How to Get Rid of Ants Permanently Inside

Last updated on April 30, 2025

Learn simple methods to banish ants from your home for good.

Tired of playing hotel host to the entire ant kingdom? It’s time to evict those tiny intruders and win back your home! From finding their sneaky doorways to serving them their least favorite concoctions, this guide has you covered with every trick in the book. By the time you’re done reading, ants will bid farewell faster than you can say “picnic.” Ready to declare victory? Let’s get started on escorting those ants out the door—permanently!

Key takeaways:

Identify and seal entry points thoroughly.
Maintain a clean and tidy environment.
Use diatomaceous earth for effective deterrence.
Employ borax and sugar for homemade traps.
Remove ant trails to disrupt their navigation.

What's Inside

Identify and Seal Entry Points

Ants are the sneaky ninjas of the insect world, so finding where they’re getting in is key. Start by playing detective. Grab a flashlight and follow their trail. It’s like a treasure hunt minus the treasure, but with equally rewarding results.

Check window frames, door gaps, and small cracks in the walls. These are prime ant entry zones. Even tiny openings can be grand entrances for these tiny invaders. Caulk, weather stripping, and sealant are your best friends in this scenario. Seal those cracks tighter than the lid on a pickle jar.

Don’t forget vents and utility pipes. They may look innocent, but ants see them as the grand highway of opportunities. Use fine mesh screens to block these paths. If you were an ant, you’d give up on your journey and think about retiring early.

And remember, even the tiniest hole is a welcome mat for ants. Consider this your home improvement “escape room” challenge—only you know the escape involves no ants sneaking in!

Maintain a Clean Environment

Crumbs, spills, and little treats—oh, my! These are the red carpets rolled out for ants. First things first, pick up crumbs as if they’re valuable currency. Seriously, every speck counts.

Wipe down surfaces. Get that cloth, and battle those sticky residues. Ants love a good sugar high, so don’t give them a chance.

Seal food containers like they’re holding a secret potion. Tight lids keep the ants guessing.

Sweep and vacuum regularly. This isn’t just adulting 101; it’s ant prevention 101.

Don’t forget the trash! Empty it often. Think of it as sending an eviction notice to potential ant invaders.

A clean environment is an unhappy one for ants. So tidy up, and watch them pack their bags.

Use Diatomaceous Earth

If ants are the uninvited guests crashing your crumbs party, diatomaceous earth is your bouncer. This natural powder is made from fossilized algae remnants and is as safe as using powdered sugar on your pancakes, but much less tempting.

Why does this work wonders? Ants that decide to waltz across this fine powder end up with dry skin—though not in the need-a-moisturizer way. It dehydrates them, giving your kitchen a break from their impromptu gatherings.

To wield this mighty dust:
Dust lightly in areas where you’ve noticed ant traffic. Think of it as a tiny invisible moat they dare not cross.
Focus on areas like windowsills, door jambs, and along baseboards. It’s like spreading a welcome mat for them, except less “welcome” and more “beware.”
Use food-grade diatomaceous earth, just in case your pets decide to perform taste tests. Non-toxic for the fur family, lethal for ants.

Remember to keep it dry. If it gets wet, you’ll need to reapply. A small hiccup for such a tiny hero.

Implement Borax and Sugar Mixture

Here’s a recipe ants can’t resist: a sweet feast with a secret kick!

Whip up a potent mixture using one part Borax and three parts sugar. The sugar lures them in, while the Borax does the dirty work, disrupting their digestive systems. It’s like inviting ants to their own disappearing act.

Mix this concoction with a bit of water to create a paste. Then, place the gooey goodness on small pieces of cardboard or in low-traffic areas where you’ve noticed ant activity. Think hidden corners or under appliances.

Bored with plain sugar? Add honey or syrup instead for that gourmet flair. Ants with refined taste will thank you—briefly.

Patience is key. Allow a few days for the workers to carry the goodies back to the queen and her entourage. With luck, it’s curtains for the whole colony.

Keep it live, laugh, and lure-free after a few solid weeks. Here’s hoping it’s goodbye, ants!

Apply Essential Oils

Ah, essential oils—a fragrant way to send ants packing! Think of it as aromatherapy for your home, just not the kind ants enjoy. These little critters can’t stand certain scents, which is great news for you and your ant-free aspirations.

Peppermint oil is a strong contender in the anti-ant arsenal. A few drops around entry points will have ants second-guessing their life choices. It’s like posting a “no trespassing” sign, but with a minty twist.

Then there’s tea tree oil, which has the added benefit of making your house smell like a spa retreat. This oil does more than just relax your senses; it disrupts the ants’ communication, causing chaos in ant-ville.

Citrus oils like lemon or orange don’t just smell zesty and fresh; they mess with ants’ pheromones. Spray some around windowsills and door frames for a citrusy blockade.

Lavender oil is another delightful option, keeping everything peaceful except for the ants’ nerves. It’s like residential warfare with a hint of zen.

Mix a few drops of your chosen oil with some water in a spray bottle, give it a good shake, and off you go! Spritz away and watch those ants take a hike. Just remember, while these oils smell heavenly, ants think they’re a nightmare. You’ve got an aromatic victory in your grasp.

Utilize Vinegar Solutions

Ants are not fans of vinegar. In fact, they’re probably forming a club against it as we speak. Here’s how to give them a sour surprise:

Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. This simple concoction is your new best friend. Splash it around ant entry points, kitchen counters, and any spots you’ve found the critters congregating. It’s like a gentle eviction notice, without the paperwork.

Wipe surfaces regularly with this vinegar solution. Not only does it help banish ants, but it leaves your countertops sparkling. Bonus: it’s also effective at masking unseen pheromone trails that ants follow like tiny, determined tourists.

For those particularly pesky spots, opt for a stronger dose of vinegar. Leave out a small dish near entry points; its strong scent will deter ants from casting aside their tiny suitcases and settling in.

Feel free to experiment with apple cider vinegar for those particularly posh ants. Maybe they prefer a variety of vinegar in their lives—though probably not enough to stick around your kitchen. Keeping ants away and making everything smell like a salad, one spray at a time.

Employ Homemade Ant Traps

Ah, the art of crafting homemade ant traps. It’s not as complicated as building a spaceship, promise! Here’s how you can tackle it like a pro:

First, a simple sugar and borax trap works wonders. Mix one part borax with three parts sugar. Ants are sweet enthusiasts, not unlike your Aunt Patty with her cookie addiction. They’ll carry this mix back to their colony, leading to its downfall.

Or, try peanut butter and borax. Because hey, ants love peanut butter too, just like your dog when the treat jar opens. Mix equal parts and spread it on a small piece of cardboard. Wait for the ant drama to unfold.

For a liquid lure, combine equal parts of honey (or syrup) and borax. Place this sticky delight on a shallow dish. Ants will flock to it faster than kids to an ice-cream truck.

Remember, no need to spend a fortune on exterminators when you can outsmart the ants with kitchen staples. Happy trapping!

Leverage Baking Soda

Let’s face it, baking soda isn’t just for making cookies rise or freshening up the fridge. Ants have a love-hate relationship with it. Here’s how it can help us win this battle:

First things first, mix equal parts baking soda and sugar. Ants are sweet-toothed wanderers, and sugar is their siren song. They’ll munch on this combo as if it’s a buffet.

Now, you probably guessed it, the baking soda is the secret sauce here. Once the ants consume the mixture, it disrupts their internal cooking, if you catch my drift. Not a pretty end for them, but effective for us.

Sprinkle this concoction in ant hotspots. Pay extra attention to those little nooks and crevices where they love making home bases.

Finally, keep kids and pets away from these sprinkled areas. We want to keep the chaos contained to only one species, after all.

Ants’ party? Over. And you, my friend, are now the proud owner of an ant-free, peaceful home sanctuary.

Remove Ant Trails

Ants love their road trips, but let’s be the highway patrol here!

Grab a mixture of vinegar and water, 50/50, and get wiping. Ants leave behind a pheromone trail for their buddies to follow like a neon sign pointing to the buffet. Erase that invitation!

Regular soap and water are a dynamic duo for this job as well. Plus, you’ll have clean floors—two victories with one swipe.

Check under appliances and corners where trails might loop-de-loop creatively. Ants might have joined a gymnastics team with the paths they carve out.

Invest in a mild detergent solution for stubborn trails. Ants think they’ve hidden them well, but who’s the real mastermind here?

By keeping corridors clear, you drive home the message: party’s over, ants. Move along, folks; nothing to see here!

Optimize Food Storage

You know what’s not an all-you-can-eat ant buffet? Your kitchen! Start by transferring pantry essentials into airtight containers. Crumbs and spills are like glitter; they spread everywhere and attract everything. Well, more like everything in the form of ants. Seal the snacks, pasta, and cereal to keep these uninvited insects away.

And speaking of glitter… er, ant glitter, never leave pet food out overnight. To Fido and Whiskers, it’s a meal; to ants, it’s a rave party. Consider elevated feeding stations or store pet kibble in tightly sealed containers.

Finally, check those countertops and sweep the floors. Ants are tiny, but their party plans are larger than life. Don’t let them RSVP with your leftover crumbs.