Around the first week of school, my roommate started to have a bit of a problem with her room. An ant problem, specifically. She told me that there was a trail of ants leading from a bag of her snacks to the window, and she would wake up with them on her face at times. Naturally, I was horrified because of my deadly fear of any crawly creature (I’m working on getting over it). Anyways, she went on to tell me that the way she got rid of them was mixing up a concoction of baking soda and sugar to put as a trap near her windows. She also soaked some cotton balls in peppermint oil to deter ants from walking on her face again. These methods piqued my interest about the other items around a household that could be used to get rid of ants and between those methods and regular pesticides.
I’ve found that some common household items you could use to ward off ants are:
- Vinegar( or vinegar & water)
- Peppermint oil, Garlic Oil, Cottonseed oil, Lavender oil
- Baking soda or Borax and sugar(as an attractant)
- And more!
In a study testing the “benefits and effectiveness of natural organic pesticides”, it was discovered that Neem oil, Lavender oil, and Cottonseed oil were the most effective killing agents for pests(Mfarreji and Rara, 2019). These being the most effective killing agents does not mean they are the most effective repellents. Instead, Mint oil was found to be the most effective repellent. Most people probably prefer to remove and repel the ants invading their snacks. It was found that Cottonseed oil did just that! It was the most effective killer and repellent out of all the ingredients tested in the study. Caution: if you were to try using these ingredients, their effectiveness may differ inside a house versus a garden setting, as the study was tested in soil. But I have heard from word of mouth about the effectiveness of the household items shown in the list above.
The study describes the ingredients mentioned as natural pesticides. According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension, partnered with the United States Department of Agriculture (Wycoff et al., 2026), nonsynthetic (natural) pesticides are “substances [that] are derived from naturally occurring sources such as plants, animals, or minerals.” I refer to nonsynthetic pesticides as homemade pesticides. Items that you can find at home and use as a “pesticide”. But, obviously, those aren’t the only types of pesticides that are out there. Synthetic pesticides are pesticides manufactured through chemical processes. And organic pesticides are, similarly, manufactured according to USDA organic standards. USDA organic standards for crops include prohibiting the use of substances, like pesticides, herbicides, from being applied to the soil for at least 3 years, making sure no genetic engineering was used in the crops, and other similar measures.
Common Types of synthetic or organic insecticides could be:
- Dusts(Borate Dust, Desiccant Dust..)
- Baits(Terro, Combat Max…)
- Aerosol(Raid, Hot Shot…)
- Spray-Ready to Use(Ortho, Spectracide…)
Pesticides and insecticides can be labeled “organic” or “safe”, but ultimately all of them are chemicals that, to some extent, can still cause harm to humans and the environment. Some may be less toxic than others, but too much of anything has the potential to be damaging. Whether you prefer using synthetic or non-synthetic pesticides, make sure to take safety precautions regarding how much, how often, and how you use them!
Works Cited
Damalas, C., & Eleftherohorinos, Illias. (2011). Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators. Pesticides and Health, 8(5), 1402-1419. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph8051402
Merchant, M. (2016). Understanding Common House and Garden Insecticides. Texas AgriLife Extension Center
Mfarrej, B. F. M., & Rara, M. F. (2019). Competitive, Sustainable Natural Pesticides. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 39( 2), 145-151. 10.1016/j.chnaes.2018.08.005
Wycoff, S., Beagle, D., & Frank, D. (2026). Organic and Synthetic Pesticides: What’s the Difference?. Virginia Cooperative Extension
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service. “Organic.” USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/organic-standards. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.
