You’ve worked hard to make your apartment your own little escape from the outside world, so what should you do if you find the outside world — in this case, ants — making your home its own? What may start as a single sighting can develop into a full-blown infestation in no time at all, so if you’re seeing ants in your apartment, follow these tips and tricks and you should be pest-free.
1. Clean Your Apartment Thoroughly
Before you start looking into how to get rid of ants in your apartment, a thorough clean might be in order.
Like most pests, ants are attracted to the food and debris that might be left out in a not-so-tidy apartment. Giving your apartment a good deep clean could be all that’s necessary to rid your space of an ant problem.
2. Make Sure All Your Food Is Secure
While ants usually move inside due to weather conditions, they’re much more likely to set up camp if there’s an ample food supply available. Ants are tiny, so it doesn't take much stray food to keep them happy. If you’ve got an ant problem, check your pantry and cabinets to be sure that all containers and bags of food are tightly sealed and clean. If you have pets, store their food in an air-tight container off the floor. A bag of kibble is practically an open invitation to ants.
3. Check Windows and Doors
More often than not, the ants in your apartment are coming in through leaky weather sealing or caulking, typically around a door or window. If you can, follow the trail of ants to where they’re coming from and you’ll find a compromised seal. Whether it’s the window surround or the weather stripping, new caulking or rubber sealant should take care of the problem.
4. Lemon Juice
There are plenty of natural pest repellents to explore before you go spraying your home with harsh chemicals. Lemon juice acts as a natural deterrent for ants, disrupting the scent trail that allows others to follow their path. Spray some lemon juice around any entry points, i.e. windows and doors, and pay special attention to any cracks or holes in the exterior of your home. Lemon juice also makes a fantastic repellent if you’re dealing with roaches.
5. Essential Oils
They’re not just for aromatherapy; essential oils actually have a number of uses around the home, including removing ants from your apartments. Cinnamon oil and peppermint oil are two well-documented natural repellents. Add a few drops of either oil to a spray bottle of water, and apply to the suspected entry points. Peppermint oil has also been shown to be effective against mice too.
6. Notify Your Landlord
A few ants in your apartment isn’t the end of the world, but if the problem persists, or you’re experiencing large numbers of the bugs calling your apartment home, it may be time to get ahold of your landlord. After all, the ants in your apartment may be overflow from an infestation next door — or you may be the point of entry and those pests are spreading throughout the building.
Keep your landlord up to date so that management can step in when necessary and exterminate. In addition to making unpleasant roommates, some types of ant can cause structural damage, so it’s important to address infestations promptly.
Pests can sometimes be an unfortunate part of apartment living, but they can be avoided, and more importantly, removed. Hopefully the tips above have helped you evict your unwanted ant intruders. Dealing with other pests? Check out some of our other guides below. Happy renting!
