5 scents ants hate, and how to use them to stop these pests plaguing your home and garden this summer

Stepping into your kitchen and finding a swarm of ants is not exactly a pleasant experience. And if this is exactly what you are looking to avoid this summer, don’t worry, as experts have revealed five scents to deter ants from your home, without relying on nasty chemicals.

Scent is a great way to get rid of ants. While ants don’t ‘smell’ in the traditional sense, like we do, they use scent to navigate and communicate with each other. Certain smells can irritate and disrupt an ant’s communication and navigation ability, causing them to avoid the area.

Experts have revealed five scents that ants hate to deter them from your home. Here’s how to use them effectively.

1. Citrus

When it comes to garden pests, it’s always handy to keep citrus oil (lemon oil is £4.99 at Amazon) in your cupboard. Especially seeing as it’s also a scent that flies hate and spiders, too. Plus, its fresh scent will make your home smell lovely.

‘Ants hate citrus. The d-limonene found in lemon and orange peel is actually toxic to ants in concentrated form - it destroys the waxy coating that protects them. Even the scent alone is enough to confuse and deter them,’ says Mosh Latifi, Co-Owner of EcoCare Pest Management.

‘Rub fresh lemon peels directly along skirting boards, countertops and door thresholds. You can also boil orange peel in water, allow it to cool and use it as a spray around the kitchen and garden borders. It smells wonderful for us and awful for them.’

2. Peppermint

Peppermint oil (£4.99 at Amazon) is another scent that a variety of garden pests dislike, including mice and rats. When it comes to ants, you can make a spray out of peppermint oil and water and spray it at entry points around the house.

‘Peppermint oil contains menthol, which interferes with ants’ ability to follow pheromone trails. Because ants rely heavily on these chemical signals for navigation, strong volatile compounds like menthol can disrupt their tracking and make treated areas less appealing or more difficult to navigate,’ says Daniel Steward, Managing Director at Shield Pest Control.

‘Tea tree oil has a similarly strong aroma and may also deter ants, affecting their tracking ability. Overall, these oils are not a permanent solution, but they can help reduce ant activity and discourage them from returning to treated areas when used consistently.’

3. Lavender

One of the best scented shrubs, who doesn’t love the scent of fresh lavender? Even if you’re not looking to deter ants, it’s a great idea to add English Lavender (£6.99, Thompson & Morgan) to your garden simply because it smells so divine. Or, dried lavender sachets (£8.99, Amazon) can be used to deter ants in the home.

‘Lavender is a scent that ants actively avoid, and we see a lot of homeowners have success with it in summer when garden ants start finding their way inside. The linalool compounds in lavender oil are a natural insect repellent,’ says Mosh.

‘Place dried lavender sachets near entry points, or add lavender essential oil to a diffuser in rooms where you've had activity. For outdoor areas, planting lavender near doorways and patios creates a natural deterrent line - it's particularly effective on patios and pathways where ants tend to trail.’

4. Cinnamon

Ants hate the scent of cinnamon. While deliciously sweet to us, it is overpowering to ants - so I suggest you stock up on cinnamon sticks (£4.99, Amazon) and cinnamon oil (£4.99, Amazon).

‘Cinnamon deters ants because the strong smell makes it harder for them to find food and communicate with each other. We've seen TikTok videos that suggest mopping your floor with a mix of cinnamon and water, but I wouldn't recommend this if you want to keep your floors in good shape. When you mix water with dried cinnamon, the reddish-brown colour is released from the powder, which can leave stains and brown smears all over your floor,’ says Graeme Shelley, Managing Director at Factory Direct Flooring.

‘Instead, try placing a cinnamon stick (or sprinkling small amounts of dry, powdered cinnamon) near the points where ants are entering your home. But if you have light carpets, avoid using the powdered version, because that can stain too.

‘If you're really keen on the mop method, try adding a few drops of cinnamon essential oil in your mop water instead of powder - but only if you don't have pets, because the essential oil version (and too much cinnamon exposure in general) can be toxic to them.’

5. White vinegar

Last but not least is white vinegar. Not only is there so much you can clean with white vinegar, but its strong scent deters many garden pests, too. While it is a cupboard staple anyway, it is such a cleaning essential that I recommend grabbing a white vinegar refill, such as Miniml’s 5L White Vinegar (£8.25, Amazon), to have on hand.

‘White vinegar is one of the most accessible tools people already have at home. It works in two ways: the acetic acid destroys the pheromone trails ants use to communicate with each other, and the sharp scent acts as a deterrent in its own right,’ says Mosh

‘Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and wipe down kitchen counters, floors and surfaces near entry points. It evaporates quickly, so the smell doesn't linger for humans, but the disruption to ant trails remains. I'd recommend doing this daily during peak season - June through August - when ant activity is at its highest,’ says Mosh.

Which scent is your favourite?