Ants are pesky creatures that can invade your home and cause problems in the kitchen or bathroom.
These little insects can come in droves and make it hard to get rid of them. They will eat anything they find, whether it is sweet or savory, and they will destroy any plants you have.
They lay their eggs deep in the soil, where the larvae will hatch and live.
How to Get Rid of Tiny Ants in Apartment
Ants are one of the most commonly found pests in houses. To put it another way, having them in your apartment and not being able to get rid of them is a major pain. They can cause big issues, so it’s important to act quickly when you see them.
The first thing you want to do is inspect the area where they were spotted for other tell-tale signs of an infestation, such as ants carrying food or eggs. Ants are tiny and hard to spot, but there are a few steps you can take at home to banish them for good.
Do Thorough Cleaning
When was the last time you had a deep cleaning of your apartment? If it’s been some time, there are a few things you can do to get rid of all that dust, dirt, and grime.
Start by grabbing the vacuum cleaner and giving all the floors in your house a good once-over. Then move on to cleaning surfaces like your countertops, cabinets, tables, and dresser tops.
Let your home be dust-free! Review our guide on how to reduce dust in apartment for more tips.
Ants are relentless, and they do not discriminate. No matter how clean you keep your home, ants will find a crumb trail to follow, if there is one.
Make sure all ood is securely sealed to make sure ants stay out of your kitchen. To make this easier, use glass or metal containers instead of plastic ones, which are more porous. Lastly, make sure you sweep the floor regularly.
Use Lemon Juice
The solution to your problems is lemon juice, which you can create in your kitchen. You need a few lemons as ingredients.
Lemon juice is a natural solution for getting rid of ants. If you have an ant problem, make sure to store some lemon in your kitchen cabinets for good measure.
Squeeze some lemon into a spray bottle and spray it around your home. Be sure to spray into any holes or cracks you might have found. These pesky pests will avoid this acid damaging to their tracking systems and end up migrating to other areas.
Use Peppermint Essential Oil
In order to keep ants from staying in your home, you can use essential oils. For example, by putting a few drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls and placing them around the perimeter of your apartment, you are discouraging the ants from entering.
Most importantly, it contains menthol, which is scientifically proven to be an effective natural repellent for ants. Cayenne pepper is also a good repellent that you can use as a substitute.
If you have a spray bottle, then that can be useful too. Add 15 to 20 drops of peppermint oil into a half cup of water and put it in a spray bottle. Shake the spray bottle to make sure it mixes as it should, then spray their trails and entry points with the peppermint oil mixture. For the best results, you can try peppermint oil specifically for bugs and also repeat this practice every few days.
Cinnamon Lines
Cinnamon is another option you can use to get rid of ants in your home. Generally, cinnamon can be used to get rid of other pests, like roaches.
How does cinnamon work? The ants choke and die as soon as they come into contact with cinnamon and inhale it. So, sprinkle ground cinnamon along the ant’s path, forcing them to come into contact.
Cinnamon essential oil can also be beneficial. Combine a few drops of cinnamon oil in a spray bottle and spray around window and door cracks.
Chalk Lines
If you think chalk can only be used in classrooms, then you’re wrong! You can, in fact, fight your ant problem using chalk lines.
Although it’s a very temporary solution, some chalk can be a solution if you’re struggling to get rid of ants intruding into your home.
The concept is pretty easy, draw chalk lines around door frames, outside your windows, and other ant entry points. The ant’s scent trail will be disrupted, which will warn them to stay away.
You might also use chalk paint, which is available at your local hardware stores.
While you wait for the specialists to come up with a more permanent solution, you can keep them at bay using chalk lines.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is not only good at taking care of your skin, but it’s also efficient at helping get rid of ants.
A mixture of water and five to ten drops of tea tree oil creates a strong scent to repel ants. Place the mixture around the house for another effective solution.
Sprinkle Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth Around Your Home
Diatomaceous earth is a fine white powder used in various products, from pesticides to water filters. It is made from the crushed remains of marine phytoplankton.
This fine powder that has been used for centuries to kill insects, rodents, and other pests.
It is completely natural and non-toxic to humans and pets. With that said, it can be harmful to insects if they come in contact with it. Sprinkle it along the ant trail (ants patterns) and leave for some time for effective results.
Tips for Keeping Ants Away/Repel Ants
Ant infestation is an unwelcome event. With that stated, prevention is always preferable to cure, so learning how to avoid ant infestation is a good idea.
Here are a few tips you can use to stay away from ant infestations:
No Dirty Dishes: Clean Them Up
Leaving food unattended is a surefire way of inviting ants into your home. Both of these are bad for you and your family, but not to worry!
There are plenty of simple ways of deterring ants (prevent ants) from settling in your kitchen, but cleaning the dishes, and your kitchen in general, are the major ones.
Store Food Properly
When you buy food, make sure you store it in sealed, airtight containers. If you deny ants access to food, you’re starving them, and they won’t stay in your home for long before moving on to locate shelter and food elsewhere.
Also, mind your pet food; ensure you store them well. Just like you did with your own food, store the food for your pets in plastic containers instead of the usual plastic bags.
Cracks and Entrance Spots Should Be Sealed
If cracks near windows or doors could provide an entry point for many ants, consider sealing them off immediately to avoid a possible infestation.
Use caulking to seal off the holes. The best thing about caulking is that you can buy it at any hardware store and it’s relatively cheap.It comes in a tube that looks like toothpaste and is easy to use. All you have to do is squeeze the tube onto the crack, apply pressure for a minute or two, and then let it dry.
Make Sure All Surfaces are Clean
When you cut up fruits on your counters the juice falls on the kitchen surfaces. Many people fail to clean this up because their main worry is eating the fruit, which is a huge mistake.
Filthy surfaces attract ants quickly, so consider cleaning all of your surfaces immediately. Wiping the surfaces using vinegar instead of water can be a good choice to keep the ants away.
Take Away Idea
A mixture of baking soda and powdered sugar can be an efficient way to kill an entire colony of ants. Baking soda absorbs moisture from ants, thus killing them. So placing the mixture around your home will be a good idea.
Final Thought
Ants are one of the most troublesome household pests. After finding their way into your home, they can often travel to every room and cause a great deal of damage by consuming food and making a mess.
Preventing ants from entering your home in the first place is the easiest approach to deal with them.
If they infest your home, think about natural ways, like using essential oils (i.e. cinnamon oil) to get rid of them before calling in the pest control services for a long-term solution (using harsh chemicals).
