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Ants everywhere, how do I get rid of them?

I am not Martha Stewart when it comes to cleaning, but I am far from a slob. I might leave a dish and a glass in the sink over night. I clean up the counters and stove top, leaving nothing out. Yet, every morning when I wake up my sink and kitchen counters are infested with little black ants. I drown them all and clean up the sink, counter, and stove, and with in a few short hours they start coming back. I keep at it a few times during the day just to try and keep them under control, at night when I am sleeping is obvisouly the worst time for them. How can I safely get rid of them, as I have young children and pets? Not to mention, I am on a strick budget, so it has to be affordable.

14 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Clean with Pine Sol. We had ants terribly bad for years and it seemed there was no relief in sight. So I don't know why, but one day I cleaned everything with Pine Sol and that was months ago. NO MORE ANTS.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Get the largest bag of cloves you can find from an ethnic food store.

    Throw cloves all over the house- along entry areas, windows, by the sink, along the floor, behind the fridge, and under or behind the stoves, place a few on shelves and in cupboards and closets....... get it every where.

    Ants hate the smell of cloves, but you cannot smell it, it is mild.

    Hope this helps!

  • 1 decade ago

    I have ants in my bathroom right now. My neighbors' kitchen is right below my bathroom. I think they are actually the problem.

    But I digress.

    I have not been overly impressed with the results, but I have had some success with this gel called Terro. It contains Borax and they hate it. You put a little drop on a piece of paper, and they eat this and eventually stop coming. It takes persistence, but you'll get rid of them in time.

    Also, ants supposedly will not cross a line of chalk.

    Source(s): Thanks to my stupid unclean neighbors, my own home is now an experiment in this same problem.
  • 4 years ago

    Does Pine Sol Kill Ants

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  • 1 decade ago

    Call Orkin, I had an ant investation some years ago (carpenter ants which are black), and they came out and to this day I still have them come out once a month. The guys are skilled, friendly and thorough.

    Call them and see what the rates are for your area, also to keep ants out, make sure you don't have any cracks around your windows, vent fans and that if you have siding, that its nice and tight.

    Good Luck!

  • 1 decade ago

    To kill them, i use Windex! It works like a charm:) But to get rid of them, the only thing I know to tell ya to yse is the little Ant Houses .. They work even though they're not a nice display on the counter!

    Sorry my answer isnt the best!

    Good luck getitng rid of those little buggers!!

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Cayenne pepper, hair spray and diligence. Put the powdered cayenne pepper under your microwave, stove, refrigerator, etc. The ants and other insects hate it. Spray hair spray on the live ones. Do this continually and they will find somewhere else to call home

  • 1 decade ago

    Diatomaceous earth--can find it in garden centers. It looks like a powder, but has lotsa sharp angles that ant's can't walk across b/c it tears them up.

    Try Combat bait traps if the D.e. doesn't work. I've had good luck with those.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Ants become a nuisance when they enter homes. Instead of spending money on costly pest control, you can get rid of ants by removing the food source and using soap water.

    I found the information at http://www.pests.in/ useful.

  • 1 decade ago

    I second the Pinesol. Some in a spray bottle kills them on contact too.

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