Have you successfully banished ants from your clothesline?

April 23, 2024 8:02 PM

The tiny ants using my clothesline as a highway (for what? there's nothing out there) are super resistant to banishment.

I've used vinegar sprayed on liberally, lemon juice sprayed on liberally, and an ant spray called Zevo. None of them has any effect and I am tired of ants all over my clothespins, hangers, and clothes. Help!

posted by 41swans to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Not on clothesline (that's a new one to me), but the only thing I've ever used successfully on ants is Terro.

I'd get a bottle (not the little plastic traps) and put some around whatever the clothesline is attached to. Or put it on little bits of cardboard, and attach it somewhere there. And repeat as necessary.
posted by stormyteal at 8:30 PM on April 23 [2 favorites]

Ive quasi-succesfully used cinnamon to at least alter ants path. All they really did was eventually learn to go around it, but for something as specific as a clothesline maybe thats all it takes?
posted by cgg at 8:37 PM on April 23

Wrap the post where they are coming from with a band of double-sided tape (or single-sided tape which you carefully apply sticky-side-out). Very effective.
posted by mekily at 8:40 PM on April 23 [8 favorites]

The only thing I've successfully used to get rid of ants is Grant's Ants, with the caveat that I put the bait directly in the path of the ants, made sure they walked all over it, and then left the ants alone for a day or two. Eventually they brought enough poison back to wherever they were originally coming from and the ant trails stopped.

Also, orange cleaner works great for killing them instantly, if you need to get rid of them in your house and don't want to use poison spray because of kids or small pets. Just spray and mop up with paper towels.
posted by mrphancy at 9:45 PM on April 23

Surround the pole of your clothesline with diatomaceous earth. It's non-toxic and very effective. You can get it at most garden centers.
posted by mezzanayne at 10:01 PM on April 23 [8 favorites]

You can use petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the poles or the end of the line to block ants. Somewhat gross and attracts dirt, but effective.
posted by LadyOscar at 10:33 PM on April 23

Advion for Ants.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 4:48 AM on April 24 [2 favorites]

To keep insects/arachnids off furniture --
Put each bedpost or chair leg or whatever in a cup and fill halfway with water. Some add chemicals to the water.
Does not work if jumping or flying is an option.
Not an entirely reasonable solution for a clothesline, but making a do-not-pass zone can work.
posted by TrishaU at 6:35 AM on April 24

Thanks for the reminder to put cinnamon in my rural mailbox. Every year they decide it's a good place build a nest, esp. as I am lackadaisical about harvesting all the flyers. Terro works very well. Boric acid is not toxic to dogs and cats, toxic to ants and their nests. You can make a solution of boric acid and spray the posts, apply to the line w/ a sponge.
posted by theora55 at 9:16 AM on April 24 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I suppose I should have mentioned that my clothesline is suspended between two large trees that are on either side of my tiny second-floor deck, so there are no poles, no bases. It's tricky! There's nowhere to put a Terro ant bait (I did try putting a few below the line, but that did nothing.)
posted by 41swans at 10:03 AM on April 24

This might mean that you need to change the way that you attach the clothesline to the trees, but maybe the kind of in-line ant moats that are used for hummingbird feeders?
posted by corey flood at 1:48 PM on April 24 [2 favorites]

Sticky tape inside out on the edges of the rope might still work. And Terro makes drums that are for use outside...might want to put a dent in this colony that way.
posted by tiny frying pan at 1:03 PM on April 25 [1 favorite]

I use a retractable clothesline. Not because of ants, but I find that ants usually don't use routes that are only occasionally available.
posted by metasarah at 7:00 PM on April 26 [1 favorite]