How to Get Rid of Ants Around the Kitchen Sink [FAST DIY]

Ants are a common pest that can be found just about everywhere. One of the most common places that ants are found is around kitchens. It’s important for homeowners to know signs to watch for, and quick ways to kill ants.

Kitchens offer ants the two most important things they scavenge for — food sources and water. When most people think of ants in their home, they automatically assume there must be food they’re finding and they need to clean up better. However, water will often draw ants to your kitchen.

If you have tiny ants taking up residence around your kitchen sink, you’ll want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Using my decade of experience in the pest control industry, I’ll tell you exactly how to get rid of ants around your kitchen sink.

Why are Ants Around My Kitchen Sink?

Ants are around your kitchen sink because they’re finding a reliable source of either food or water, and they’ve let other members of the ant colony know to come and grab some of the goods.

Finding any kind of ant inside your home can make you feel both gross and unsanitary — especially when it’s where you store and prepare your food. Ants could be breaking into stored food items, ruining perishable goods, or in the case of carpenter ants — causing property damage right under your nose.

The most likely reason for finding ants around your kitchen counters is due to standing water. This could be from leaky pipes that are creating pools of water beneath your sink, or insufficient caulking around your sink, which allows water to leak out under the countertop or into the wall behind the sink.

If left for long enough, this moisture may even lead to damp wood rot. This is particularly notable for attracting Carpenter ants, who prefer to build colonies inside waterlogged wood. Getting rid of a carpenter ant can be an urgent endeavor, so be sure to check out our guide on signs of a carpenter ant infestation. 

In addition to the water, ants could be attracted to leftover food stuck on your dirty dishes or in the pipes of your drain. If you have a garbage disposal, it’s possible you have some food stuck on the walls of the device which is attracting ants. You may even need to get the ants out of your dishwasher.

How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Sink

Getting rid of ants around the kitchen sink always begins with solid prevention steps. If ants have already appeared around your home, you need to treat the root cause by removing one or more of their attractant factors (including food, water, and shelter).

Below are three of the most important steps needed to get rid of ants around the kitchen sink.

1. Fix Your Moisture Problem

Standing water is the number one most common reason for ant infestations around kitchen sinks. Begin by first checking your plumbing for any leaky drains.

Identify areas of standing water around your sink. Specifically look for puddles under the sink, pools around the sink edges, or water leaking from the base of the faucet. You may need to call in a plumber to get everything tightened up.

Next, check the waterproof caulking around the edges of your sink, the sides of the counter, and the spaces between the counter and the wall. If you see any gaps or cracks in the caulking, it’s best to strip it out and replace it.

Any area where moisture can get inside could result in wood rot or softening, which will quickly attract carpenter ants or termites. In addition, water that splashes from the sink basin could seep into the cracks around sink edges, creating additional problems that are difficult to spot.

By keeping water contained and not leaking into hidden areas, you’ll make your kitchen a much less inviting place for ants and other pests. This is good practice for getting rid of ants in the bathroom, too.

2. Clean Up Food Remnants

Food around the kitchen sink may be providing enough sustenance to power a colony of ants. Resolve these issues by often cleaning food traps or catchers in your sink. Consider cleaning the sink itself and the surrounding area on a weekly or even daily basis. This can be done by scrubbing the interior with vinegar, bleach, or any other kind of disinfectant. 

You may also need to clean the inside of your kitchen sink drain to prevent any scouts from returning to the area. This is good practice for preventing and removing drain flies, too.

There are several appropriate methods for this task, including store-bought products, baking soda, and white vinegar, or manually swabbing the pipes. Store-bought products like Drano may be best for larger clogs, while baking soda and vinegar remove smaller blockages. Manually swabbing your pipes should be done if neither of the previous options are effective.

If you have a garbage disposal inside your sink, you may need to take a different approach to sanitation. You may clean your disposal without getting too close by adding ice cubes, bleach, lemons, and baking soda to the sink basin before turning on the machine.

You may also want to scrub the machine using dishwashing soap and a long-handled toothbrush. Make sure that you are disabling all power to the garbage disposal before you bring your hands too close.

3. Clean The Surrounding Area

Scrubbing the counters, backsplashes, and other areas near the kitchen may help to remove ant pheromone trails nearby. These pheromones are what allow scouting ants and ‘food trains’ to return to your sink again and again. Removing these can quickly put a stop to lingering ants near the kitchen sink.

What To Do If Ants Still Persist

Even if you have done everything correctly, ants may still be appearing near your kitchen sink. There could be several reasons for this:

• There are additional sources of food and water that are attracting ants
• There may be pest prey species living inside the home
• You may have a much more serious ant infestation than you previously considered

If you think or know that your ant problem could be serious, use bait to poison the ant nest.

Baits trick ants into consuming poisoned pellets of food, which exterminate colonies within 7 to 10 days. Over-the-counter ant killers have been known to be highly effective, including Terro and Raid.

If toxicity is a concern for you, try creating a DIY borax ant bait that encourages the insect’s consumption. You may also choose to discourage future activity by using a pesticide dust, such as diatomaceous earth (DE).

Dust the pesticide of your choice into the backs of sink cabinets or the underside of the sink to prevent ants from returning. Any crevices showing signs of heavy ant activity should also be treated, including baseboards.

The best way to find potential ant entry points is to observe the exterior of your home for signs of damage, and to follow ant trails. Cracks in walls, fissures in foundations, and gaps in window screens could be allowing ants to get inside. Use a form of waterproof caulking to seal around your windows, doors, and foundations. Serious damage may require more complicated repairs.

DIY Ant Control

If you’re finding many ants in your kitchen, you likely need to start treating your home to get rid of them.

Ants are likely searching for food and water sources. To help prevent an ant infestation, you can store food, including pet food, in airtight containers. It’s also important to place food scraps from the sink into the garbage can.

There are many solutions to kill ants, including insecticide, pesticide, and even natural remedies. Non-toxic solutions including boric acid, and diatomaceous earth. You can pour hot water, or boiling water, on ant nests as well. Some use essential oils, like peppermint oil, or peels mixed with water in a spray bottle.

If the infestation is serious, try using ant bait, or it may be time to call the exterminator. Pest control services can get rid of your ant problem, and help you prevent future infestations.