We’ve put together a list of 7 surefire ways to get rid of ants in your kitchen once and for all. Read on for the dirt on defeating these six-legged intruders.
Do you have a problem with ants in your kitchen? Are they invading your food and making a mess?
The worst kind of house guest is ants! They show up unannounced and unwanted, taking up residence in your home as they own it themselves while stealing food from all over the place!
These little insects have a special liking for kitchens- shouldn’t you be able to cook without having them crawling around on top or underneath?
I’ve noticed that when ants come into my home, it’s usually during the warmer months. Isn’t this fascinating? Ants tend to move inside and turn into a colony!
And what’s worse is that there isn’t much we can do about those pesky buggers—you might as well deal with them since nothing else seems interesting anyways…
But wait….I know!
This time when our kitchen got really dirty (I mean ants everywhere), I decided to take matters into my own hands and get rid of them once and for all. I am listing out some tips and tricks that I applied to get rid of ants quickly in the kitchen.
So here are 7 ways you can kick those little pests out of your kitchen and enjoy your favorite meals bug-free:
1. Eliminate their food source.
If you want to get rid of ants, the best thing is prevention. Clear away any food remains and spills from around your house so they can’t find anything worth coming back for!
Most times when an ant finds its way into our homes it’s because there were leftovers that weren’t properly stored in tightly sealed plastic bags or containers- be sure this doesn’t happen with yours by keeping things clean now.
There’s nothing quite like finding a line of ants marching across your kitchen counter. Ants are mostly attracted to foods like honey, cornmeal, and sugar, so it’s important to make sure there’s no mess of these kinds of food items anywhere in your kitchen.
Additionally, clean up any food crumbs around your appliances and in garbage pails. In general, the neater you keep your kitchen area, the less likely ants will want to invade.
2. Clean! Clean! Clean!
The number one way to prevent ants in the kitchen is to keep it clean. Make sure all crumbs and spills are wiped off, countertops disinfected, dirty dishes in the sink are washed, and trash is taken out regularly.
Wipe up spills immediately, wash dishes as soon as you’re done using them, sweep and mop regularly…the list goes on. A clean kitchen is less likely to attract ants (and other pests) in the first place.
This will get rid of any food sources that would attract ants inside your home.
Use vinegar to clean up.
Vinegar is a great tool for getting rid of ants from your kitchen- it’s acidic and can help disrupt their scent trails which will send them running! Spray a 50/50 mixture in any area where you’ve seen ants before, as this should do the trick.
If you don’t have vinegar in your kitchen, you can buy it here.
3. Use Natural Repellents
You can make your own natural ant repellent using essential oils like cinnamon, peppermint, clove, and lemon. Put a few drops of any one oil in a spray bottle filled with water and use it to spritz the corners of your kitchen or around entryways.
Here are the direct links to these products, for your convenience.
Create a natural, non-toxic bug spray by filling a spray bottle with equal parts of any of the above essential oils and warm water. Always shake the mixture before using it to ensure that the solution is evenly mixed.
Spray surfaces in your kitchen like floors, countertops, corners, and other hiding spots where you often see them. Also, be sure to follow their trail and spray the flea repellent wherever they have established their colony.
4. Block Their Access or Entry Points
Ants come in through small cracks, crevices, and gaps around windows or doors. Sealing these entry points with caulk (silicon caulk) is a great way to block them out.
As you may already know, DumSquare was initially a restaurant, and we did face ant and roach infestations. We took weekly maintenance off every Monday to inspect, clean, and caulk any entry points where bugs were sneaking in. It was like a ritual, but was the only thing that could keep us bug-free!
Here is what we did at our restaurant:
Step 1: Buy silicon caulk
Step 2: Attach it to its gun
Step 3: Use it on all the cracks and crevices in your kitchen
Step 4: Let it set overnight
This will give you a nice seal on all the entry points to keep out ants.
Once this is done, keep a watch if you spot any cracks or crevices around your kitchen that could be used as an entry point for ants, seal them off again with silicon caulk as soon as possible for maximum protection.
5. Use Readymade Anti-Ant Sprays
You can buy anti-ant sprays from any pest control store or online stores like Amazon and Flipkart. These products are designed to kill ants on contact, and the best thing about them is that they come with a residual effect which means they keep working even after you spray them once.
Some popular ant-spray brands are Herbal Strategi, Pestero, and HIT. Make sure you read the instructions carefully before using them.
6. Boric Acid Mix
Boric acid is one of the most effective ways to get rid of ants.
Just make a mixture of boric acid and honey or sugar and place it where you think the ants are coming from. The ants will be attracted to the sweetness of the mixture and take it back to their nest where it will kill them all.
Note: Just make sure to keep this mixture away from pets and children as boric acid is poisonous if ingested.
7. Use Ant-Traps
You can also make a homemade ant trap using Borax powder, which is a natural ant killer.
Just mix 1 tablespoon of Borax with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water until the Borax is dissolved.
Then pour the mixture into a shallow dish or jar lid and place it near where you’ve seen ants crawling around.
The ants will be attracted to the sugar but when they eat the Borax it will kill them.
8. (Bonus Tip) Call in reinforcements!
If you find that the ants in your kitchen are too much to handle on your own, it’s time to call in professional help. Pest control companies specialize in getting rid of pests like ants and they will be able to tell you what strategies work best for your particular situation.
Final Words
No one wants ants in their kitchen, and luckily there are many ways to get rid of them. We’ve listed 7 tips- from keeping your kitchen clean to using natural repellents- that should help you drive the ants away for good.
Remember, prevention is always better than cure, so make sure you keep your kitchen clean and dry and seal off all potential entry points with silicon-based caulk. If all else fails, call in professional help to take care of the problem for you.
So, guys, that’s it!
Thank you for reading our article on how to get rid of ants in the kitchen. We hope this was helpful in giving you some tips and tricks that can help with controlling ant infestations.
If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to reach out to us through comments. We would love to hear from you and help you get rid of those ants!
Happy ant-free cooking! 🙂
Hey thanks for this post. Iam gonna try the borax trap as I already have the borax powder. I will mix it in some sugar syrup and update u with the results. Keep up such cool posts coming.