The best way to get rid of ants is to prevent them in the first place

by Jen (April 14, 2008)

Everybody’s got a tip for getting rid of ants cheaply, greenly, safely for kids and effectively, but hands down the best thing you can do is: clean up spills.

Ants are attracted to food (hey, who isn’t?). They’ll rarely come indoors unless you’ve got something edible laying around where they can get to it. Sugary stuff - including natural sugars - is their favorite.

To prevent ant infestations;

• Clean up spills ASAP.
• Don’t leave food, especially sweet stuff, laying around where it’s exposed to air. Check containers and snack bags to make sure they’re really closed.
• Teach any kids in the household to alert you immediately when they spill something instead of trying to hide it - the sooner you clean up a potential stain, the easier it is to get it all out, and the less headache you’ll have later. This means you’re going to have to be patient when your kids come and interrupt what you’re doing to announce they’ve spilled a quart of grape Kool-Aid on the carpet. Just keep telling yourself: it’s better to be hassled now than to find it later, dried, gooey, and thoroughly sunk into the fiber and maybe even the padding beneath. Ugh.

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Posted in Do It Yourself, Frugal, Going Green
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