I know they hate borox, though I don't know if its safe for children. Not sure about how green it is, either... But if you know where they are getting in, and you know its not where your child can reach, sprinkle some in the area and it should help.

You can use ground coffee to keep ants away. Any type of coffee will work. Just sprinkle in the area where you see them coming from and this will stop them. If you are not sure where they are coming from you can sprinkle in various place until you are sure. Without harming you or your family.

Also good covering up gray in brown hair as opposed to using chemical hair color products.

Ants hate Ginger. I used it in my garage about five years ago, and they haven't come back since. You can just buy the ground kind in the spice aisle, and sprinkle it wherever the ants are intruding. Good luck.

I've had decent luck spraying a solution of water and peppermint oil around the baseboards, counter backs, etc. in rooms where ants are a problem. Not sure of the ratio of oil to water I just wing it with a few full eye droppers onto a spray bottle. Shake and spray. Ants seem to go elsewhere and the room smells great. I've also sprayed this solution around the outside of our house where the frame meets the foundation and ants are most likely to enter. Ideally, you'd find the nest(s), and deal with the source but that can be hard to do.

That said, assuming you're in a rural or semi rural setting, are not using pesticides or bait traps elsewhere on your property and are dealing with indigenous ants vs. exotic invasion species, I wouldn't worry much about the eating thing. Ants are eaten in many cultures as a protein source. Strange from an American perspective, perhaps, but true. I don't know of any toxic native ants. You just don't want any biting ants ingested I suppose. But I'm guessing that like most of us you're dealing with little sugar ants or basic black ants.

I would not use borax if kids are around. It's relatively harmless and even used as a food additive in certain countries but if ingested in sufficient amounts it can be harmful or fatal. Those amounts are not that great for children. Just a handful of grams, I believe. So why take the risk, right? The ants are safer!

I heard to sprinkle cornmeal around on some morning show. I tried it and I think it worked. It caused more ants at first b/c they came to take it back to their nest but then it kills them in their nest. So I guess if you are against killing them this trick wouldn't work for you. Good luck.

I have a mixture of cinnamon and coffee grounds lining my window sills and it has kept the ants out really well.

I agree... I have also... and I've used chili powder