How to Get Rid of Ants Fast—and Keep Them from Coming Back
If you've ever walked into your kitchen and found a tiny parade of ants marching along your baseboards, you're not alone. Ants are one of the most common household invaders, and once they find something they like—usually sugar or moisture—they’re sending group texts to every ant in the neighborhood.
But here’s the good news: you can absolutely deal with ants without turning your home into a chemical war zone. This guide is packed with real, effective strategies that explain why ants show up, how to get rid of them using natural and low-toxicity methods, and how to keep them from coming back.
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Why Ants Are Showing Up at Your House
Ants aren’t out to ruin your life—they’re just looking for three things: food, water, and shelter. If they find even a crumb or a drop of moisture, they’ll tell all their friends.
Food & Scent Trails
Ants have an incredible sense of smell—some can detect food from several feet away. Once a scout finds a food source, it leaves a pheromone trail for others to follow. This is how a few ants turn into a full-blown trail. They’re especially into sugary and greasy stuff, but even things like toothpaste and soap residue can attract them.
Moisture
Bathrooms and kitchens are prime real estate for ants. Why? Because they’re often humid and have hidden water sources. A tiny leak under the sink or a little condensation around a pipe is basically a hydration station for thirsty ants. Species like odorous house ants and carpenter ants especially love damp, tucked-away places to set up shop.
Tiny Entry Points
Ants can sneak through the tiniest cracks—gaps in window frames, door thresholds, or even around electrical outlets. They’ll also trail along plumbing and electrical lines, using them like ant superhighways.
Home Attractants
Unsealed sugar, syrup bottles with sticky drips, a banana left too long on the counter, pet food in an open dish, or an overflowing trash can—these are all invitations to ants. And get this: some ants even "farm" aphids on your houseplants, collecting the sweet honeydew aphids produce. If they’re feeding their colony, your home becomes their grocery store.
Natural Ant Solutions That Actually Work
Forget harsh sprays. Here are some gentler, just-as-effective options backed by science and years of trial-and-error from other homeowners.
White Vinegar
Vinegar doesn’t just clean—it disrupts the ants' scent trails. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and go to town on your countertops, floors, window sills, and any place you’ve seen ants. Ants rely on those invisible trails to communicate. Remove the trail, and you cut off their communication.
Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) looks like flour but acts like razor blades to ants. Made from fossilized algae, it dries out ants by damaging their exoskeletons. It’s non-toxic to people and pets (as long as it’s food-grade), but deadly to insects. Sprinkle it under the fridge, around windows, or anywhere ants might walk. Just make sure to wear a mask when applying as you don’t want to inhale its sharp small particles. Bonus: it also works on fleas and other pests.
Borax Sugar Bait
This one’s old-school and powerful. Mix ½ tsp of borax with 8 tsp of sugar in warm water, soak cotton balls in it, and set them near ant trails. The sugar lures them in, the borax takes them out—slowly, which is good because they carry it back to the colony and share it. You may see a surge in ants at first—don’t panic, it means it’s working.
Baking Soda + Sugar
This combo won’t wipe out a massive colony, but for smaller infestations, it messes with the ants’ digestive systems. Equal parts sugar and baking soda, placed near trails, can help keep things under control.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, which repels and even suffocates ants. Sprinkle a line across entry points or use the essential oil version on cotton balls. It’s safe, smells amazing, and ants hate it. Just refresh it every few days to keep the scent strong.
Peppermint Oil
In a 2020 study, peppermint oil disrupted ants’ ability to communicate. Mix 10–20 drops of peppermint essential oil with water in a spray bottle and apply it to baseboards, corners, and cracks. It’s like turning your home into an ant repellent zone. Just be cautious with pets—especially cats.
Citrus Peels and Lemon Juice
Lemon juice breaks down scent trails, and the oils in citrus peels (d-limonene) can actually kill ants on contact. Use lemon juice as a natural cleaner, or toss citrus peels along windows or near entry points. Plus, it smells a lot better than bug spray.
Other Handy Helpers:
Bay leaves: The strong smell keeps ants (and pantry pests) away.
Black/cayenne pepper: Ants don’t like the strong scent.
Chalk/baby powder: It interferes with their scent-tracking. Not a long-term solution, but good in a pinch.
Physically Keep Ants Out
Seal the Cracks
Ants can squeeze through gaps that are basically invisible to us. Check around windows, under sinks, behind appliances, and especially where utilities come in. Use caulk or weatherproof sealant to close them up.
Fix Doors and Screens
Worn-out weather stripping? Gaps under doors? Time to upgrade. Even a draft is big enough for ants to get through. Also, make sure window screens are intact and vents are properly covered.
Block Active Trails
Clean trails with soapy water (or vinegar), then lay down a barrier like petroleum jelly or DE to stop new ants. Sticky tape around the legs of tables or pet dishes can catch them mid-commute.
Use Airtight Containers
Think your cereal box is safe because it folds shut? Think again. Ants can sneak into cardboard and flimsy packaging. Use sealed containers for all food, including pet food. Even wiping down sticky jars (like honey or syrup) helps.
Outdoor & Garden Ant Control
Beneficial Nematodes
These microscopic worms are tiny garden warriors. They kill ants from the ground up by infecting larvae with bacteria. It takes a few weeks, but it works—especially on ant hills in your lawn.
Deal With Aphids
Ants love aphids because they produce sugary honeydew. If you see ants crawling all over a plant, check for these pests. Knock aphids off with water, spray with neem oil, or introduce ladybugs.
RELATED: Battling Aphids: 3 Popular Solutions That Just Don't Cut It and 1 Simple Solution That Works
Yard Cleanup Tips
Keep mulch 6–12 inches away from the house.
Prune shrubs so they don’t touch your siding.
Fix leaky faucets and hoses.
Elevate firewood off the ground and store it away from your home.
Pick up fallen fruit—it’s basically ant candy.
Moat-Style Barriers
Placing plant pots or pet food bowls in shallow dishes of water creates a no-crossing zone. Ants can’t swim.
Boiling Water
Pour 2–3 gallons of boiling water directly into outdoor mounds. It’s cheap, fast, and chemical-free. It may take a couple of tries, but it’s effective—just don’t pour it near prized plants.
When You Might Need Store-Bought Help
Sometimes, even after you've cleaned every crumb, sealed every crack, and tried every cinnamon-and-vinegar trick in the book, the ants just won’t quit. If your infestation is getting out of hand—or you’re dealing with tough species like pharaoh ants or carpenter ants—it might be time to bring in some extra reinforcements. The goal here isn’t to give up on natural solutions, but to combine them with targeted products that wipe out the colony without turning your home into a chemical fog zone.
Let’s walk through how to use store-bought solutions the smart way:
Focus on Baits—Not Sprays
Most of us reach for a can of spray when we see ants, but sprays only kill the ants you can see. The real problem is the colony—and unless the queen is gone, the ants will be back. Baits are a smarter approach. They're laced with slow-acting ingredients that ants carry back to the nest and feed to others, including the queen. Within days, the whole colony starts to collapse.
Where and How to Use Bait Stations
Look for areas with heavy traffic—under sinks, behind appliances, along baseboards—and place bait stations there. Avoid cleaning the area around them with strong cleaners right away. You want the ants to find the bait easily and take it back to the nest. If one type of bait doesn’t work after a few days, try switching formulas—ants can be surprisingly picky.
When to Try Gel Baits
Gel baits come in tubes and let you apply a small amount into crevices, cracks, or corners. They’re great for discreet treatment and can reach ants that are nesting in hard-to-access areas like wall voids or behind cabinets.
Low-Toxicity Ingredients to Look For
Many effective baits are formulated with borax or boric acid, which are both naturally occurring compounds that are deadly to ants but safer than broad-spectrum insecticides. Other ingredients like Spinosad and abamectin are low-toxicity options often used in organic gardening and still pack a punch against ant colonies.
Outdoor Baiting: Set Up a Perimeter
If ants are coming from your yard or garden, place granular bait or bait stakes around your home’s perimeter. Focus on spots near cracks, entry points, and known nests. For fire ants, look for specialty baits designed specifically for them. These baits may take a few days to kick in, but they work by targeting the whole mound from the inside.
And If All Else Fails...
Call in a pro. If you have carpenter ants in your walls or a massive infestation, it might take a pest control expert to find and eliminate the hidden nest.
Ant control doesn’t have to mean covering your house in chemicals. Start by making your home less appealing—clean, dry, and sealed. Use smart, safe solutions that interrupt their plans without putting your health at risk.
Stay consistent. Keep up your defenses even after the ants are gone. And remember: a crumb to you is a feast to them. You got this!
