Keep pests at bay with this DIY ant spray! Ants can become a nuisance in your home, but many commercial ant repellants can also contain unwelcome ingredients. Store-bought insect repellants can contain toxins and chemicals that are harmful to you, your kids, and your pets! With essential oils, you can make an all-natural spray that repels ants and keeps your home healthy! Several essential oils repel ants effectively because they give off a fragrance that ants hate but humans find pleasing. So that’s another added benefit to ant sprays made with essential oils – they leave your home smelling nice to everyone but the ants!
Which essential oils deter ants?
Cedarwood – Cedarwood’s strong aroma is particularly disorienting and displeasing to ants (including fire ants!) but it is a soothing scent for any room in your home!
Peppermint – The high menthol content that naturally occurs in peppermint essential oil is a deterrent to ants. But the scent is energizing to humans!
Lemongrass – Lemongrass contains a high percentage of citronellal which helps cover up the trail that ants leave to locate and return to a food source. Using lemongrass as an ant repellant confuses ants searching for food and makes your home smell dreamy at the same time!
DIY Ant Spray
Once you know the essential oils that deter ants the most, you can make your own DIY ant spray! It’s easy, and safe to use on most surfaces.
Ingredients:
- 15 drops of Peppermint essential oil
- 15 drops of Cedarwood essential oil
- 15 drops of Lemongrass essential oil
- ¼ cup of unflavored vodka or distilled alcohol
- ¼ cup of distilled water
- 5-ounce spray bottle
Directions:
- Add all the ingredients to the spray bottle and shake well to mix.
- Your DIY ant spray is ready to use! Make sure to shake it well before each use!
- Spray wherever you’ve seen ants entering and exiting your home – window sills, doorways, kitchen cabinets, and under sinks. Think about other areas where ants might have access to your home and spray in those areas as a preventive measure. Spray three times daily until the ants have disappeared.