8 Odd Ways to Get Rid of Ants (and Which Ones Work)

There are a lot of claims out there as far as natural pest control remedies go. Over at DIY Life, they decided to put some of them into practice to see which ones were valid. Here are the 3 tried and true methods that DIY Life says actually do the trick:

  1. Dish Liquid and Water Mix: this, they say, is the best method, hands-down. Use 2 tablespoons of dish liquid diluted in a pint of water. Put this solution in a spray bottle and spritz near windows, doors and cracks. It’s very important to just let this sit once you spray it – don’t wipe it away.

    [Wiping] apparently destroys the scent trail that alerts more ants to come on down. Then, spray any roaming ants with this solution to, well, kill them (and okay, then wipe the ants away). It works surprisingly fast.

  2. Cayenne Pepper: the ingredient capsaicin in cayenne pepper is actually an irritant to ants. Sprinkle the pepper around active spots near floorboards to keep the ants at bay.
  3. Baby Powder: cornstarch, which is found in baby powders, is also an irritant to ants. Sprinkle it around active areas and wait for the ants to disappear.

Read about the other methods that DIY Life experimented with over at Testing: 8 Odd Ways to Get Rid of Ants.