Grandmother shares a cheap and easy hack for keeping pesky ants out of your house: ‘I definitely needed [this]’
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.
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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