Introduction

You just set a batch of gooey, sin-fully sweet cookies on your counter for a few minutes, and by the time you come back — ants have called dibs on your cookies!

If this sounds familiar and you hate seeing tiny black dots running around your home, here are my favorite natural chemical-free methods I use to keep ants away from my home.

Why should you keep ants away?

While this is pretty self-evident — I mean who likes seeing ants around their house — ants are more than a pesky nuisance. They are disease vectors.

Most homes usually have the non-biting variety of ants called sugar ants. They’re your little black ants that get into anything sweet. The red ants and fire ants which cause painful bites are usually found outdoors.

As black ants are more common in homes, you need to keep them away from consumables. They can contaminate food and cause serious food poisoning. While ants themselves will not harm you, they are foragers who pick up nasty bacteria and fungi while foraging for food.

Ant feet and mandibles often carry harmful, food poisoning-inducing bacteria such as E.Coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Trust me, you don’t want to get one of these bugs in your system!

How do you keep ants away from your home – naturally?

Conventional ant-repelling powders contain ingredients such as borax, fipronil, avermectin, and indoxacarb which repel or kill ants. But these have been linked to respiratory distress, nausea, skin rashes, and dizziness.

Ditch the harmful insecticides and chemical ant powders by going for a safe, natural, and eco-friendly way to repel ants away from your home.

Here are my top 5 ways to keep ants away without using any chemicals.

1. Ollie’s Ants Off Spray

Ants Off! is a humane ant repellent that will keep ants away in your home. It is made from 3 different essential oils whose scent keeps ants away from your home. If you’re looking for a solution to ants that doesn’t involve spraying insecticides, fogging, or killing the critters — my Ants Off spray is a great option.

The ant-repelling essential oils (sweet orange rind oil, peppermint leaf oil, and tea tree leaf oil) used in this ant spray are food safe, thus making it safe to use around food, on kitchen counters, and even around your kids and pets.

Simply spray on surfaces where you notice ants and leave them on. You will not see ants in the area for several days after spraying and this works even for heavy infestations.

Keep ants away with your own bottle of Ants Off Spray.

2. Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is my go-to for anything insect related. Ants don’t like the smell of tea tree oil.

Add 7-9 drops of tea tree oil to 50ml of alcohol or witch hazel and spray or wipe down the intended surfaces. It works almost immediately and keeps ants away for 1-2 days.

I recommend using only 100% pure Australian Tea Tree Oil because it is a high-potency, insect-repelling oil. It keeps away ants and other bugs from your home and is anti-microbial.

Get your bottle of Australian Tea Tree Oil from my shop

3. Cedarwood Essential Oil

Containers made of cedarwood were often used to store food grains and sweets away from ants in many South Asian cultures.

Cedarwood has strong insect-repelling properties. Cedarwood oil is toxic to ants and applying even a few drops will keep ants away for days!

I like to dab a few drops of Himalayan Cedarwood oil on a wet cloth and wipe kitchen counters with it or make a spray with 4 drops of cedarwood oil and 30ml of witch hazel to sanitize surfaces. It imparts a lovely pine-fresh aroma to your home and keeps it ant-free too!

Oh, and cedarwood oil works against both red and black ants. Order your bottle of Himalayan Cedarwood Oil from here.

4. White Vinegar

If you are still waiting for your ant-repelling essential oils to arrive in the mailbox but need an immediate fix for ants meanwhile, try white vinegar.

The smell repels ants even after it is not detectable by humans. It is safe to use around pets and kids. Use a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water and wipe down surfaces with this mixture.

5. DIY Natural Ant Repellent Spray

If want to make an ant-repelling spray where you know exactly what is inside it, make your own DIY ant-repelling spray.

It takes only 3 ingredients and less than 2 minutes to make.

You need

• 3 drops of Peppermint Oil
• 4 drops of Himalayan Cedarwood Oil
• 3 drops of Lemon Oil
• 50 ml of witch hazel or rubbing alcohol
• A spray bottle

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly and spray on the intended surfaces. Shake well before each use. Voila! Your home is now ant-free.

Fun fact: Lemon oil and peppermint oils are deodorizers — they remove nasty odors from your home. Use this natural ant-repellent spray recipe to keep your kitchen counters clean, ant-free, and smelling wonderfully fresh at the same time!

Keep Ants Away Naturally and Organically

Ants are attracted to sugars and leftover food. An obvious solution to keeping ants away from your kitchen and the rest of your home is to clean up any leftover food and avoid leaving consumables sitting out in the open.

But if you do find ants coming into your house despite keeping it clean, a little extra wipe-down always solves the issue. I created my Ants Off! Spray for health-conscious eco-warriors who want a humane, sustainable, and safe ant repellent.

My Ants Off spray is water-based, so it’s safe to use on most surfaces. It’s 100% natural and plant-based for those who want to choose better for themselves and their family.

Ants off is also kinder to Mama Earth. Each bottle is made with 100% post-consumer plastic. No virgin plastic went into making these bottles, saving up to 3x the energy used in production.

Stay healthy, stay safe, and keep those pesky ants away from your home with Ollie’s Ants Off Spray!