DIY Ant Spray

Prep time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: one 8oz bottle
Recipe Info

This DIY Ant Killer is nontoxic, easy to make with 3 household ingredients, and works better than store-bought sprays! Safe to use in a home with kids and pets! If you live in a warm climate, then chances are you’ve dealt with pesky ants. Whether they’re sneaking onto your countertops or terrorizing your garden, ants are major pests super stubborn and hard to get rid of. That’s why this natural ant repellent spray is so amazing— it’s safe, easy, cheap, and it works! Do you have an ant infestation you’re trying to get rid of? Or, maybe you wonder if there are other (more natural) ways to keep the ants from coming back? You are in the right place.

Ingredients:
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons dish liquid
2 Tablespoons baking soda
Water as needed

Instructions:
Combine vinegar, dish liquid, and baking soda in a large bowl and carefully mix to avoid foaming up over the bowl.
Pour mixture into a spray bottle.
Add water as needed to fill the remainder of the bottle.

How to Use Our Homemade Ant Repellent Spray:
Spray on any ants you see, as well as the ants’ trails and surrounding area. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean with a damp rag.
I always spray into the ants’ entry points too: cracks in the floor, windowsills, etc. You can spray and let sit over entry points to keep the ants from coming back.
Clean up any crumbs or food source that may be attracting the ants.
This is such a simple concoction, but it works so well — and it smells nice! Even better, you don’t have to worry about getting harsh chemicals everywhere (definitely a plus in a house with kids and/or pets!)

Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How Long Does the Ant Spray Stay Good?
A: I find that it lasts pretty much indefinitely! I always keep a bottle of my homemade ant spray under the sink, so it’s handy when I need it. I usually go through a bottle in a few weeks or a couple months, so it definitely stays effective for that amount of time. If it’s been a year since you used yours, you may want to mix up a new batch.

Q: How Do I Keep Ants From Coming Back?
A: This depends on the type of ants you’re dealing with. Sugar ants and kitchen ants will usually stay away once you’ve disrupted their scent trail. You also want to make sure that you’ve removed the food source that is attracting them and cleaned the area thoroughly. Fire ants are trickier, because they have a nest somewhere outside. In order to get rid of the colony, you have to kill the queen ant and she is usually hiding deep within their underground mound. Fire ants are extremely common in the part of Texas where we live and they are a horrible pest. I deal with them in a 2-step process: kill any that I see with my spray. I also use fire ant bait on the mound itself to keep them from returning.

Q: Can I Use this Ant Spray in My Garden?
A: Yes, but I always recommend spot-testing first when working around plants. Some plants may be sensitive to the ingredients used and we’re not trying to harm our plants after all! What I usually do in the garden is to spot-kill fire ants with my spray. Then I sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the soil around the plants to protect them from any ants that may return. Keep in mind that many ants are beneficial to your garden as they stir up and aerate the soil. However, fire ants can be destructive, not to mention painful if you accidentally stumble upon them!

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