This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Thanks to Hot Shot® Insecticides for this sponsored opportunity to share these tips to keep ants out of the house with you.
We recently built a screened in porch and it has been fantastic! I keep our porch swing out there, our wicker furniture, it is private and breezy and everything that I want in a screened-in porch. I even have a kid area out there- I have a picnic table and our DIY water table (that my husband built). I let our kids paint with Kool-aid out there and even paint upside-down.
We love to relax on our porch swing and even watch family movies in the evening with our outdoor TV. Here is our youngest son relaxing on the porch swing…
So whats the problem?
The problem is that even though it is screened in, bugs still manage to make their way onto our porch. They sneak in when the kids open the back door. Those tiny ants crawl in under the cracks. Wasps fly in through the tiny hole that our one year old made in the screen door with her toy. Yes, they find their way in. Not a lot, but a few here and there… just enough to drive me crazy, or as our son would say “freak me out!”
Today I am going to share some pet control solutions that effectively eradicate infestations. Don’t let bugs feel at home in your house.
1- Run to the store and pick up Hot Shot® Insecticides. I keep them high on a shelf at home, so the kids can’t get them, but they are quick for me to grab.
2- Keep food off of the ground. This may seem like a very ‘common sense’ thing to know, but it needs to be said. I can’t tell you how many times I find a popsicle stick left on the ground or table on our back porch. When our kids have their friends over, they always have one and they often forget to clean up after themselves (I usually remind them, but if I forget … the ants will find their popsicle stick faster than me!)
3- When using your bug spray, try to use a brand that has a great company behind it. That’s why I like Hot Shot® Insecticides – because they are a friendly, approachable and family-oriented brand. They take pride in providing homeowners with solutions that help to keep their homes free of pests
4- Wipe your screen (on windows or screen in porches) with a dryer sheet. It keeps the bugs away.
5- Put some vinegar on a washrag and run it over the corners or windows or doors.
6- Close up any holes or cracks that you see. Use caulking to seal those areas and keep bugs out.
7- Spray bugs with the bug killer as soon as you see them!
9- Vacuum often. I vacuum our back porch and all of the areas under our kitchen table.
10- Speaking of the table, teach your kids to only eat in certain areas of your house. Our kids are never allowed to eat upstairs. I only let them drink water up there… never anything that could attract any sort of bugs (ants, etc…)
ps- Hot Shot® Insecticides is also running a sweepstakes this month- find out about it right here!
Tell me your best ideas to keep the bugs at bay…
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hot Shot® Insecticides
I’ve got ants coming up my sink and in through the windows. I hate this time of year!
Oh- the ant guy that came to our house last year told us to put caulking around the drain pipes & to stuff it with this steel wool stuff. (around the drains).
We use HotShot a LOT!
PS: That house is GORGEOUS!
We use it a lot, too!
Hot Shot makes really great products. These are some really great tips to keep ants at bay. Your porch is really nice.
I love their products, too. Hopefully the tips will help 🙂 thanks!!
I agree vacuuming religiously is the key and also creating a designated area for the kids to eat is a huge plus. Great tips.
thanks
Thankfully we haven’t had a ton of ants, mostly in the grass. The ones that BITE though, ouch.
I hate bugs.
OUCH- the biting ones are the WORST!!
I’m going to try your dryer sheet and vinegar trips to see if that will help. I do have the bug spray so that part’s covered.
I actually heard those on the news years ago & I’ve been doing them ever since. 🙂
I saw some ants this week. I never heard of the vinegar of the dry sheets, I’ll be trying them out.
I would give it a shot. Our bug guy told us about the vinegar.
I had no idea about the dryer sheet trick, very interesting!
Its really helpful!
Here in Texas, we have to have a bug guy because of scorpions and stuff. The ants we have bite, too. It’s awful 🙁 Thankfully, the bug guy comes and takes care of it all.
Scorpions?! wow!
The ants are a niuiscance, but not a big problem, those tiny gnats around the sink are!! Would really like to see some family friendly tips on how to keep them at bay. I have kids, cats and a dog.
Oh- I have a solution for those gnats- put bleach in there at night & let it sit all day. they are called Drain Flies, google it tonight 🙂
(do it to ALL drains, not just the kitchen sink)
I need to try the dryer sheet trick for the window frame.
Thanks for the tips! We get Ants so bad in the summer.
We are strict on only eating in the Dining room and kitchen. It is frustrating for me too- but the bugs in FL are CRAZY
OH- my Aunt lives in Florida & says the same thing!! 🙂
I love the dryer sheet and vinegar idea! I will definitely be using these tips 🙂 Thanks!
Awesome! I hope they work for you like they do for us. 🙂