When I was growing up during the warm summer months my grandma's kitchen would be filled with ants. Each morning we would wake up to ants around the sink, on the counters, and crawling up the cupboards.
One day she hired a person to come to the house to spray for the ants. Afterwards, we couldn't use the kitchen for several hours and had to disinfect the countertops and sink area. After the spraying my grandmother took sick. The smell of the spray was toxic to her and put her in the hospital for a few days.
During this time I needed to clean the kitchen and try to air out the home so she could return. I decided to clean the windows in the kitchen. I noticed that we had ants again. The spay they used didn't stop the ants in the kitchen or garden.
When I was cleaning the windows I decided to spray the ants with Windex. I saw the ants dying off quickly. For the next week we didn't have a single ant in our kitchen. When the ants returned a few weeks later I sprayed them again with Windex. This seemed to be the perfect solution to control the ants in the kitchen.
Windex was't harmful to my grandmother and the ammonia in the Windex was perfect for cleaning the kitchen. We used Windex on the stove and refrigerator to clean the stovetop and outside of the refrigerator. Now we used Windex on the counter, around the baseboards, and sink area. We no longer had ants in our home.
Years ago we didn't have Internet, home remedies, or other solutions to control ants. When we had an ant problem we just took out the bottle of Windex and sprayed the kitchen.
Today I still use Windex or another brand of window cleaner to control ants in my home. I guess some old tricks stick with us through the years.
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Vinegar works really well, too.
Ants won't go near cinnamon so I sprinkle a little in the windowsills and around in areas where I don't want them. They do not return until you clean up the cinnamon.
I have not had ants since I moved. I put diatomaceous earth around the outside. My window cleaner is home made, but I am sure it would work fine as well.
To get rid of ants, you have to kill the queen. We buy those ant houses that you put out. The workers will carry the poison back to the others and they all die together.
An exterminator said to put your used but unwashed jelly, jam and other sugar containing items outside near ant's access and they will clean those up and stay out of the house, works for us. I keep them hidden behind a decorative item. They will clean up those with regular sugar first and if desperate will clean out those with corn syrup. I have only had ants since if I forget to put the jars out in the spring. Saves the ants a long walk, lol.
I like your method, since everybody goes home happy. I have ants on my kitchen counter every morning, too...and cats all over my floor, all looking for food.
THEY DROWN as we spray them.
They leave a pheromone trail so they can stay on path together. I'm trying to find out if anything can wipe out the scent for good . The LIQUID cleaner I spray doesn't seem to cover up or kill the pheromones permanently as they seem to come back quite quickly.
Any suggestions?
I like the idea of cinnamon. Think I'll try that.
Mind you,I live in an infested property.
They are in the walls, the pipes, everywhere.
I too use winded, had remodeled kitchen,new flooring, counter tops etc. Didn't want to use anything harsh, winded has always worked for me !!!
The very best ant recipe is [in my case at least] cinnamon, sugar, and borax. 1/4 teaspoon borax, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix all 3 together in a sandwich sized zip top bag. LABEL ant/roach stuff and what it contains. Cinnamon KILLS the roaches 100% BUT they will not eat plain cinnamon. Boric acid KILLS ants but again they will not eat plain borax. Adding the sugar will draw them to the spot where you have placed the mixture. I have never had a rush of roaches coming in from the outside.
We had ants just once when I was young. My mother put stick of wrapped spearmint gum along counter. Or along inside pantry. I do that now as an adult. Have never ever had ants after that trick. And bay leaf in the flour. Never any bugs in our house.
Windex is great for many things, including ant control. Windex will also help you get a stuck ring off your finger; of course this will not work if the ring must be cut off. Bleach water is also a great ant repellant. I spray my bathroom and kitchen counters with bleach water and the ants stay away.
Hey, I like the idea of trying to "lure" them away from my property. Maybe I can get some jam, etc. and move them across the road from me? Who knows, maybe my neighbours like ants... Thanks for all of your good ideas...can't wait to try them.
My comment is not about ants but about Windex. Not so long after we moved into our new home, I spilled about half a bottle of dark brownish wine nail polish on light beige carpet. Panicking, I grabbed a bottle of polish remover and paper towels. I poured the entire bottle out and started to try to get it up with the paper towels. Then I had a circle about 18 inches in diameter, bright wine colored. I ran and googled what to do and was told to use Windex! Windex? Yes.....I had my doubts. I grabbed a bottle, sprayed the big circle and started wiping. In about five minutes there was no sign of the terrible mess I had made. I would not have believed it but I saw it myself. I am now never without it!
I tried the Windex tip last summer when I was fighting little ants like crazy. It killed the ants...but they came right back later. The only good thing was...my countertops were nice and clean! I am just so not looking forward to another summer of ant infestation. And putting poison around is not possible .. I have asthma and it really irritates my lungs.
I have had good luck with eucalyptus oil. The ants seem to avoid it entirely. This last weekend, I didn't have any eucalyptus, but I did have a large bottle of sesame oil that I can't seem to use up. I decided to try it and it worked as well. This is just a deterrent though. Once the oil is cleaned up, the ants will come back quickly.
I have had very good luck with the Terro ant bait traps. There is no poison to get your lungs, just boric acid to kill the ants.
Good luck!
The best thing to get rid of ants is cornmeal the kind you make cornbread .........
I appreciate this! I have a feeling the vinegar someone suggested will help, too--another great glass cleaner! I just had a big attack and used a spray that has been incredibly effective for all types of invasions. But I would much prefer something far less toxic for actual countertops. I'll give Windex--and vinegar--a try from now on!
I appreciate this! I have a feeling the vinegar someone suggested will help, too--another great glass cleaner! I just had a big attack and used a spray that has been incredibly effective for all types of invasions. But I would much prefer something far less toxic for actual countertops. I'll give Windex--and vinegar--a try from now on!
For what it's worth, I woke up to ants all under my kitchen sink at 6AM today, and in an effort to find a solution I had on hand, I tried vinegar. Both a 50/50 water vinegar solution, and straight vinegar. Supposedly spraying with vinegar will kill them instantly. Untrue. At least for the little black ants. Also? I cleaned up the area and wiped it down with pure white vinegar because supposedly they won't go near it due to being able to smell it long after we can.. yeah, didn't stop them at all. The only thing I have found thus far that kills them and deters (to some degree) in the moment is peppermint essential oil. But I'm going to buy a pack of spearmint gum and put a piece under the sink and in the pantry cabinets (advise in this thread). Worst case scenario, I waste a dollar. Ants are truly a nightmare. I think the only thing you can really do is to buy the traps that the can get into, and hope it kills them off.
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