Several different ways to get rid of ants in the home.
Nobody likes it when insects invade their home, but perhaps one of the most annoying invasions comes from the common ant. Usually one ant (or maybe a small group of ants) will find their way into the household, find food, and then bring all of its little ant friends to join into the feast. The "scout" tends to go unnoticed, with the invasion only becoming evident when you walk in and find a hundred ants or more making a line to swarm a bit of spilt syrup of some old crust of bread that's been inadvertently dropped on the floor. Chemical pesticides can kill them, but they can also be dangerous to pets or children... luckily, other options exist to help rid your house of pests in a much safer way.
One common household product that can be used to get rid of ants is boric acid, in the form of Borax powder. You can sprinkle it along the path of the ants or near the crack where they're getting into the house, though this is only effective if they actually walk through the powder so that it gets on their feet (and from there onto the food that they eat). Another way to take care of ants with Borax is to mix it with some sugar and leave it on a plate... the ants will be drawn to the sugar and eat the Borax along with it. Be careful using Borax if you have pets or children around, though, since it can be harmful just like other chemical pesticide.
Other household powders can be used in place of Borax to help drive out ants... baby powder, powdered cinnamon, and even black pepper have all been used to get rid of ants with success in various households. Simply sprinkle the powder or spice near where the ants are entering the house, and they can soon find that the prize inside simply isn't worth what it takes to get to it. As a bonus, these materials can sometimes give the room a pleasant scent and aren't nearly as dangerous for your pets.
If you want to take care of the ants that are already in the house and making their way across your countertops, window cleaning solution can be a quick and simple solution. Simply spray it onto the ants and the liquid will stick them to the surface that they're on while the ammonia or cleaner in the solution will make short work of them.
As a liquid alternative to using window cleaner, try using apple cider vinegar. You can dilute it to half strength of you want, or keep it at full strength... either way, simply put it into a spray bottle and spray where the ants are. It will kill the ants that you see as well as helping to keep other ants out of the area once it's dried. Oh, and don't worry... the scent will fade within a few minutes.
Finally, if you have a lot of ants in your yard and the surrounding area, try sprinkling instant grits on the ground around where the anthills are. Ants will take some of the grits back to their queen, who will eat them... and when they start to swell, she'll be killed. Exterminate the queen, and you destroy the colony.
Here's hoping that everything works out for the best... and hoping that you're soon ant-free, the way you want to be.
