by Sara W.

Created on: June 27, 2010

How is it that the tiniest household pest can be the most difficult to eradicate? You try and try, but to no avail, to get rid of those pesky ants. You've spent money on all sorts of poisons, sticky traps, and exterminators, and yet the ant horde keeps marching right on into your house. If this describes you, then don't lose hope. Not only can you successfully ward off those annoying ants, but you can also do it in such a way that is safe for you, your family, and your pets.

There's no need to bother with poisons that you have to hide from your pets and children. And there's no need to use smoke bombs that can get into your heating and cooling vents, or worse, all over your household surfaces if you release the smoke bomb inside your house. With natural ant remedies, you don't even have to vacate your home for a day. Not to mention that natural remedies are easy on the budget. Here are a few simple natural remedy tricks to get rid of those ants.

Clean Up!

Ants are looking for food to sustain their colony, and while it doesn't take much to feed them, it also doesn't take but a single crumb on your counter to bring in the whole tribe. If you want to get rid of the ants, you're going to have to play the role of cleaning nazi for the next few weeks. No single dirty dish, empty wrapper, or grain of sugar can be left out. Think about how badly you want to get rid of the ant problem. Surely the frustration of the ants outweighs the annoyance of constant cleaning.

Crushed/Ground Red Pepper

Ants tend to enter around baseboards. As soon as you notice a line of the ants marching in at a certain location, sprinkle a dusting of red pepper along that baseboard. The ants don't like to cross the pepper, obviously because it's hot! With your new cleaning fetish, this might seem counterproductive. Seeing spilled red pepper along the edges of your floor will make you want to sweep and mop! Plus guests will surely question your odd tactic. But don't give in, you won't have to leave the pepper down for long.

Vinegar

While vinegar has countess household uses, probably none are more practical than it's ability to ward off ants. It's perfect for wiping surfaces after food preparation, as it eliminates any odors that might attract ants. It also eliminates the ants' scent trails that they leave for one another. That scent trail is how the ants follow one another as they come and go. Without the trail, their mission is essentially lost! Don't be shy with this powerful liquid, spray it everywhere, even use it to mop your floors!

Start a Compost Pile

What does this have to do with ants? Well, if you throw your food scraps into the trash, it won't take the ants long to invade your garbage. Rather than tossing broken egg shells and melon rinds into the garbage can, take them to a designated place in your yard to begin a compost pile. By doing this, you're killing two birds with one stone! You're removing the last reason for ants to enter your home, and you'll be setting yourself up for a healthy garden.

Now that you're equipped with the know-how to ward off the ants, it's time to get busy. There's no need to expose you or your loved ones to poisons and harmful chemicals. Nature's way is healthier, and you'll feel good about your new habits. Very soon you will be enjoying your clean, ant-free home!

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