3-Ingredient DIY Ant Spray
This DIY Ant Killer is nontoxic, easy to make with 3 household ingredients, and works better than store-bought sprays! Safe to use in a home with kids and pets!
DIY Ant Killer (That Works!)
If you live in a warm climate, then chances are you’ve dealt with pesky ants. Whether they’re sneaking onto your countertops or terrorizing your garden, ants are major pests super stubborn and hard to get rid of.
That’s why this natural ant repellent spray is so amazing— it’s safe, easy, cheap, and IT WORKS!
Do you have an ant infestation you’re trying to get rid of? Or, maybe you wonder if there are other (more natural) ways to keep the ants from coming back? You are in the right place.
Here’s how I came to create this natural ant killer…
Last Valentine’s Day, an army of ants invaded our bedroom. A small box of candy had fallen behind one of our nightstands, unnoticed, and by the time we figured out what the ants were after, they were well settled into their path.
I tried all sorts of things to get rid of them, from home remedies, to bleach to strong commercial cleaning sprays, but they always came back. Then I did a little research for natural remedies and put them together in a spray bottle.
The best part about this ant killer recipe is that it is safe to use around kids and pets (unlike a lot of the toxic store-bought varieties or other DIY recipes that use borax or boric acid).
Related: Be sure to try our all-natural Soothing Homemade Itch Relief Spray for Bug Bites too!
What real-life readers have to say about our homemade ant spray:
“Worked almost instantly!” – MH
“It worked for us and was safe for my dog.” – TL
“Sprayed it outside on the deck and so far the ants are gone.” – FS
“I tried this and it really worked! Thanks for suggesting it!” – FR
“I just used it and it works GREAT!!! The ants DO NOT like it at all!” – NF
Note: One of the most common reader questions I’ve gotten from this post is “what about roaches?!” Here in the south, roaches are a thing, whether or not you have a messy house! That definitely came as a shock, but you can do things to keep those yucky roaches in check. Try our new 2-ingredient natural homemade roach killer too!
Ingredients
For your convenience, I’ve provided shop-able ad links to products used to make this natural ant repellent spray; read our disclosure policy here.
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons liquid dish soap
- 2 Tablespoons baking soda
- Water, as needed
Instructions
One of the most common household pest problems is ants. Learn how to quickly solve an ant problem with just a few common ingredients!
- Combine vinegar, dish liquid, and baking soda powder in a large bowl and stir gently. Pour mixture into an industrial spray bottle. Add water as needed to fill the remainder of the bottle.
- Make sure you mix this ant repellent spray over the sink — when you add baking soda to vinegar it creates a lot of foam! I add ingredients slowly, allowing foam to settle before adding more. (Kind of like pouring soda over ice).
- We use a large industrial spray bottle because they don’t clog and they last longer than the cheapie bottles. I can’t even tell you how many cheap plastic bottles I’ve thrown away in the past. The industrial bottles last for years though! Make sure that the foam has completely settled before securing the bottle’s lid.
A printable copy of our non-toxic ant killer recipe is available at the bottom of the post.
How to Use Our Homemade Ant Repellent Spray
- Spray on any ants you see, as well as the ants’ trails and surrounding area. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean with a damp rag.
- I always spray into the ants’ entry points too: cracks in the floor, windowsills, etc. You can spray and let sit over entry points to keep the ants from coming back.
- Clean up any crumbs or food source that may be attracting the ants.
This is such a simple concoction, but it works so well — and it smells nice! Even better, you don’t have to worry about getting harsh chemicals everywhere (definitely a plus in a house with kids and/or pets!)
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does the Ant Spray Stay Good?
I find that it lasts pretty much indefinitely! I always keep a bottle of my homemade ant spray under the sink, so it’s handy when I need it. I usually go through a bottle in a few weeks or a couple months, so it definitely stays effective for that amount of time. If it’s been a year since you used yours, you may want to mix up a new batch.
How Do I Keep Ants From Coming Back?
This depends on the type of ants you’re dealing with. Sugar ants and kitchen ants will usually stay away once you’ve disrupted their scent trail. You also want to make sure that you’ve removed the food source that is attracting them and cleaned the area thoroughly.
Fire ants are trickier, because they have a nest somewhere outside. In order to get rid of the colony, you have to kill the queen ant and she is usually hiding deep within their underground mound. Fire ants are extremely common in the part of Texas where we live and they are a horrible pest. I deal with them in a 2-step process: kill any that I see with my spray. I also use fire ant bait on the mound itself to keep them from returning.
Can I Use this Ant Spray in My Garden?
Yes, but I always recommend spot-testing first when working around plants. Some plants may be sensitive to the ingredients used and we’re not trying to harm our plants after all!
What I usually do in the garden is to spot-kill fire ants with my spray. Then I sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the soil around the plants to protect them from any ants that may return.
Keep in mind that many ants are beneficial to your garden as they stir up and aerate the soil. However, fire ants can be destructive, not to mention painful if you accidentally stumble upon them!
Learn More: For more tips and tricks (cinnamon, peppermint oil, etc.) check out this post about natural ways to keep ants out of the garden.
Printable Copy of Our Homemade Ant Killer Recipe
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The Best Homemade Ant Killer (Kid & Pet Safe)
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons dish liquid
- 2 Tablespoons baking soda
- Water as needed
Instructions
- Combine vinegar, dish liquid, and baking soda in a large bowl and carefully mix to avoid foaming up over the bowl.
- Pour mixture into a spray bottle.
- Add water as needed to fill the remainder of the bottle.
Video
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Hi-
Out of curiosity, does this just work on the tiny sugar ants or will it also be effective on those stubborn carpenter ants also? Thanks!
We’ve used it on any kind of ants we see – even fire ants! They all hate it 🙂
Is it taken back into the nest, killing the ants at the source or does it only only kill the ants it contacts directly?
Hi Steve – This kills ants that it contacts directly and keeps them away from that location in the future. However this is not something that the ants are able to carry back to the nest, as it is a spray.
You have anything on DIY kill fleas in the home clothes furniture an pet that’s safe
Hi Vanessa – I’m working on that actually! Bugs are big problem here in the south, so I’ve been testing homemade recipes to get rid of different pests. Today I published this homemade roach killer: https://thesoccermomblog.com/homemade-roach-killer-all-natural/ Stay tuned for our flea products!
I use a 50/50 mix of Dawn dishwashing detergent and white vinegar heated in the microwave to spray the walls of my shower. Spray it on, walk away for 45 minutes or an hour. Come back and rinse it off.
Job is DONE!
Do you have to add baking soda ?
I haven’t tried the mixture without baking soda – if you do, let me know how it goes!
Do you know if it can be used to clean stained mattress
Hi! I tried this today and the ants keep coming back as soon as the solution dries up. In fact, the number of ants seems to increase after I spray and the solution dries up. Am I doing something wrong? I followed the recipe.
Sometimes it takes a few rounds of spraying to get rid of them all. It’s also crucial to make sure you’ve identified and removed whatever is attracting them. Sometimes there is a scrap of food that we miss and the ants keep finding it! We also make sure to spray deep into whatever crack or hole is their entry point and seal it if possible. Hope this helps!
A few notes 1 dawn soap is used to clean animals so wouldn’t worry about using it around pets.. 2 It’s the vinegar that kills the ants so if you are still worried about your pets you could just use half vinegar half water mix. 3 there is a similar mix that’s used to kill weeds but use salt instead of baking soda. 4 this mix didn’t call for it some dobut NEVER use essential oils with pets Around most can harm dogs and kill cat.
Thank you for the additional tips! Though I do want to point out that dish soap is an important part of the mix because it penetrates the ants’ exoskeleton and kills them immediately. I’m not sure if the spray would be so effective without it!
The best thing I’ve ever used to get rid of ants is definitely Borax and sugar. Nothing gets rid of an entire ant colony than that! Thanks for sharing these recipes!!
Any idea if I can use powdered laundry detergent for this recipe? I live in Central America and it’s hard to get my hands on liquid dish soap 🙁
I haven’t tried it that way, but if you do, let me know how it goes!
This concoction works 100%, don’t waste money on any Commercial Ant Killer products, they do not work at the best of times.
This almost in all cases kills instantly ….