Child-friendly ant remover!

[rumtumtugger]

I've just discovered a line of ants merrily marching from the back door to underneath the sofa where there is no doubt a treasure trove of biscuit ends and abandoned raisins. I'll Hoover it when DH gets back and can lift the sofa for me, but is there anything toddler-friendly that i can use to discourage them from coming back, or even to kill them?

Thanks

lemons / juice,

talc powder.

I used clear sealant to block ants coming through a crack under skirting boards into our kitchen.

Salt deters them, cinnamon too. Wipe away the route they were walking with vinegar. I read that they leave an invisible trail for the others to follow and vinegar will remove it.

I'm fighting a battle with them too. I can't seem to figure out how they are getting in in the first place so that is not helping my cause.

boiling water in the nest outside

We've got DD and dogs so have to be careful about powders etc. We tempted them up onto a surface that DD and the dogs can't reach and put an ant trap out. The ants eat the poison and carry it back to the nest. This was three weeks ago and I've not seen an ant since.

Nippon liquid, in a tiny tube like toothpaste. You put a few drops on clean coins and they will carry it back to the nest to share. They will be gone in two days.

It really does work.

Put the coins under cabinets or furniture out of reach of things that are bigger than ants.

I've had success with peppermint oil. I just put it on the floor near where they were entering the house and haven't had an ant problem since. Smells nice too.