Ants are among the most numerous creatures on our planet. Tiny and nimble, they sneak into every corner. But when these little invaders march into your home, it’s not just an eyesore—it can also affect your comfort and well-being. What if I told you there’s a simple, natural way to get rid of ants without resorting to harsh chemicals? All you need is a cotton ball and a splash of peppermint essential oil.
Why you should be concerned about ants invading your home
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Though small, ants quickly capture your attention as they swarm inside. Their presence is not just annoying; it can become a real problem. Watching a line of ants marching across your countertop or floor can be unsettling and make your home feel less hygienic.
More than that, ants walk along the ground collecting bacteria and dirt, which they then unknowingly deposit throughout your living space. Even if you don’t notice the grime they leave behind, it’s definitely there, raising concerns about cleanliness and health. With just a tiny crack or gap in your walls or doors, these crafty creatures can quietly enter your home and settle in large numbers. So taking preventive measures is crucial to avoid an ant invasion.
What you need for this simple, natural ant deterrent
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Getting rid of ants can feel like a constant battle. Finding their trails is tricky because they often travel unseen, shifting directions quickly. But there’s a natural and easy trick that uses common household items.
Your secret weapon is peppermint essential oil. This oil releases a strong, refreshing scent that many of us already use to freshen the air indoors. However, for ants, this smell is overwhelmingly unpleasant. It’s so effective at pushing them away that many people rely on it as a natural insect deterrent.
All you need beside the oil is some cotton balls. These will serve as carriers for the peppermint oil to block and repel ants exactly where you spot them. You won’t need much, unless you want to scatter them all over your house to keep every nook protected.
How to use peppermint oil and cotton to keep ants at bay
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The method couldn’t be more straightforward. First, dab a cotton ball with a generous amount of peppermint essential oil—peppermint oil made from peppermint leaves is considered the most effective, according to experts at Diariouno.
Next, strategically place these fragrant cotton balls where ants have been spotted. Focus on kitchens and damp areas, as ants love those spots. Also, put some cotton balls near the entrances to your home, like door thresholds and windowsills, to prevent new invasions.
In just a short time, you’ll notice these pesky invaders retreating. The peppermint scent disrupts their scent trails, making your home much less inviting to them. This simple solution avoids the need for toxic chemicals and keeps your family and pets safe.
Reflecting on my own experience, I once spent hours chasing ants with sprays and traps around the kitchen. Switching to this peppermint oil and cotton ball trick not only saved me time, but brought peace of mind knowing my home was free of harsh substances. It also became a little ritual—I began blending different essential oils for my cotton balls, turning pest control into a pleasant and aromatic activity.
Have you tried natural remedies against household pests? What worked for you? Share your stories and tips! If you found this trick useful, why not pass it along to friends or family who might be fighting off their own ant battles? Your insights could be the breakthrough someone else needs.
Why would you want to destroy something God gave us? Everything has a purpose for a good reason. Leave stuff alone.
You are mistaken. God did not give us ants, or animals or humans.
Thank you and I’m sorry they are irritating.
Evelyn is correct! Our Creator made all living things. We inherited a world under the influence of the wicked angel who persuaded the first man and woman to not listen to our Heavenly Father. Fortunately his time is almost over. More info on jw.org. Join the millions of readers.
Blah, blah, blah!! Go preach somewhere else. This isn’t the place.
Yes I agree but there is sometimes a limit
God didn’t make these creatures to cause annoyance or cause contamination ! That happened all the fall of man Adam n Eve fall from God’s Grace, son Now everything is disrupted, even nature, so if you want or like these insects in your home so be it. For us we like to keep them outside and away.
You’re nuts
All ant lives matter. 🤣
You’re right. Ants belong outdoor, not indoor
It isn’t destroying them. It’s repel them back out side. I have thrown away food that ants have gotten into. They get in my shower. They get onto my counter and crawl across dishes and flatware that were freshly washed. They got in my neighbor’s truck and flew out the vents when she turned it on.
Repel….not destroy.
Peppermint oil also works to keep mice away 🙂It repels them
Yes!
So you are saying if you rented an Airbnb for vacation and the kitchen, bathroom was full of ants 🐜 you would be fine with that? My guess is probably not Ants are insects that are meant to be outside not inside of our homes and furthermore the peppermint oil is simply used to deter them to take another path not to kill them I think you’re being a little dramatic!
DITTO!!!
Seriously. Have them over your home, crawly in thru every opening. All-over your house. Enjoy them.
I would suggest that you reread this article. Nowhere in it does it say that the ants are going to be killed or “destroyed”. It does say that the cotton ball with peppermint is effective at pushing away the ants and acts as a natural deterrent, not insecticide or pest killer. I do agree that everything has a purpose and there’s a good reason for that but they can practice those purposes and reasons outside of my house. Thank you very much.
Can I mail you a garbage can full of ants since you don’t want to kill them?
Okay, Ms Evelyn;
Tell me where you live and I’ll be delighted to box all the colonies I can locate around my house and send them to you free of charge. That way I won’t have to use harsh or dangerous chemicals to get rid of them. This peppermint oil and cotton ball remedy sounds pretty humane to me.
The point of the solution doesn’t kill the ants !!!!!!! All it does is deter them from your living spaces ! Ants belong outside, not in doors in people’s food and counter tops !
Give us a good thing about mosquitoes
Evelyn, I applaud your insight. God’s word gives us enough knowledge and understanding to gain what Adam and Eve lost for us. A perfect life in a perfect world. Use jw.org so as not to miss out on that perfect life and live forever.
I would be happy to give them your address if they were to show up here. You may gladly have them in your home.
You mustn’t have a problem with ants! They’re horrible little creatures and get into everything if you’re not careful. You keep your ants and leave everyone else alone to deal with them the way they want.
Ants will eat dog feces I’ve seen it do you want them walking around your house after hearing that!
You obviously have never had them invade your home Getting into any food that is not sealed tight. And that is just one of the reasons why. Yw
Every bit of food that is left out gets covered in ants…thats why!
You obviously have never had your home invaded by ants. They get into your food, they are all over your counters. You don’t have a choice but to get rid of them. Using the peppermint oil doesn’t hurt them it just detours them from you house. So relax Evelyn. Do you know how many ants you yourself kill when you are outside walking Evelyn. Lots, so you are just as much an ant killer as the rest of us. So drop the god card until you actually stop killing ants, spiders and all the other bugs you stand on a kill, yourself. If ants and other insects didn’t get killed, they would take over the planet. So get over it.
I have tried most of the anti ant stuff out there. Even the natural ideas. The best was Sevin Dust powder. This not only kills them but keeps them away!
Say that when they bite you in you sleep.
And its not dangerous for cats or dogs.
You’re wrong, Shari. I don’t know about dogs, but peppermint oil—even just the fumes—is highly toxic to cats! Other essential oils are as well. It really concerns me that articles about peppermint oil seldom mention how dangerous it is if there’s a cat in the household.
Nah better with ants now ur funking 0 stars
Any quick trick to getting rid of roaches? My nephew’s condo is loaded with them. I won’t go there anymore. The article has so many quick fixes. Thank you
Diatomaceous Earth! Use food grade, found at places like Home Depot for under $20. Not harmful to pets or people, chemical free, super easy to apply (tho they warn not to directly inhale the fine powder-duh). Rids your house of roaches, fleas, etc. I swear by it.
Very true. I use it for all bugs in places I don’t want them near. Like my hummingbird feeders. They find it ,climb my awning post and get in there and drowned and then my birds don’t drink it. I put a line of it around the po sts and It works. ! All safe for everyone and everything.
The best I’ve tried is Hot Shot ant, roach, and spider. Spray it at night after the kitchen is cleaned up. You might find them dead in the morning. That’s mostly where I see them. Sometimes in other parts of the house too. You’ll also have to get used to Spray to slow them down then stomp them out with a shoe. It’ll take a while before you’ve got it under control. I’ve also heard of using diatomaceous earth (not sure if that’s spelled right! ) but haven’t tried that. Good luck to your nephew!
Bait!!!! Do not use any chemical sprays! It might kill ones out in the open but they will get a tolerance to it an wen their eggs hatch after 30days it won’t be effective against them. You jus need a little bait put out an they eat an go bac in the walls an die, being the cannibals they are they will eat their dead an then die right after an your problem will be gone within days wen their eggs hatch they won’t have time to venture out from the walls before dieing.
It’s been yrs since I’ve had to deal with roaches, my 1st property I bought at age 22 came completely infested & I didn’t trust the exterminator I called wen they said I had to sign a yr contract cuz they needed to spray monthly. I called around until I found I company who explained things to me & cared to relieve my situation instead of take advantage. They sold me a tube of bait for $10. An within a week gone baby gone!!!!! As a property manager taking over apts totally infested even tho the contracted exterminators sprayed monthly ( & didn’t want to bait???), I got a small company who did use bait an residents were so happy. I think you can still buy the bait at Dollar general (lower strength than the professional grade I had access to) but I believe it still works good, well it used to…. Good luck.
From Terrie Jackson yes ants are annoying I have hundreds of any moles hills all around my house have tried so many things help
Old secret recipe I learned about when in Texas- equal amounts of sugar, corn meal and dry boric acid. Mix together well, put in saucer or small dish in multiple areas where roaches are seen. The mixture is eaten and they swell up and die. Good luck, your nephew should share with neighbors as roaches seem to move from one home to next door and keep thriving if not taken care throughout the area. Good luck janie a.
Sprinkle boraxo behind fridge, near oven and anywhere you see roaches. They walk over it and it dries them out.
Can I suggest replacing Borax with Diatomaceous Earth? Same effect, no chemicals
Peppermint oil is highly toxic to cats.
And dogs
I used a bottle of peppermint oil spray from TS an it work e great I thought, immediately no more ants. A few weeks later an my kitchen floor became the new community meeting place for ants!!!! Never even seen that many outside in one area before!!!! Now they jus laugh wen I get out that spray an run mostly cuz they dnt want me stepping on them while spraying. The same results with other chemical products! We’ve killed all their nests in the yard which I think made them move like under our house or something, goin to try the d- earth an see
I used my blow torch, works every time
Thank you
I have an ants invasion. I will try it. I also have loads of French mint grown by my kitchen and washroom door.
How can I make some peppermint oil from that mint? Blessings 😇 🌞
To get rid of small ants……I put some bacon lard on a paper napkin..place it on their trail on the kitchen floor ….they will come in hundreds for the lard ….after two days they are all gone!
Food grade diatomaceous earth works for me.
I agree.
You could also try lemon juice – vinegar or just plain chalk , draw lines where you have seen the pesky little things.
Pine Sol and cotton balls helps
Buy some Acephate fire ant killer, , apply light dusting in cracks or trail, ( light dusting with face mask, not for inside use, I placed ant baits inside, ants we’re gone in 30 minutes, they collected there queen and disappeared, u can buy at Walmart, kill all ants, not just fire ant!!!!!.
This tech also repels mice
I totally agree with the person that said some people are nuts. I just assumed they’re not that stupid. They’re just trying to be funny.
Title: “….how to get rid of them [ants] using just a cotton ball”
Literally the end of the 1st paragraph: “All you need is a cotton ball and a splash of peppermint essential oil.”
So I guess what you’re saying is it’s not with just a cotton ball?