Ways to Keep Ants Away From Your House
Take note of these useful natural remedies that can help you keep ants away from your home.
5 Tips to Keep Your Toothbrush Truly Clean
Incorrect or inconsistent care of your toothbrush may expose you to germs and bacteria. Following these tips will help you avoid it.
8 Remedies For Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless leg can be extremely annoying, but thankfully there are some home remedies that can be used to treat it. Here are 8 of them.
These Password Tips Will Ensure You're Safe from Hackers...
Cybercrime is increasing thanks to ever-improving technology. Therefore, it's very important that you have a strong password. These tips will ensure you do!
The Way to Lose Weight May Be Different Than You Thought
Regular exercise is wonderful for your overall health, but contrary to popular belief, it is not the way to lose weight. Find out why...
Learn the Meaning Behind These Common Dog Behaviors
Why do dogs howl, smile, or eat grass? To better interpret what your dog is trying to say, watch the informative video below.
Freeze Your Food Quickly and Efficiently with These Tips
Which foods can you freeze for later use?
10 Ingenious Uses for Your Old Rubber Bands
These are the rubber band uses that you never considered. Some of these are amazing!
Important: How to Stay Calm Under Pressure
This video will teach you one of the most important skills in the world - how to stay calm under pressure
Keep Your Jewelry Sparkling Clean With This Perfect Guide
Jewelry is quick to tarnish and lose its beauty. But don't despair - use these cheap and easy methods to clean it at home!
Bring Positive Energy to Your Home With These Lucky Plants
Feng shui experts say that these plants will bring good luck and positive energy to your home.
Learn What Your Plant is Trying To Say By its Condition
Our plants give signs of what they are in need of through the physical characteristics they exhibit. Learn how to interpret these signs with this handy guide.
What Does Your Handwriting Say About You?
These graphology tips will help you figure out what your handwriting says about you.
These 12 Simple Actions Will Keep Your Mind Sharp
The brain, the most important organ in our bodies responsible for countless actions, sometimes needs a little help, here are 12 unique ways to help it.
Tip: All You Need to Know About Your Kitchen Knives
This handy quick cheat-sheet for home cooks gives you a quick run-down of what chefs know about their knives, explains the lingo, and gives some great advice!
The Genius Ways to Wrap Awkwardly Shaped Gifts
To save yourself a little money, and to help you get a tad more creative this festive season, we've got the perfect solution for you.
Guide: How to Effectively Deal with a Dog Attack
These 15 tips will help protect you before, during and after a dog attack.
9 Genius Ideas For Keeping Your Food Fresh For Longer
These great and simple storage tips will help you keep your food fresher for longer, and save you some extra trips to the grocery store!
Fake Olive Oil: Here's How You Can Spot It!
If you want to know whether the olive oil you have bought is real or an imposter, here's how you can tell!
6 Simple and Important Flexibility Exercises for Seniors
Regain flexibility after 60 with these easy exercises.
The BEST Craft Idea For the Little Princesses in Your Life
Make this cute princess charm you can hang on a bag, and it's both easy and fun!
Do You Know Why Wedding Rings Are Worn On the 4th Finger?
There's a specific reason why we all wear our wedding rings on our fourth fingers, and this informative video will explain the tradition behind it.
Are Your Sofa Cushions Sagging? Here's What to Do
Got saggy sofa cushions? Here's what to do.
12 Things Car Thieves Don't Want You to Know...
Every 43 seconds, a car is being stolen in the United States, which is close to one million vehicles a year. These tips could prevent you becoming a victim.
10 Quick and Easy Solutions to 10 Common Cleaning Problems
We have searched high and low to bring you ten easy solutions that solve a number of everyday household cleaning issues. You are sure to find these useful!
How to Choose the PERFECT Cooking Oil For Every Task
Knowing which cooking oil works best for which task will elevate your cooking from average to profound. Join us and learn for yourself.
These Cool Charts Will Make Your Christmas So Much Better
These cool charts will make your Christmas so much better.
20 Great Kitchen Tips That'll Save You On Money and Effort!
Make your kitchen that much more efficient and less time consuming with these 20 great tips that might change your kitchen experience forever.
Feeling Drowsy After Lunch? Here’s How To Control It
Do you often find yourself feeling a little sleepy after lunch everyday? Then these tips might help you control that.
Struggling with Sleep? These YouTube Channels Can Help
The next time you struggle with sleep, try these YouTube channels.
The Smart Weight-Loss Tips No One Ever Told You
These simple daily changes can bring an avalanche of goodness to your body. I'm sure you've never heard at least half of these tips, but each and every one of them will have a small and meaningful effect on your weight loss.
We Bet You Never Knew Rubbing Alcohol Was This Useful!
Most people use rubbing alcohol for cuts or to cool a fever, but it has so many other fantastic uses. Here's 15 of them.
Experience the Beauty Benefits of Palo Santo Oil: DIY Tips
Find out the amazing beauty benefits of Palo Santo essential oil for your skin and hair.
Surprising Ways to Use ChapStick You Might Not Know About
Here are some of my favorite uses for this unassuming household product.
The Way We Were - Shocking Ads from the 1950s
This series of advertisements from the 1950s is more than just your regular nostalgia. Look at these ads and be amazed with all the progress women have made!
8 Super Handy Grocery Bag Tips You Have to Try
Whether you prefer paper or plastic, there are enough hacks here to really boost your bag usage. These tips will save you time, money and space. Perfect!
How to Develop a Green Thumb For Home Plants
The following houseplant cheat sheet summarizes the essentials you need to know about growing your own houseplants.
Know the Signs: The Complete Guide to Body Language!
You can learn a lot about a person’s intent by reading his body language, so find out just what that wink meant with this helpful guide.
A Few Tips for Restoring Order to Your Household
Some of the best home tips
The Egg Secret Tips You Never Knew...
This video shows you some of the best egg life hacks you never knew you needed, but now you'll see them - use all the time!
17 Bad Housekeeping Habits You’re Likely Unaware Of
These 17 housekeeping habits are some of the most undesirable out there.
6 Popular Grocery Items You Should Definitely Stop Buying
Many companies have become masters at selling us stuff we don't need. Here are some of the worst offenders.
Guide: 11 Ways to Defend Yourself in an Emergency
The basic self defence tips all women should know.
Olive Oil Has so Many Different Uses - Here Are 25 of Them
Olive oil has so many different uses it's unreal. Here are 25 uses of olive oil that you may not have heard of!
Clever Ways to Hide Your Money and Credit Cards
Don't let the burglars get your hard earned cash! Learn how to hide it like a pro.
6 Home Remedies that'll Stop Your Dog from Scratching
To help alleviate your dog's discomfort, we have gathered six effective home remedies that you can whip up and use today.
11 Unhealthy Signs in Your Dog That You Shouldn't Ignore
If you're a dog owner, it is in your duty to be observant toward your dog's health. Here are the warning signs you should watch out for.