Yes — Borax got rid of the ants!

Here’s how to use Borax to get rid of ants when those little tiny ones get into your home! It’s so easy, and so much more affordable in the long run than buying commercial ant baits.

Note: This post is a blast from the pretty far past. Originally published in 2013, using Borax to kill ants is still relevant today — because these darn ants, they are back every year.

When I ran a Borax giveaway a while back, several of you asked if using Borax really did get rid of the ants. Survey says: Yes! I haven’t seen one in my kitchen since putting out this homemade ant-killing Borax recipe a couple of times. It works at least as well as, if not better than, the little ant bait things — and is so much more affordable in the long run than investing in baits over and over again.

It’s easy to use Borax to get rid of ants, and picking up Borax is a better long term investment, since you can also use it for other purposes.

Use Borax to get rid of ants

Is it just me, or do you see a new annoying batch of tiny ants in your house every spring, too? I always get a bunch of little ants coming into my kitchen under one of the cabinets that backs up against an outside wall. I originally saw a suggestion online to sprinkle a line of Borax and sugar along where the ants are coming in, but didn’t want to leave that out because of our cats.

So instead, I used this effective ant-killing Borax recipe from The Happy Housewife:

1. Mix 1/2 C sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp Borax, and 1.5 C warm water.
2. Soak some cotton balls in the mixture, and put them out near the mess of ants.
3. The sugar attracts the ants, and they’ll take the Borax with it back to their home.
4. Eating the Borax kills the ants!

If you have small children or pets, be sure to keep them away from Borax — and always wash your hands after using. 

Note: Thanks to several commenters who add that: If your ants don’t seem to be attracted to sugar, try mixing in some peanut butter instead. They may have a savory tooth rather than a sweet tooth! Just like people, insects are all different… 🙂

Some ants do love sugar…

BOY do these particular ants like this mixture. In the initial Boraxian experiment, I locked the cats in the bedroom for a few hours and set several soaked cotton balls in a line along the edge of the cabinet where the ants were coming in. I let the ants go to town, picked up the cotton balls, wiped up the floor, then let the cats out. Then, I repeated the experiment for a second round of about an hour later in the evening (seeing many fewer ants on this second go-round). By morning? No new ants in sight.

Tip: Try mixing in peanut butter for a more savory ant-attracting formula, if your batch of ants doesn’t seem to care for the sugar.

The Borax Effect lasts for some time. When the ants inevitably return, though, it’s super easy to whip up another little batch.

Have you tried Borax to get rid of ants in your home? Comment here and let us know how it worked for you!

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