Top 7 Ways to Keep Ants Out of Your Kitchen

Ants are drawn to food and water. One scout finds a crumb or spill and leaves a scented trail so thousands of nestmates can find the feast. In our kitchens, ants especially love sugary or greasy foods. They’ll even exploit pet food or leaks under the sink. Once indoors, they slip through tiny cracks and gaps in walls or floors. (Sealing those entries will be Way #2 below.) While ants generally don’t bite people, they can contaminate everything they walk on. Pharaoh ants (a common indoor species) have been linked to disease spread in hospitals. Even odorous house ants and pavement ants, though small, become a huge nuisance when nests are near your foundation.

FAQ: Why do I still see ants after cleaning? Even a very clean kitchen can attract ants if even a tiny crumb or drop of water is accessible. Always store all foods in sealed containers and wipe up spills immediately. Also, fix any leaks: ants need moisture, so a constant drip can keep them coming back. In restaurants and offices, professional pest control for restaurants and office pest control services are often needed to inspect hard-to-reach areas and ensure nothing attracts them.

1. Keep Surfaces Spotless

The #1 rule is: cleanliness. Ants will patrol kitchen counters, floors and pet areas relentlessly. Brush crumbs off the table after every meal, and wipe counters with soapy water or vinegar daily. Store sweet or greasy foods in airtight containers or glass jars. Don’t forget to rinse jars and cans before tossing them in the trash – even residue can attract ants. Empty kitchen bins often. As Canada’s government tips note, placing pet food in a shallow dish of water blocks ants (they can’t swim). A clean, dry kitchen leaves ants with nothing to eat or drink, which is the easiest way to avoid an infestation.

2. Seal Every Crack and Crevice

Ants squeeze through the tiniest cracks. Prevent their entry by sealing possible entry points. Use caulking or weather-stripping around windows, doors, baseboards and pipes. Check the foundation and look for gaps where wiring or plumbing enters – seal those too. Indoors, caulk along counter edges and floorboards. If you spot a few ants, follow them to find their path, then block it with tape or glue as a temporary barrier. Over time, a properly sealed kitchen gives ants no way in, so they’ll look elsewhere for food.

3. Eliminate Water Sources

Ants, like all creatures, need water. Fix leaky faucets and pipes promptly. Don’t leave standing water in sinks, drip trays or pet bowls. A clever trick: set your pet’s food bowl inside a shallow dish of water. Ants can’t cross the water barrier, so your pet eats undisturbed. In restaurants or apartment buildings, ensure dishwasher or ice-machine leaks are dealt with. Without easy access to water (just like without food), ants are far less likely to infest your kitchen.

4. Use Natural Deterrents

You can repel ants with common kitchen staples. Wipe down surfaces with a mix of vinegar and water or lemon juice – ants hate the scent. Sprinkle cinnamon, coffee grounds, or cayenne pepper near entry points to confuse their scent trails. For a non-toxic barrier, sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth in cracks and along baseboards. This natural powder (made from crushed fossils) scratches and dehydrates ants but is safe for people and pets. It stays effective as long as it’s dry. While these DIY fixes won’t always eliminate a colony, they give you extra protection between cleanings and can slow down invaders.

5. Set Baits and Traps

When ants do appear, the slow-and-steady bait approach often works better than quick sprays. Place ant bait stations or homemade borax-sugar baits right where you see trails. The foraging ants will carry the poisoned bait back to the nest, wiping out the colony from within. As Health Canada notes, bait systems must work slowly so the poison gets to all members of the nest. Inside the station, the bait is typically low-toxicity (like boric acid), and many ants will eat it and share it. Keep baits out of reach of children and pets. Over a week or so, you should see the trails disappear if the bait is placed correctly. Baits are a key ant control solution that specifically targets the colony rather than just killing a few workers.

6. Monitor and Maintain Vigilance

Even after taking precautions, keep an eye out. Inspect pantry shelves, cupboards and window sills for tiny ant tracks regularly. If you spot a line of ants, wipe away their trail with soapy water to confuse them, then try step #5 (bait). In commercial settings (like restaurant pest control or industrial pest control companies do), regular inspections catch problems early. In your home or apartment, staying vigilant can prevent a few ants from becoming a full-blown infestation. Remember: different ant species behave differently. Carpenter ants need wood to nest, odorous ants prefer sweets, and pavement ants nest under sidewalks. Knowing the type of ant can help you adjust your strategy – our technicians at Insectica are experts at identifying species, so we can tailor the treatment.

7. Call Insectica – Ant Control Pros

Sometimes ants win the battle despite your best efforts. That’s when calling the pros is the smartest move. Insectica Pest Control offers emergency and same-day service in Toronto and the GTA, so you won’t be left waiting as ants march through your home or business. Our licensed, Ontario Ministry–certified technicians use the latest, child- and pet-safe methods to eliminate ants at the source. We provide a detailed inspection, explain the problem (no jargon!), and treat both homes and commercial kitchens as needed. (Fun fact: a Toronto restaurant we helped enjoyed a complete ant-free environment within a week after our service.)

Insectica stands out from other pest control companies in Toronto because we do things a bit differently.

• We always give a free inspection and no-obligation quote – you know exactly what to expect without any surprises.
• We tailor every plan to your space: whether it’s a family home, an apartment, an office, a restaurant or an industrial kitchen, our specialized team treats the unique needs of the site.
• Our pricing is affordable, and repeat customers get 10–25% discounts as a thank-you for sticking with us.
• There are no hidden fees – just clear, competitive pricing. After each service, we send you a detailed report with photos of what we found and how we treated it.

Best of all, we teach you how to prevent future problems. As one happy customer said, our technician “arrived early, polite and professional, [and] explained the process and helped troubleshoot how to prevent issues in the future”. Many clients even leave us 5-star reviews, calling our service “superb” and “the highest rating possible”.