How to Spray Dish Soap to Control Ants

Kill ants in your home and garden with a dish soap solution.

Dish soap works to clean dishes because it dissolves layers of grease and wax to clean pots and pans. These same chemicals also help dissolve the waxy coating on insects. This eventually infiltrates the insect's body and kills it. Use dish soap to control ant infestations in your home and on your plants. If you are using it on your plants, be aware that applying too much of the solution will disintegrate the leaves.

Things You'll Need

• Liquid dish soap
• Water
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Mix 2½ tbsp. liquid dish soap with 1 gallon of water. Do not use dish soap that contains bleach, as this will damage the soil and plants that the spray might coat.

2. Pour the solution into a spray bottle.

3. Mist the solution directly onto the ants and onto any plants that have infestations. Do not soak the plants.

4. Repeat the process as much as necessary until you kill all the ants.

Tips & Warnings

• Test the dish soap solution on a small area of your plant to make sure that it will not damage it. Some sensitive plants might drop leaves as a result of the cleaning solution.

References

• University of Florida: Integrated Pest Management
• Colorado State: Insect Control: Soaps and Detergents