Having ants in the house or around an air conditioning unit is a common problem for many homeowners. If you have children or pets, it is a good idea to use nontoxic methods of controlling ants around an air conditioner whenever possible so you avoid accidental ingestion of insecticides or other chemical ant baits. Keep ants away from your air conditioner and subsequently your home through meticulous cleaning practices, among other control methods. Ants can cause serious damage to your air conditioner which could result in hundreds of dollars of repairs.
1. Remove any water or food sources that are near your air conditioner, as these sources will attract ants and other critters to your unit and possibly your entire home. This can include fixing a leaking spigot or removing breadcrumb bird food near your air conditioner.
2. Wipe up visible ants on and around your air conditioner with a damp paper towel and throw the towel or towels away in a garbage can that is outside of the home.
3. Clean the outside of the air conditioner and the surrounding area with soap and water to remove ant scent trails. Do not pour any soapy water down into your unit, however. If you are concerned with accidentally pouring soapy water into your air conditioner, use a spray bottle to distribute the mixture.
4. Wipe peppermint or spearmint essential oil around and on your air conditioner to repel ants.
5. Make your own ant bait to further control ant populations around your air conditioner. Combine 1 teaspoon of boric acid with 1/2 cup of honey or corn syrup and mix well. Heat the mixture until the acid dissolves and allow the bait to cool before use to avoid injury. Mix an equal amount of water with the bait and set the mixture in assorted lids or use an eye dropper to distribute the mixture around the unit. The honey or syrup attracts the ants to the bait while the boric acid acts as the ant killer. Replace the bait as needed until your ant problem has subsided.
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