Sleep Tight Spray Repels Ants, Too (Review)

A few months ago we moved to the 'burbs.  It's been awhile since I've written a blog post -- too busy packing, moving, settling in, yada yada.  As much as I love having a yard of our own, we've noticed quite a few uninvited guests.   Where roaches were once a problem in our Manhattan apartment, we're now facing armies of ants.  They aren't as offensive as roaches, and our garden variety black ants (sugar ants?) don't bite.  But they are annoying, especially when they 'discover' unwrapped cookies, Lifesavers or crackers in our pantry.

What's a homemaker to do?  With a three-year old daughter and a young dog, I didn't want to blast the place with Raid ant spray (although I bought some, I have to be very careful where I spray it).  And the pantry is no place for pesticide.

I read a lot of blogs that discussed organic remedies.  Cinnamon oil, citronella and mint oil were recommended as natural pesticides -- great, but where would I buy these essential oils?  I found some on the internet, but they seemed costly once shipping and handling were added in.

I was at Rite Aid the other day, mulling over my anti-ant options in the pesticide aisle.  I saw a spray bottle of Sleep Tite, a product by the company 'Natureside,' which featured a couple's feet crawling with bed bugs.  Eew...but I was intrigued.  We don't have bed bugs, but I wanted to know what was in this spray that was safe enough to use on a bed.  I read the ingredients:
Cinnamon Oil - 4.0%
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - 2.0%
Lemongrass Oil - .33%
Clove Oil - .33%
Mint Oil - .33%
Inert Ingredients - 93%

I waited a week, then caved.  The ants had come back in a vengeance and I had to do something fast.  The Sleep Tight spray was $10.29, which seemed pricey.  Thankfully, as a gold level Wellness member at Rite Aid, I automatically get 20% off most purchases, so I was able to buy it for $8.23.

Success!  I sprayed Sleep Tight in the cabinets and it killed the ants in seconds.  I wiped down the cabinets, leaving the Sleep Tight residue to repel future ants.  For two days, I didn't see a single ant.  Then I saw just one, and another the next day.  I re-sprayed the cabinet doors (on the inside) to keep them away.  (I'd already placed all of the crackers, cookies, etc. in plastic zipper-lock bags...but these ants were pretty insistent.)  I never spray it on food, just around the cabinets, and all the food is fully covered in bags, boxes or cans.  Even if it is organic, I don't want to be eating this spray.

It's been a few weeks and the Sleep Tight spray has been a huge plus.  My only problem with the spray is that the cinnamon smell is very intense.  If I spray too much or too often, it's almost nauseating (the smell must be what keeps the ants away!)  However, a little goes a long way.

What I love about it is that it's (for the most part) natural.   It's not going to harm my dog or my daughter....or us.   However, it does have a cautionary statement on the bottle about not ingesting, drinking water to dilute product if accidentally ingested, and calling poison control.  So it's not as safe as water, but obviously anything that kills ants isn't going to be perfectly safe.   It's main ingredient, Cinnamon Oil, is safe for cooking, but isn't meant to be ingested undiluted or used on the skin.

I give this product 4 stars ****.  It's effective, kills AND repels ants, and is easy to use.  I'd give it 5 stars, but the smell is annoying.