As temperatures continue to soar across the UK, many households are flinging open their doors and windows to let in a cooling breeze — but this can create the perfect opportunity for pests and insects to creep in.
Another spell of hot weather is about to hit the UK, and while it’s not recommended to keep your windows and doors open during the day, doing it in the evenings is a great way to stay cool.
However, the drawback of ventilating your home is that it provides the ideal chance for pests and insects to sneak inside.
Ant infestations are an overly common irritation, but there’s a method to repel them without inflicting any damage.
Cleaning specialist and TikTok content creator Chantel Mila, better known as Mama Mila, has lately shared simple pest-prevention tricks that anyone can use.
Instead of grabbing chemical solutions to deal with ants, Chantel suggests using a familiar spice that’s probably already stored in your kitchen cupboard – cinnamon, costing £1 from Asda.
For best results, Chantel mixes water and cinnamon in a spray bottle. Then, spray the mixture around your windows and entrance points to keep away any uninvited ant guests.
While cinnamon is good at driving ants away from a targeted spot, it won’t kill them, so there’s no cause for concern about harming the creatures.
Nathan Kruger, owner of D-termination Pest Control, told The Spruce: “This aromatic spice acts as an olfactory deterrent, repelling ants without causing them immediate harm.”
The reason this spice is such an effective repellent is because of a naturally occurring compound known as cinnamaldehyde, which interferes with the way ants communicate. According to The Spruce: “Cinnamaldehyde disrupts these trails, making it harder for ants to navigate and coordinate. Without a reliable scent path to follow, they get disoriented, lose track of food, and ultimately abandon the area.”
Both cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon can be used. Simply sprinkle the powder along any visible ant trails, across windowsills and in doorways.
For those opting for cinnamon sticks, place several throughout your pantry, kitchen cupboards, or any corners where ants tend to congregate.
One TikTok user also backed cinnamon as a repellent. Georgia, known as Clean with Georgia, recommends placing cinnamon sticks or oil at various entry points around the home.
She said: “It’s a hot spice and they do not like it. This also deters ants as well, so it’s a great little hack.”
Applying the mixture to affected areas of your property will keep unwanted intruders at bay. Cinnamon can also be added into homemade cleaning solutions.
Thanks to its antibacterial and deodorising qualities, cinnamon is a useful cleaning aid, working by neutralising unpleasant and unwanted odours throughout the home. Cinnamon’s potent antibacterial and antifungal properties can wipe out or halt the spread of microbes, making it an effective natural disinfectant.
And when it comes to banishing unpleasant smells, cinnamon’s distinctive fragrance can help mask them with ease.
