How to Get Rid of Ants with Essential Oils

Quick answer: Peppermint is the go-to essential oil for keeping ants out of your home. Its strong aroma masks the scent trails ants use to find food. Spray or wipe pure Peppermint oil (or a Peppermint-and-water spray) along entry points, window sills and ant trails, repeat for a few days, and keep counters crumb-free. Lemon, Clove, Cinnamon, Melaleuca (Tea Tree) and Cedarwood work well too.

I've used this trick in my own home for years. It's simple, it smells great, and it sends the ants a clear message to find their food somewhere else.

Ants Are Amazing Little Creatures

You drop one thing on the floor, and before you know it, the whole colony is on its way to help clean up your mess. They work every day, all day long, rain or shine, until the job is done. And they always have scouts out looking for the next opportunity.

So what can you do when they show up inside your home?

I want to treat our little earth friends as humanely as possible, while sending a clear message that it's time for them to find another food source. Here's how to get rid of ants with essential oils, naturally.

Which Essential Oils Repel Ants?

• Peppermint: the strongest and most popular choice.
• Lemon: cleans away sticky residue and scent trails on counters.
• Clove and Cinnamon Bark: warm, intense aromas ants avoid.
• Melaleuca (Tea Tree): a strong, fresh aroma for cleaning sprays.
• Cedarwood: great outdoors, along patios and in garden beds.

Why Do Ants Hate Peppermint So Much?

It's not that ants dislike peppermint flavor. They'd happily eat a peppermint candy that fell on the floor, and they don't mind hanging around a peppermint plant either.

What really "ties their antennae" is pure Peppermint essential oil. Ants follow scent (pheromone) trails to find food and lead the rest of the colony to it. Pure Peppermint oil is so strong that it overwhelms those trails.

If enough of the colony runs into Peppermint along their path and at their entry and exit points, they'll go somewhere else. Ants tend to follow the path of least resistance.

How to Get Rid of Ants with Essential Oils: Peppermint Spray Recipe

Option 1: Peppermint and water spray (most economical)

1. Fill a 30 mL glass sprayer bottle about three-quarters full with water.
2. Add 20–30 drops of Peppermint essential oil. Add 5–10 drops of Lemon if you'd like.
3. Add a small squirt of dish soap or a splash of witch hazel so the oil mixes with the water.
4. Shake well before every use.

For a bigger batch, use about 1 teaspoon of Peppermint per cup of water in a glass spray bottle.

Option 2: Spray pure Peppermint oil (strongest)

This is the method I started with. First, get the real stuff: 100% pure dōTERRA Peppermint oil, with the high menthol content that sets quality Peppermint apart.

1. Open your Peppermint bottle and take out the plastic orifice reducer.
2. Take a spray top from a dōTERRA sprayer bottle and cut the plastic tube at a slight angle so it reaches the bottom of the Peppermint bottle.
3. Screw the spray top onto the Peppermint bottle.

The spray top isn't required, but it makes it much easier to hit tight spaces, cracks, and the spaces under appliances. A spritz or two per spot is plenty.

Where and How to Spray

1. Find the trail. Watch where the ants come in: door thresholds, window sills, cracks, outlets and under the sink are common.
2. Clean first. Wipe the trail and nearby counters with a cloth and a Lemon-and-water spray to remove crumbs and scent trails.
3. Spray the entry points. Spray the trail, the entry points, and along baseboards.
4. Repeat daily for 3–5 days. Ants sometimes test you and come back the next day, after the aroma fades. Stay vigilant!
5. Remove the food source. Store food in sealed containers, rinse dishes, and take out the trash.

Spraying Tips and Where to Buy Bottles

• Use glass, metal or ceramic. Pure essential oils can break down cheap plastics over time.
• Test surfaces first. Undiluted oil can mark some finishes, painted wood and natural stone. Try a hidden spot first.
• Keep extra on hand. Once you start spraying it's hard to stop. Watch your oil level so you have enough to finish the job.
• Cotton-ball trick: put 2–3 drops of Peppermint on cotton balls and tuck them into corners and cabinets where spraying is tricky. Refresh every few days.

You can buy a set of dōTERRA sprayer bottles (3-pack) here. Either cut the spray tip and twist it onto your Peppermint bottle, or fill the bottle that comes with the spray top.

Is Peppermint Oil Safe Around Kids and Pets?

• Keep sprayed areas out of reach of children and pets until dry, and keep the spray away from eyes and faces.
• Cats in particular are sensitive to many essential oils. Avoid spraying where pets eat, sleep or groom. Read my guide to essential oil safety with cats and dogs first.
• Ventilate the room after heavy spraying, and store your oils safely.

Other Uses of Peppermint Essential Oil

• Add 1 drop of Peppermint and 1 drop of Lemon to water for a refreshing mouth rinse.
• Add a drop to your favorite smoothie for a refreshing twist.
• Place 1 drop each of Peppermint, Wild Orange and Frankincense in your palm and inhale for a midday pick-me-up.
• Rub diluted Peppermint into tired feet. Here's why putting essential oils on the bottom of your feet works.

Find more in my 20 favorite uses of Peppermint essential oil.

Why I Skip Harsh Chemical Sprays

It's tempting to grab a can of something "man-made," thinking it'll work best. But many conventional sprays leave strong odors and residues on surfaces where your family and pets eat and play, and some can irritate the eyes and throat.

For a few ants in the kitchen, I'd rather use something simple that smells great. (For a serious or recurring infestation, call a professional.) For more chemical-free ideas, see make your home a dōTERRA Abōde and can essential oils be used to repel mosquitoes.

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FAQ

What essential oil keeps ants away?

Peppermint is the most popular and strongest choice. Lemon, Clove, Cinnamon, Melaleuca and Cedarwood also work well.

How do you make a Peppermint oil spray for ants?

Mix 20–30 drops of Peppermint with water and a small squirt of dish soap in a 30 mL glass spray bottle, shake, and spray along trails and entry points.

Does Peppermint oil kill ants?

Think of it as a repellent, not a pesticide. It masks their scent trails so they lose their way and move on.

How often should I spray?

Once a day for 3–5 days, then whenever you see scouts return.

Should I dilute the Peppermint oil?

Pure oil is strongest, but a water-based spray is more economical and gentler on surfaces. I use pure oil for cracks and entry points and the diluted spray for larger areas.

Is it safe to spray Peppermint oil around pets?

Use caution, especially with cats. Keep pets away from sprayed areas until dry and avoid spraying where they eat and sleep.

Written by Paul Ahlstrom, an independent dōTERRA Wellness Advocate and long-time dōTERRA user.