Here’s how to use Borax to get rid of ants in your home! It’s easy, and so much more affordable in the long run than the little 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 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 kill 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
Do you see a new annoying batch of tiny ants 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:
- Mix 1/2 C sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp Borax, and 1.5 C warm water.
- Soak some cotton balls in the mixture, and put them out near the mess of ants.
- The sugar attracts the ants, and they’ll take the Borax with it back to their home.
- 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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Priscilla
Thursday 12th of May 2022
I have several ant hills outside, one is really huge and is near the house, the others aren't. The problem is with my neighbor's dogs, they let them run loose yet have complained to my daughter about the ant hill. If I do anything to poison those ants and something happens to those dogs they will sue me. I have 2 different kinds of ants coming in the house now, tiny tiny black ones and normal sized black ones like the ones in the hills. I also have an older cat so I need to be careful inside.
J
Saturday 9th of April 2022
When I lived Florida, borax was used to get rid of roaches. Put a few drops of something like honey in the middle of a small plate and surround it with borax powder. The honey makes the borax stick to the roaches. When they get back home and clean themselves (apparently roaches are very clean at home), they ingest the borax and that does them in.
Kim T Searow
Monday 21st of March 2022
I put my cotton balls soaked in the sugar borax mixture in a cardboard or plastic container with holes poked in it, so that other creatures do not eat it by mistake
Rebecca A Morris
Monday 7th of March 2022
After I began seeing ants invading my kitchen and tried several commercial products without success I became desperate and began looking online for a solution. I tried vinegar and a few other suggestions, one being cinnamon oil, which I mixed in a spray bottle and sprayed it in every crack, again with no success, I tried borax and sugar water. I put cotton balls along the edges of my counters. The ants swarmed these and I thought to myself I sure hoped it was effective because I'd otherwise have a bigger ant problem. By the morning I saw a ton of dead ants and to my surprise no new ones. I cleaned the counters and was so excited to not have any new infestation quickly . The following Spring when ants tried to return I again used the same recipe and had equally exciting results. RThis is my go to solution and the best alternative by far!!!
Joe Banks
Wednesday 13th of October 2021
For fire ants, wasps and ground hornets outside. Use dishwashing liquid soap and warm water. Wipes them out instantly. Larger mounds need larger loads. For wasps and hornets get them at night when they are all in the nests...