This can be stressful for all reasons, and because ants usually terrorize households to find food, your food supply might get compromised as well. Of course, common sense would tell you that the only way to get rid of these ants is to either call an exterminator or find a DIY solution for killing off ants and destroying anthills.

However, you don’t have to do that. There are plenty of ways where you can get rid of ants naturally and safely!

Here are eight ways you can send ants packing naturally and safely!

First, you have to identify what type of ant problem you’re having. The most common ant problem is an indoor ant infestation.

This is when ants from an underground network or a nearby anthill scavenge and enter your house through cracks and entry points to look for food. There are also outdoor ants; unfortunately, these are a lot more difficult to deal with without harming them.

When you see a line of ants marching along your walls or floor, please don’t panic and sweep them away. Follow the trail and find out what is attracting the ants. This could be crumbs, leftover food, a drop of honey, or even your trashcan can sometimes be the source!

When this happens, clean up what’s attracting the ants, and this SHOULD deter them as long as the source is just a mess. However, if the source is your pantry, start blocking entryways using paper and citrus, which we’ll be getting to in a minute.

Blocking any entry towards a food source would give the ants no reason to go inside and rummage through your stuff.

If you aim not to harm the ants, using citrus peels works like a charm! Ants despise the smell of citrus and would avoid the source at all costs. So the next time you eat an orange, grapefruit, or lemon⁠—make sure to save those peels! Please put them in entryways or next to food that might attract ants.

Keeping you awake isn’t the only use for caffeine! Using coffee grounds to create a barrier in entryways and cracks under your doors will deter ants just as well as citrus peels.

This is perfect for preventing indoor and outdoor ants because of the strong smell of coffee, which repulses ants. Putting freshly brewed coffee in a spray bottle and spraying your backdoor will help keep those nasty outdoor ants at bay!

Ants locate food and their nests through chemical signals. Peppermint oil is also a strong deterrent because it gives out negative chemical signals that cause the ants to avoid it.

Putting peppermint oil on wool pads and spreading them around your house may not look pretty, but it sure will deter ants effectively.

Ants HATE vinegar. The smell repulses them and messes up the chemical signals that they pick up, making it difficult for them to locate food.

The next time you mop your house, mix your soapy water with vinegar. A little goes a long way. You don’t have to add so much vinegar that your house smells like vinegar. You can also add it when cleaning windows and stuff too!

Just like the rest of these, chalk also disrupts the scent trails that ants rely on. This is probably one of the cheapest methods that’ll last a lot longer since it isn’t a powder that can be easily blown away by the wind.

What? There’s another use for cinnamon aside from a dumb challenge and curing your sore throat? Yes! Cinnamon is another kitchen staple that helps deter ants.

The strong aroma of cinnamon deters ants so you can put a line of cinnamon in possible entryways or mix it with water (though it’s less effective than pepper and coffee grounds).

Aside from making food taste delicious, black pepper has a strong scent that repulses ants. You can also mix black pepper with water and put it in a spray bottle to make a cheap and safe way to get rid of ants. Because black pepper is a kitchen staple, you probably have an abundance of it and make it readily available at any time.

Use one or any of these natural deterrents and enjoy an ant-free household!