A quick, straight-to-the-point TikTok video shows us how to keep ants outside our homes without toxic chemicals, which kids, pets, and the planet will definitely appreciate.
In the video, which has received 466,000 likes, TikToker Babs (@brunchwithbabs) — aka "everyone's grandmother" — explains how to make the best homemade solution using all-natural ingredients to prevent ants from getting inside.
"It also doubles as a great all-purpose cleaner," she says.
The TikToker, wearing an outfit covered head-to-toe with pictures of oranges, explains the importance of saving orange peels for the solution. She goes on to place the peels into a glass jar and then fills it with white vinegar before letting it sit for two weeks.
After the time has elapsed, Babs strains the solution into a mason jar and mixes equal parts of the solution with equal parts of water. She then pours it into a spray bottle and shows viewers how to use it around doors and crevices where ants might enter your home.
@brunchwithbabs 🍊 DIY All Natural Ant Deterrent Spring is one of those times of year where we find our little ant friends making their way into our homes. Here is a natural way to deter ants from coming inside and bonus you can use the spray all over your house as it is a natural all -purpose cleaner. 🍊Fill a mason jar with orange peels 🍊Cover the orange peels with white vinegar. Make sure the peels are completely covered and put a top on the jar. Place a piece of parchment paper between the lid and the jar. Vinegar erodes metal and will eat away at your metal lid. 🍊After 2 weeks, strain the orange peels out of the vinegar and put back in a jar or bottle. 🍊All-purpose cleaner: Mix ½ parts vinegar with ½ parts water in a spray bottle. Use all over your house - on counters, bathrooms and floors. 🍊Ant deterrent: Mix ½ parts vinegar with ½ parts water in a spray bottle (you can use the same bottle for cleaning and deterring). Spray around the doors, windows or cracks where ants are coming in. Ants hate the smell of orange and vinegar so the mixture will deter them from entering your home. This does NOT kill the ants. Happy Spring! XO Babs
♬ original sound - everyone's grandmother
Not only does creating these types of remedies for pest prevention save you money, but it is also way better for the planet.
For one, most traditional pesticides do not even reach the intended pest. Also, these toxic solutions can poison pets that may get curious and want to sniff or even lick the interesting new scents that come from insecticides, and you definitely don't want your children exposed to these chemicals, either.
Also, most insect-killing solutions come in plastic containers. Americans throw out about 40 million tons of plastic each year, and only about 5% of that gets recycled.
By reusing old plastic containers, you are preventing new ones from being produced, which requires energy and releases planet-warming gases into the atmosphere. You are also preventing old plastic from ending up in a landfill or in our ecosystems.
Another benefit, at least for the ants, is that Babs' homemade solution scares ants away from your home without poisoning or killing them.
TikTok users had plenty to say.
One wrote, "I definitely needed [this] kid and pet safe option."
One commenter suggested another option, writing, "We also do cinnamon. They hate cinnamon for some reason."
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