How to Get Rid of Ants in Carpet Naturally? 4 Different Ways!

Is there a way to get rid of ants in carpet naturally? Or do you always have to resort to insecticides and regular pest control?

While it will seem convenient to just resort to chemicals, I found easy natural ways to fight off ants on your carpet.

I’ll list all these methods for you to have a variety of options to choose from.

You can repel ants in your carpet by using an ant bait, cayenne and/or black pepper, baking soda, and peppermint. Ant baits and baking soda can exterminate ants, while all others are effective at repelling them.

Right before we go over the repelling process, let me first tell you about the signs that there currently are ants on your carpet.

Most Commons Signs That Ants Are in Your Carpet

Ants are pesky little pests that aren’t just going away on their own.

So, if you have them inside the house – or worse, in your carpet, you need to identify if there is an infestation going on.

Instead of finding it out the hard way, I’ll save you the frustration by letting you know about the best and most common signs of ant infestation.

Soil Under the Carpet

One of the most common signs of ant infestation in your carpet is when you see a lump of the soil underneath it.

Soil is not natural inside the house – unless, of course, you do gardening.

Kidding aside, when you notice a few sprinkles of soil to full-on lumps beneath your carpet, the next thing you want to find would be trails of ants leading up to that soil.

Ant Trails Leading to the Carpet

If you notice trails of ants going to the area where your carpet is, then it’s a definite sign that your carpet has ants.

I experienced it once and at first, I was unaware that it led to my carpet, and I just found out about it after receiving multiple bites on my legs and my back.

NOTE: Always trace the trail and check where it ends inside your home.

Ant Nests in Door and Other Entryways

Ant nests or ant colonies are rather common in regions and locations where the soil is abundant.

So, if your house has a garden or a backyard, check your doors and windows.

They usually establish their colonies and nests to shorten the travel time.

Are you experiencing one or more of these signs? If so, then you might be asking, how do I get rid of ants in my carpet that can also get rid of carpet beetles naturally?

Don’t worry, I found the best ways you can use to either repel or exterminate ants on your carpet without using hazardous chemicals that you could accidentally inhale.

4 Ways to Get Rid of Ants in Carpet Naturally

Other than the fact that I hated the smell of insecticides, it was kind of expensive to hire pest control service companies once a month.

So, I researched deeply and tried to find the best methods to get rid of ants on your carpets.

Here’s what I found…

Using Ant Baits

Ant baits have been, so far, the most effective natural remedy I’ve used for the lost ants on my carpet.

Using this is easy, you simply have to position the ant bait near the infested location.

NOTE: Do not place your ant bait on top of the carpet, place it around it. Ants are more drawn to food or liquid droppings; they might just ignore the bait and choose the droppings instead.

You’ll find a lot of ant baits in the market.

Don’t worry, these ant baits are effective in their own ways, but personally, I use Terro’s Ant Dust because it’s also effective against carpenter ants – the type of ants we all hate.

Using Cayenne and/or Black Pepper

The smell, texture, and overall physical attributes of black or cayenne pepper are the perfect weapons against ants. They hate it and will almost instantly repel them.

You can place it around the area where your carpet is. What I usually do is I find the trail and I mask the scent with black pepper.

TIP: You can also use this to block ants from coming inside your home. Use it on all entryways where you see their trails.

Using Baking Soda

Did you know that baking soda is one of the best natural ingredients you can use against ants?

Yes, I was also dumbfounded when I found out about it.

But it’s not like you can make a trail of baking soda and it’ll exterminate ants instantly. So, you have to trick them.

Here’s how you can use it to your advantage:

1. Mix baking soda with powdered or liquid sugar.
2. Surround the carpet with this concoction.
3. Wait for the ants to bite the bait.

It is said that they will instantly be exterminated upon consumption. So, beware of the trail of bodies they’ll leave after they consume it.

Using Peppermint

Last, but most definitely not least is peppermint. You can use either mint or peppermint for this matter.

In case you didn’t know, peppermint is a natural insect repellent. You can use this all around the house to stray and effectively get rid of insects – ants aren’t exempted from this.

Ants hate the smell of peppermint, and they will usually avoid areas and locations where peppermint is present and active.

I gathered some of the best information and methods on how you can use peppermint to get rid of ants.

Here’s what I found to be the most effective:

1. Squeeze in a few drops of peppermint on a cotton ball.
2. Gently wipe the edges of your carpet with it.
3. Wipe the perimeter outside your carpet, too.
4. Once done, you can place this cotton ball in the entryways of your house.

These are the best and most natural ways how you can repel and/or exterminate ants on your carpet.

As you can see, you don’t need to use chemically induced solutions and products for it. It’s cheap and easy; you can do any of these in just a few minutes.

What is the Long-Term Solution to Get Rid of Ants Naturally?

While these things are perfect to repel ants from coming near your carpet, they might not be the best and most ideal long-term solution.

What remains the best, long-term and most effective solution to get rid of ants is to target the colony.

Use black pepper or cayenne pepper and pour it onto the colony and make sure that they do not escape it for at least an hour.

This should be enough to take the queen ant out, and if that happens, the entire colony will fall apart.

A study has successfully proven the effectiveness of black pepper in exterminating a colony. The catch is that they need to be exposed to it for at least an hour for maximum effectiveness.

NOTE: You can use cayenne pepper as an alternative for this method.

FAQs

Want to be in on other secrets in getting rid of the ants in your carpet naturally and organically?

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about it.

How Long Does it Take For Ants to Leave Your Carpet?

By doing the correct processes of getting rid of ants, you can expect a significant decrease in these pests within a few hours to a week.

In longer terms, though, you can expect a drastic reduction of ants in your home in about 7 to 10 days after doing whatever processes you can to get rid of them.

Can I Spray Insecticide on My Carpet?

Yes, you can spray Raid or any other type of insecticide on your carpet.

However, it can be dangerous, especially if you have babies, toddlers, or children inside the home as they can inhale the chemicals of these insecticides.

Instead of using insecticides, resort to natural ingredients that are effective in exterminating ants.

Can You Vacuum Ants Out of Carpet?

Yes, but vacuuming your carpet wouldn’t be enough to keep them from coming to your carpet again, especially if the scent of what they’re going for there remains.

Keep them out of your carpet either by repelling them or completely exterminating them.

Final Words

Just like you, many people want to get rid of ants in carpet naturally. The scents of pesticides and insecticides are too dangerous, especially if you have children at home – just like me.

Say goodbye to all the ants on and around your carpet by using any of the products and following whatever method I mentioned above.

They’re proven effective, easy, convenient, and cost-efficient by the people who tried them.