Everyone has had issues with ants here and there, but don’t always want to use chemicals to get rid of them!  here are 21 ways to naturally rid your house of ants!

Of course I want something that is non- toxic and readily available materials, (that means right in my kitchen)- See below some great ideas on natural, non- toxic, in your kitchen, homemade Ant Deterrents.

Of course the first line of defense is no food, clean and to stop points of entry. Natural Pest Control has a great list of pest control ideas- these are just a few

1. Keep a small spray bottle handy, and spray the ants with a bit of soapy water.
2. Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants’ point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber. Bitter cucumbers work best.
3. Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant deterrents.
4. Trace the ant column back to their point of entry. Set any of the following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (can be soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon or coffee grounds.
5. Mix a half teaspoon each of honey, borox, and aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet, etc.), in small bottles. Place bottles on their sides, with lids off, in areas of most ant activity. Ants will carry the bait back to their colonies. Important: use indoors only; must be kept away from pets and children.
6. Leave a small, low wattage night light on for a few nights in the area of most ant activity. The change in light can disrupt and discourage their foraging patterns.
7. Ants on the deck? Slip a few cut up cloves of garlic between the cracks.
8. Liquid peppermint soap, diluted in a squirt bottle will kill them. It will also prevent them from coming back
9. Citrasolve works wonderfully! Just mop or wipe with it and spread it around at entry point. ants will die in house, and won’t come back in again.
10. Ring your house with used coffee grounds and other acidic natural byproducts.
11. Spray bottle with vinegar works too
12. Dr. Bronners peppermint soap,
13. Try Boric Acid. It’s natural, safe and it works. BORIC ACID Is Harmful to Animals. We don’t recommend this if you have pets or wildlife.
14. Peppermint oil–a few drops in a spray bottle of water.
15. Pouring lemon juice around areas ants frequent
16. Baking soda can deter ants – pour a solid line in areas of activity and they won’t cross it.
17. A puree blend of orange peel and water can be applied to an area to discourage ants from crossing.
18. Baby powder stopped them dead in their tracks.
19. Use a piece of chalk to draw a line over trails – again, the ants won’t cross it. Chalk also has the advantage of being able to be used on vertical surfaces
20. original listerine the brown one. full strength and we spray it in there tracks and this kills them. I also find that they do not like the pepermint castile soap.
21. Several readers have had success with using powdered yeast. The ants usually disappear within one day!
22. A few readers wrote in and said they used Bay Leaves.