Keep Your Kitchen Ant-Free With the Help of These Natural Repellents

Ants are some of those house pests we all try to avoid from having in any part of the house, but somehow it always manages to find its way to a nook or on our food. Sometimes, even when we try to maintain the cleanliness of our homes, particularly our kitchens, these annoying insects still show up. Thankfully, there are ways to get rid of them once and for all — and you won’t even need to call an exterminator!

Lemons can be used to get rid of ants

Citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges, contain an acidic oil called d-limonene, particularly in their peels. This acidic oil is deadly to ants because it destroys the wax coating on their respiratory system. Once an ant comes into contact with d-limonene, they get instantly killed, plus the acidic oil also ruins the trail so any other ants wouldn’t be able to make their way to the source of food.

How to make the solution to keep your kitchen ant-free

It’s not at all difficult to create the spray you need to free your kitchen from pesky ants. Just prepare citrus peels, vinegar, and a spray bottle, and you’re good to go! Take a look at this easy-peasy recipe from Apartment Therapy:

• Put citrus peels in a pot and add enough vinegar to cover them.
• Heat the mixture until it is scalding (but not boiling), then let it sit for a few hours or overnight.
• Pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
• Spray the mixture on areas where you see ants, and on any possible entry points for ants.

Aside from making a spray, you can also squeeze some lemon juice or leave lemon peels on entry points of the ants, or even clean your floors and surfaces using a mixture of water and lemon juice.

Other natural ant repellents

Several more items that you probably already keep in your pantry can also be used to free your home from ants efficiently. These include different types of citrus fruits, vinegar, powdered sugar, and baking soda, among others. Here’s how you can use them to keep away the ants.

Oranges

Another type of fruit which has lots of d-limonene is orange. Get some orange peels, then mix them with a cup of warm water to create a paste. Apply that paste onto entry points of ants, and later, wipe them off. You may also try merely placing orange peels on those entry points.

Vinegar

Vinegar is known to be a useful cleaning agent, but did you know it can also be used to kill ants? It has the power to mask the ants’ scent trails, and its smell is repulsive to ants. Just mix a 1/4 cup of vinegar with a 1/4 cup of water, put the solution in a spray bottle, shake it a bit, then spray it on areas where you’ve seen ants. Do this every few days until the ants are completely gone.

Baking soda and powdered sugar

Baking soda is also well-known for being useful in performing different tasks around the home, including killing ants. All you need to do is to mix 1 part baking soda with 1 part of the powdered sugar, then place the mixture in a shallow lid wherever you see ants present.