Why Michiganders Should Be Rubbing Soap Around Their Doors This Summer

If you’ve stepped outside lately and spotted dozens of tiny ant hills scattered across your yard, you’re not alone.

It’s officially ant season here in Michigan, and if your house is like mine, you’re seeing their annual takeover begin. These little pests always seem to know just how to sneak inside my house, marching in through windowsills, under doors, and anywhere else they can find a crumb as soon as it gets above 60 degrees.

The TikTok Hack That Changed My Spring Routine

I used to rely on store-bought ant sprays, but I never felt great about using harsh pesticides around my son, pets, or garden. Then I saw a simple trick on TikTok a couple of years ago that’s since become my springtime ritual: Irish Spring soap.

That’s right—just rub a bar of Irish Spring around your door frames, window sills, and any other little cracks where ants might try to get in. I don’t know the science behind it, but it works.

Ants hate the strong scent, and the residue creates an invisible barrier that keeps them from entering. You can also shred a bar with a cheese grater to sprinkle it around outside your home to keep them further away.

Now, every spring, I walk the perimeter of my house with a bar of soap in hand, drawing invisible lines of protection. It’s cheap, easy, and best of all it’s mostly all natural. No fumes, no poisons, no dead bugs in the corners of your kitchen.

Up Next: 5 Michigan Pests, and Ways To Get Rid of Them

If you’re looking to reclaim your home from the annual Michigan ant invasion without reaching for the chemicals, give this Irish Spring trick a shot. Your house will smell fresh, and stay ant-free. Isn’t that the ultimate win?