Why You'll Want To Start Adding Cinnamon To Your Mop Water
Do you wish your home would be filled with a delicious natural scent without having to get in the kitchen to bake some cookies? If so, you'll want to try this TikTok hack that makes your whole house smell like cinnamon. This hack is actually a twofer, acting as a room freshener and pest repellant! Not only will mopping your floors with cinnamon water make your house smell delightful, but it will also deter ants.
Mopping your floors with cinnamon water will make the room you mop smell great without staining your floors or making them sticky. Ants will also flee from the areas you mop because of their sensitive sense of smell. The cinnamon scent is too strong for them and overpowers the pheromone trail that worker ants leave behind. A 2014 study in the International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications confirmed the effectiveness of concentrated cinnamon essential oils in repelling ants. Cinnamon can also cause ants to suffocate if they inhale enough of it. However, it must be noted that, according to the American Kennel Club, cinnamon essential oil may be toxic to pets.
How to mop with cinnamon to deter ants
To create cinnamon water to mop with, pour 1 gallon of water into a pot and toss in a few cinnamon sticks. Let the water come to a boil before taking it off the stove. Pour this into your mop bucket. The solution will make your home smell splendid, but you'll want to add some concentrated cinnamon essential oil to boost its ant-repelling power.
When creating a spray bottle solution of cinnamon water ant repellant, add about 20 drops of oil per ½ cup of water. But since you already have cinnamon sticks in your mopping water, you can add less, but you'll still want to add a good amount of the essential oil to the pot. Out of cinnamon sticks or oil? Sprinkling a generous amount of cinnamon in powder form should also do the trick.
Pour your steaming hot water into a bucket and use the solution to mop your floors. When you're done, just let your floors air dry. Your entire house should smell incredible, and you won't see ants in these areas soon.