That’s right — ants in my pans, not in my pants. The problem wasn’t catastrophic, but about a week ago I woke up to find ants marching across my kitchen counters and even crossing our eco-friendly skillet that had been left to dry. Speaking of that Teflon-free, petroleum-free nonstick cookware set we received this Christmas — the GreenWare collection from Cuisinart — here’s the update many people have been asking for: we’ve used them consistently and remain impressed. They perform well, are easy to clean, and feel like a greener option for the kitchen. We highly recommend them for anyone looking to upgrade to safer cookware.
Back to the ant situation. It felt a little insulting to see those tiny invaders treating our renovated kitchen like their domain — especially after all we’d put into making it functional again. Because we avoid bringing pesticides and toxic baits into our home, we skipped store-bought insecticides and looked for simple, non-toxic remedies. A quick search turned up several everyday items that repel ants naturally. Below are some of the easy, chemical-free options we found and considered.
- Sprinkle cinnamon where ants gather to encourage them to move along quickly.
- Use a spray bottle filled with plain white vinegar, or a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water, and spray surfaces where ants travel a few times a day.
- Sprinkle black pepper along ant trails and at likely entry points; they tend to avoid crossing it.
- Shaklee’s Basic H, a non-toxic soy-based soap, can be diluted and sprayed at entry points to deter ants. Note: this may cause bubbling on painted surfaces, so it’s best for counters and other water-friendly areas.
- Placing bay leaves in corners and cracks where ants appear often encourages them to leave; bay leaves can be left in canisters or tucked into hard-to-reach spots for ongoing repellency.
- Substituting garlic cloves for bay leaves is another suggested option that some people find effective.
So which remedy did we choose?
We went with a combination of black pepper and bay leaves. We sprinkled black pepper across the counters and into a crack behind the counter where ants were clearly entering. Then we pushed a few bay leaves into that crack and laid several more on the countertop. Using dry ingredients felt safe for our granite surfaces and posed no risk to our cookware.
The approach worked quickly and effectively — the ants retreated and we haven’t seen them on our pans since. It was a simple, low-cost solution that kept our kitchen toxin-free and preserved the appearance of our counters and cookware.
PS: If you’re interested in more natural pest-control ideas, there are several other household remedies for common problems like fruit flies and pantry pests worth exploring.