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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I just mixed it up today and tried it. Yes, it does foam alot, and yes it works terrific! Kills them where they stand, very good product. I will keep checking back for more great ideas from you Stacey. Keep up the good work and I’m sure you put alot of time in to this site and elsewhere . It shows.Thanks
Glad it worked well for you too! It’s still my go-to for ants!
I was wondering if you can use this on grass without killing it? We seem to be getting ant hills in our yard the last few years
It probably wouldn’t harm the grass. However, it’s not going to eradicate an entire ant hill unless you somehow get to the queen. This spray is best for getting rid of ants on contact. Hope this helps!
All I have to say is daaaang! This sh*t works! We had a little ant issue happen overnight and they were EVERYWHERE!! I panicked and googled a pet safe killer as I have a cat and traditional ant killers aren’t an option (and they don’t really seem to work either). I made this stuff (I did it in a bowl and let all the foam settle then it was really easy to transfer to the bottle and I didn’t have any exploding issues) and sprayed the crap out of the ants and the door the were coming in. It seriously killed all the ants that I sprayed directly, and no new ants have started coming in. Thank you SO much for this!!! A total life saver!
I’m so glad it helped you!! I created this recipe years ago and it is still my go-to when ants appear!
I’m so excited to try your ant killer mix. We have carpenter ants showing up in one area of the house (hopefully not others) and wondered if this mix was for regular smaller ants or also the carpenter ants? I’m assuming both but thought I’d check first. It’s weird because carpenter ants are supposed to be around damp wood, rotting wood but this is in the newer part of our house where we hang out the most
It works for all of them, as far as getting rid of them on the spot. It doesn’t necessarily get rid of an entire colony or ants you can’t see, as you have to kill the queen to eradicate a colony.
I just made a batch and it seems to kill ants instantly! So far so good!
Dang! That really worked. My cats are so happy to have their nighttime dry food bowls down again!
So glad it worked well for you! It’s my go-to for ants!
Oops, I spoke too soon, they came right back with a vengeance. I’ve sprayed the mixture like 6 times and didn’t even wipe it up, they walk across it like a White Walker across snow. I give up, I’ll have to find an actual pet-safe chemical and hope that it really is. Either that or move to the moon.
Thanks for this. You mention a demo video, but there doesn’t seem to be one in the post.
Hi Pat, the video should play when the page loads. If you’re on desktop, the video will load right under the title of the blog post. On mobile, the placement varies. There should also be a “jump to video” button near the top of the post.
I am not an entomologist, but found a 50/50 mixture of borax ( used for laundry and for short term salmon/trout roe eggs cure/storage for freshwater sports anglers) laced with syrup, icing sugar or honey works well to wipe out ants for weeks. They are resilient nuisance pests and you should see results soon after an application. Ants will be attracted to the sweet smelling lure, and the borax will get mucked in the food and they’ll take it down to their nest and wipe out most. This idea is useless in wet weather because it obviously washes away the mixture and is best during summer time or late spring. Ants are known to crawl into homes and linger in pantries and gardens so try 50/50 mix of borax and icing sugar about a Tbsp. of each in areas these creatures are seen to travel, including visible ant trails and their nest hills.
This homemade recipe is better than most chemical commercial products like sprays that could have negative affects on children, pets and those with respiratory illnesses. I make no claims this will work on foreign ant species, but in North America it will get results.
Against my better judgement I followed the recipe and got what I expected, an overflowing mess of soapy, vinegar foam which results when you combine vinegar and baking soda.
Which is why the instructions recommend mixing in a large bowl and letting everything settle before putting in a bottle.