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I previously asked this on reddit, but got no response.

The management of my high-rise apartment building has been working with professional pest controllers for the past few years trying to deal with a Pharaoh ant problem. Meanwhile, I have found that wiping counters and floors with bleach keeps them out of sight, if not out of my unit. Unfortunately, long term use of bleach damages surfaces, as does vinegar. Isopropyl alcohol works, but it is a solvent, so the paint around my counters is taking a beating.

Is there some other solution which is effective at wiping away pheromone trails, is safe, and doesn't require a follow-up wiping for removal? A cloth that has been dampened with just water is not very effective.

Questions were posed about why a follow-up wiping should be avoided. The reason is because one has to wipe everywhere (counters, floors, nooks, crannies, ledges, edges), moving things about in order to do so. This has to be done frequently, with lots of cloth rinsing in the process. A follow-up wiping doubles what is already a significant time burden, so it can't be done as frequently.

What solutions require a follow-up wiping? Many detergents and cleaning solutions do because they leave a residue. Alcohol and vinegar do not, as they don't leave much residue. Bleach leaves a salt residue, but it is innocuous. In fact, it seems to keep ants away, so I'd prefer bleach if it wasn't for its long term damaging effect (and its fumes). Alcohol also has noxious fumes, but at least for now, I prefer its harms over having ants crawling everywhere.

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  • Isn't the question actually "How to keep ants away?" If so, some useful answers here.
    – Shadow Wizard
    Commented Aug 31, 2022 at 8:25
  • No, the question is exactly as titled. I've spent the past 3+ years researching various aspects of the problem, talking with the pest control experts hired by management, posing targeted questions online, and surveying residents about the extent of the problem. I'm not seeking general information about general ant problems that one might have at the outset of the problem.
    – user2153235
    Commented Aug 31, 2022 at 13:26
  • Why don't you want to follow up with wiping off? Apply solvent, then wipe off with a damp cloth. I presume that effective ant control is a bigger problem than the chore.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Aug 31, 2022 at 18:39
  • The only issue with solvent is where there is paint. By the time I wipe the area with alcohol, wiping off the solvent doesn't help. It's probably worse, as the paint has softened, so the less disturbance the better. However, I also don't want to do a 2nd follow-up wiping in general because one has to wipe everywhere (counters, floors, nooks, crannies, ledges, edges), moving things about in order to do so. This has to be done frequently, with lots of cloth rinsing in the process. A follow-up wiping doubles what is already a significant time burden
    – user2153235
    Commented Aug 31, 2022 at 19:49
  • You could just wipe off ONLY the countertop and leave the rest as is? I assume none of those other surfaces come into contact with food.
    – MiG
    Commented Sep 2, 2022 at 11:09

1 Answer 1

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Ubiquitous if not Innocuous Pheromone Lifehack:

First: Hand Sanitizer liquid has become a popular game-changer. I would suggest using that which, as you recall, should be applied moist and not wiped-up, but left to evaporate to be optimally effective.

Next: Mask the scent with essential oils, powder, clove, tea tree, citrus, lemongrass, and peppermint. It's like lighting a candle can overpower other scents in the area. For maximum effect put undiluted solutions near pest hot spots.

Lastly: Deodorize and clear pheromones effectively with typical household cleaners such as baking soda-water paste, Windex™ glass cleaner (and others), a 50/50 vinegar-water mix also. Source: WWW search

Dear Questioner, Note that the above was given as an answer to your specific question. It should be pointed out that your request (for simple pheromone trail removal) is not recommended by pest control professionals who encourage first using non-toxic bait along with other specific targeted treatment. Professionals point-out that Pharaoh ant colonies 'bud' (spread) if disrupted (stressed) by household cleaners or contact pesticides. In effect, you may be inadvertently providing job security for the pest control experts hired by management by doing exactly the opposite to recommended treatment insofar as I can tell from online sources.

Good luck.

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    Good closing statement :) Note that depending on where you live, your average hand sanitizer is 60 to 80% alcohol, which will probably bring back the adverse affect on paints and finishes! And I find that gel component leaves a slightly sticky residue on my hands, this will be no different for any surfaces you treat with it.
    – MiG
    Commented Sep 3, 2022 at 9:37
  • Hand sanitizers leave a residue. I have tea tree oil, but it is expensive. I use a lot of spray each day. Many rounds of wipe-down (hence the need to avoid doubling the time with a follow-up wipe-away of residue). Baking soda paste needs removal afterward. Vinegar harms surfaces (tile floor, counter top), but 50/50 dilution may be better. I considered household cleaner but they leave residue. Windex might do, but I haven't found anything clear about its effectiveness at destroying pheromone trails. I'm getting mixed search results about residue and use around food areas.
    – user2153235
    Commented Sep 4, 2022 at 20:02
  • I disagree with your comment that pheromone trail removal is not recommended. Professionals do recommend it, but it's not the answer. Bait is, as you pointed out, but in a high-rise where infestation is rampant, it is difficult to win unless tenants report the problem so that bait can be placed. My question is not a general question about how to solve Pharaoh ant problems, it is specifically about pheromone trail removal. My motive is to mitigate the problem while the professionals are waging the more technical ware, in the face of challenges of high-rise rentals.
    – user2153235
    Commented Sep 4, 2022 at 20:02
  • P.S. I thought it would be appropriate to mark your answer as "helpful". The main idea that I never thought of was Windex (or actually, I did, but wasn't sure about it's residue and food safety). I still don't have a clear idea of those things, nor its effectiveness in removing the chemicals responsible for pheromone trails, but your posting has prompted me to re-examine those questions with more web research. If you have run across info about that, thanks for adding the citations (residue, food safety, effectiveness in removing chemicals responsible for pheromone trails). Thanks.
    – user2153235
    Commented Sep 4, 2022 at 20:32
  • SC Johnson referred me to their Windex ingredients page, where you can download a PDF of the chemical contents and also access the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). While I don't recognize the chemicals, the SDS seems to indicate innocuousness. I used it to wipe down the tiles on the kitchen floor.
    – user2153235
    Commented Sep 12, 2022 at 6:35

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