How To Use Dryer Sheets As An Ant Remedy

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Although manufacturers make safe pesticides that you can use to keep ants out of your home, you can also use a common household item to keep the pests away. Dryer sheets — the same sheets you put in your dryer to add fabric softener to your clothes — contain chemicals that repel ants; you can use them to keep your home free of them. Use dryer sheets in a variety of ways to set up a barrier that will repel the ants and make them look for another home. Purchase dryer sheets at big box and grocery stores.

Step 1

Wet a dryer sheet and wipe down any surfaces where you have spotted ants. Use the dryer sheet like a paper towel and thoroughly cover the areas where the ants have appeared.

Step 2

Place a dryer sheet above a hummingbird feeder to prevent the ants from infiltrating the sugar solution. Wrap the dryer sheet around the top of the feeder and secure each end with a tight rubber band. The ants will avoid the dryer sheet, keeping the sugar solution free of swimming ants.

Step 3

Place dryer sheets near window and door cracks and crevices to prevent ants from gaining entry into your home. Ball up the sheets and shove them into open spaces.

Step 4

Pin dryer sheets to window screens to prevent ants from approaching windows, which are often the easiest way for them to get into your home. The toxins in the dryer sheets repel them away from the area.

Step 5

Place dryer sheets along known ant paths, which will redirect the ants away from your dwelling. Put the sheets in strategic locations along the outside of your home to prevent the ants from moving toward your home after you have disrupted their pathways.