Kick pesky ants out of your house and back to their colony with these easy, expert-approved tricks
15 Household Items That Kill Ants Once and for All
Updated on Jul. 14, 2025
Know thy enemy
If you want to get rid of ants, it’s helpful to know what type of ant it is: Different ants require different approaches. “There are about 1,000 species of ants in North America,” says Jody Green, PhD, an urban entomologist at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Luckily, there are only about eight to ten usual suspects in a given area. “[K]nowing the ant helps with determining what its favorite foods are and where it is likely to nest,” Green says. For example, odorous house ants are attracted to sugar, while ants that prefer protein are drawn to meat and grease.
And then there are carpenter ants. These ants aren’t looking for spilled maple syrup. They’re looking for wet, soft, damaged wood to hollow out and make their colonies. “Signs of a carpenter ant problem might include sawdust-like piles on the floor near or under damaged wood, or seeing winged reproductives that resemble wasps,” says Eric Sebring, an associate certified entomologist and pharmaceutical technical services manager with Rentokil-Terminix. While you can deal with many ant species on your own, you’ll likely need an exterminator to get rid of these industrious ants, which can cause serious (and costly) damage to your home.
Keep your home as clean as possible
How do ants know you have food, anyway? They have an extraordinary sense of smell, which they put to good use when they’re foraging and sending scout ants from the nest to search for food. To that scout ant, food is one of the most attractive things in your house. And it only takes one ant to discover a crumb and spread the news through the colony. The big problem is that they leave behind pheromones as they scout. “When they find a new source of food, they gather a piece of it and follow the pheromone trail back to the nest,” explains Sebring. There, the colony investigates the food to determine if it’s a viable food source. If it is, a band of scouts will follow the pheromone trail back to retrieve more.
Cut out the sweets
Don’t worry: You don’t have to give up sugar. But you should make it harder for ants with a sweet tooth to discover the sugar in your pantry or on the countertop. Some ants, like odorous house ants, are drawn to sugar like moths to a flame. Here’s one simple mistake you might be making: snapping the lid shut on a bottle of honey and putting it away without first wiping off the bottle. The leftover honey residue is like an open invitation to sweet-loving ants. And a closed lid on a cardboard cereal box is no deterrent, either, but an airtight container is. Properly storing foods with sugar in them is one of the guaranteed ways to ant-proof your kitchen.
Reduce moisture
Ever spot an ant in the bathroom and wonder how it missed the kitchen? Food isn’t the only thing that attracts ants to our homes. Ants also need water for survival. “It’s also why you may see ants in your home even in periods of extremely dry weather or drought,” says Sebring. “They are on the hunt for moisture, and because it is dry outside, your home may offer an oasis for them.” Moisture collects in areas like rotting window ledges and stagnant water from leaks. Eliminate those trouble spots, and run the bathroom exhaust fan or use a portable dehumidifier to reduce humidity.
Lay a trap
This may be what you had in mind in terms of household items that kill ants, and ant baits do work on the most common species you’ll encounter. That said, traps don’t work on all ants. “They work based on the palatability and attractiveness of the bait, so knowing the ant and their feeding preference can really help when it comes to the control strategy,” says Green. For example, carpenter ants will give ant baits the brush-off because most store-bought options are sugar-based, and they prefer protein. When it comes to success, location is everything. Green recommends placing baits as close to the nest as possible so ants don’t even make it to your kitchen counter.
Spray the ant trail
It’s tempting to start squishing ants as soon as you see them, but the pheromones they leave behind are easily picked up by another member of the colony. The abundance of pheromone trails makes it difficult to get rid of ants … but not impossible. This is where regular household items that kill ants can really shine. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water or lemon juice and water. “Spraying a solution of vinegar and water or lemon juice and water on an area where you see ants can disrupt their pheromone trail and make it harder for ants to find their way back,” says Sebring. Be sure to remove the food source before spraying for the best results, and keep countertops, floors and other surfaces clean.
Use baby powder in ant hot spots
Ants aren’t keen on the soft touch of baby powder, and sprinkling it in areas where ants frequent will discourage them from revisiting their common hangouts. “Ants don’t like to cross the powder and get it on their bodies,” says Sebring.
Sprinkle cinnamon in problem areas
Cinnamon has been touted as a natural ant repellent. Scientific research backs up the claims, but the study that looked at this technique used highly concentrated cinnamon essential oil. Sebring cautions that household cinnamon probably doesn’t have a great enough concentration to be truly effective, but he says it’s worth a shot. Sprinkle cinnamon on the areas where you have seen ants, or saturate cotton balls with cinnamon essential oil and use them to wipe down known trails and entry spots. But a word of caution: Essential oils can strip paint and stain surfaces, so test how your floor reacts in an inconspicuous area before you use it everywhere.
Use peppermint and clove essential oils
Studies have shown that peppermint oil can work as a natural solution for a number of pest problems, including ants. “Spraying peppermint oil can deter ants from coming into your home, and if you spray it directly on ants, it can kill them,” says Sebring. Other research indicates that clove essential oil can successfully kill red fire ants. Of course, the fewer chemicals you use in your home, the better, so these household items that kill ants are definitely worth a try.
Spray a pyrethrin barrier
If you prefer to use store-bought ant repellents, Sebring says the most effective ones contain pyrethrin. “There are multiple pyrethrin products that could be listed on an ingredient label, so look for products with ingredients that end with ‘thrin,’ such as bifenthrin and cypermethrin,” he explains. Look for an indoor/outdoor ant repellent that has a spray and trigger function, so that you can create a protective repellent barrier in large areas or in tight spots. Since ants aren’t your only potential concern, these repellents will also take care of other sneaky pests in your home.
Proceed with caution outside
You don’t have to destroy every anthill you see outside your house to keep the little buggers from coming inside. Green notes that ants are scavengers and decomposers, and they actually do beneficial things like prey on other insect pests and drag them away. If you do want to get rid of an ant mound, proceed with caution if you don’t know the species, Sebring says. A larger mound may indicate a fire ant problem, and attempts to get rid of it could result in ants swarming out of the nest to inflict painful stings. Fire ant attacks can be extremely dangerous and even cause anaphylactic shock, which can be deadly.
Attack with soap and water
Talk about household items that kill ants! Good ol’ dish soap and water packs a powerful punch, especially in your garden area. Sebring says to pour one part dishwashing soap and three parts water in a bucket. Pour the mixture directly into the opening of the mound. “The water will drown the ants, while the soap will coat them so they suffocate,” he says.
Seal up the ant mound
To stop up a mound opening, all you need is some basic Elmer’s glue. Pouring it into the opening of the nest will force the ants to go elsewhere. Just be forewarned that “elsewhere” could be somewhere else in your yard, or somewhere closer to your home, Sebring says, so use this household item that kills ants judiciously.
Evaporate ’em
Agricultural diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring substance nontoxic pesticide that eradicates insects, including ants. It’s essentially made from dead algae that contains microscopic particles with sharp and jagged edges. While it feels soft and powdery to us, it’s the opposite to ants. “The diatomaceous earth cuts the ant’s cuticle and results in desiccation,” says Sebring. For the best results, sprinkle it around the base of the mound. As ants leave the nest to cross the barrier, they will come into contact with the diatomaceous earth and eventually die.
Seal up even the tiniest spaces
Keep the ants from marching in by excluding them from all possible entryways. “Many times, ants will come up through cracks in the slab or by way of the expansion joint, so sealing those cracks will help keep them out of our living spaces,” Green says. “As for access points, doors and windows are common because there are often gaps and places that have lighting, joints, and cracks and crevices.” And don’t forget sealing around kitchen windows, outlets, garage expansion joints, weep holes and any areas with moisture damage.
Call an exterminator
“Ant species identification is critical to implementing effective control measures. Finding the nest is also imperative. Both of these can be tough to do without the help of a professional,” says Sebring. If you see more ants after trying the above suggestions, it may be time to call in an exterminator to identify the species and help you get rid of those pesky ants once and for all. Look for exterminators who use an integrated pest management method, which is an approach to pest control that minimizes the risk to people, pets, and the environment.
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Sources:
- Jody Green, board certified entomologist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Eric Sebring, pharmaceutical technical services manager at Rentokil-Terminix
- International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications: “Extraction and Potential of Cinnamon Essential Oil towards Repellency and Insecticidal Activity”
- Journal of Economic Entomology: “Toxicity and repellency of compounds from clove (Syzygium aromaticum) to red imported fire ants Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)”
- Cornell University Library: “Integrated Pest Management – Peppermint & Peppermint Oil Profile”
