10+ Ways To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies In The Home

1. Clean your drain pipes

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It's a totally gross thought to think that we may have fruit flies breeding in our drains, but the truth is that it's actually quite probable we do! Especially if you haven't recently given your drains a thorough clean, they may be laying eggs as they thrive in damp environments.

2. Try a vinegar trap

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Vinegar is something we all have in the cupboard, which makes this trick to get rid of fruit flies one of the easiest and most convenient. Simply pour some vinegar into a glass and cover it with clingfilm, and then pierce it with holes. They will be attracted to the small, but won't be able to escape again.

3. Change your trash frequently

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If you leave your trash in the bin for too long, then the likelihood is that that is exacerbating the problem. Fruit flies may be inside your trash can and if it is not changed frequently it gives the flies time to lay eggs and then hatch them, meaning your fruit fly problem continues and multiples!

4. Clean your fruit

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Often the culprit of our fruit flies seems to be some sticky, rotting fruit (often bananas), and from there on the problem just gets worse and worse. Any sticky moisture on the outside of your fruit will attract fruit flies, so wipe down the surface of your fruit to make it less appealing.

5. Combine apple cider vinegar and dish soap

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The reason you should try combining it with apple cider vinegar is that the vinegar is there to attract the fly to the bowl. Then, the dish soap is thick and sticky which will mean that they cannot escape again. Without the dish soap, the fly can climb back out of the vinegar.

6. Vacuuming the flies

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It's very easy to lose your patience when fruit flies are in your home because sometimes all the hacks in the world don't seem to work. Try getting the vacuum out and sucking them out of the air to try and get rid of them. This won't work one time, however over and over it could help your problem.

7. Boil cloves and scatter them near your fruit

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Cloves are a natural repellent to fruit flies because they have a naturally strong odor. Try boiling the cloves and scattering them around the house. If they do not want to land near the cloves, it could prevent them from settling and laying more eggs which will then hatch into more flies.

8. Create a fruit trap

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Fruit is exactly the thing that fruit flies want. So what better way to attract them than leaving some enticing fruit right in their reach? Put it into a glass jar and cover the lid so that the fruit flies will enter, and find the fruit, but they will not be able to get out and back into your house.

9. Change your houseplant soil

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Another unsuspecting place where fruit flies may be lying is inside your houseplant soil! Once your houseplant soil has fruit flies in, it's hard to get rid of them from your house. What you have to do at this point is change the coil in your indoor plants to eradicate them from your home.

10. Spray lemongrass water around your home

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Another solution that repels fruit flies is lemongrass. Lemongrass is an appealing scent to us, but not for the fruit fly which makes it a win-win. Once you have tried to eradicate the majority of the flies, then spray the lemongrass around your house to try and make the last flies disappear.

11. Get a fruit fly spray

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There are a LOT of products out there for fruit flies in the house, because this isn't just a problem that you and I have experienced, but everybody with a home will experience an infestation of fruit flies at SOME point. Try and find a reputable fruit fly spray if you don't want to create your own!

12. Keep your kitchen clean

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A dirty kitchen is going to make your fruit flies a lot worse. Fruit flies love any kind of leftover food, sirt, or sugar. So a dirty kitchen is somewhere they will thrive and you; 'll soon notice that if you do not clean it the flies will start to get more and more - until you clean it!

13. Seal your compost bins

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Compost bins are great for food waste and garden waste and it means they do not get thrown in the general bin and sent to landfill. But if you are suffering from fruit flies in your home, then make sure that your compost is sealed. Because fruit flies LOVE compose.

14. Hang sticky tape around your fruit bowl

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Sticky tape can seem cruel, like many fly traps. You can see the flies stick to the paper and never move again. But there's also something kind of satisfying about seeing your fly problem dwindle before your eyes. Stick it around your fruit bowl where the majority of the flies are.

15. Keep your doors and windows closed

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Once you have fruit flies in your home it's tempting to throw your windows wide open in the hopes that they will fly back out. But they definitely will not. It; 's better to keep them closed so that no more don't enter in your home, then focus on getting rid of the other flies in your home.

16. Spray fruit flies with water and dish soap

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Mix some water and dish soap and put it in a spray bottle and make sure that the consistency is thin enough to spray. You can then watch the water immobilize the fly while it is flying around your house. Keep spraying until you see the flies disappear.

17. Dispose of fruit waste outside your home

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If you think the problem is just inside your home, then this could be the problem in itself. What is outside your home may also be attracting them indoors. If you have open compost or rotting fruit exposed outside of your home, they will be more likely to enter inside your home too.

18. Leave a bowl of milk and sugar out

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Milk and sugar in a bowl is enough to make the fruit flies swarm toward it. The consistency of milk and sugar means that it is too heavy for a fruit fly to fly back out of the bowl. The sugar makes them too sticky to move, and so they start to die out and leave your home.

19. Leave a banana peel trap

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Fruit flies are suckers for a rotting banana peel. They have a feast when they smell overripe bananas and they will flock to the peel. So, if you want to ensure you gather as many as possible use them to create a trap. But the peel at the bottom to lure as many as you can in.

20. Freeze your infested items

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You don't need to throw away all of your fruit as soon as it gets a patch of brown or starts to slightly shrivel, just freeze it instead. Rotting fruit is a fruit fly's perfect snack. So take it away before the flies are attracted, and put it straight into the freezer.

21. As soon as your food is overripe, eat it or dispose of it

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When you see your fruit start to brown, or your fruit start to over ripen, make sure that you eat it before it starts to completely rot. The rotting fruit creates natural sugars which attract many fruit flies to the area so you want to avoid creating such an appealing environment.

22. Dry out any damp areas, such as sinks

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If you have any collection of water in your home, this could be a breeding ground for fruit flies. For example, if your sink is always full of dirty water, this is the kind of environment in which a fruit fly would thrive. Damp environments are perfect for fruit flies to breed, so keep everything dry.

23. Place a fan near your fruit

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Fruit flies have a very weak ability to fly, and they are easily blown away. If all else fails, try placing a fan near your fruit bowl to ensure that they cannot get near your fruit again! It won't get rid of them permanently, but it will keep your fruit, fruit fly-free!

24. Use a funnel around a jar

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Using clingfilm isn't the only way to keep the flies trapped inside a bowl or jar. You can simply create a funnel using a piece of paper. Just roll it and shape it into a cone before putting it over some enticing liquid in a jar. This may they will fly in, but their lack of flying capability means they cannot get back out.

25. Scatter basil leaves around

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Basil leaves are another great option for getting rid of your fruit fly problem. Not only do they smell fresh, but they are also easy to acquire. Spread them around your fruit bowl or any other problem areas and the fruit flies will naturally be repelled by the scent of the basil leaves!

26. Clean the leaves of your indoor plants

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If you are currently experiencing a fruit fly problem in your home, check the leaves of your indoor plant. You may not be able to see any flies but try and feel the leaves. If they are using your plant to live, the leaves may feel sticky. Wash these with a little bit of soap!

27. Spray neem oil in fly-prone areas

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Neem oil is particularly good for getting rid of fruit flies. If you can manage to buy some neem oil, it could help you to rid your home of fruit flies. The components in the oil deter and kill fruit flies and with repetitive use, you could solve your problem a lot faster!

28. Seal cracks or holes in your home

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All of those annoying cracks and holes around your house that you may not even have noticed could be harboring the fruit flies. So when you are wondering where they could possibly be coming from, the flies could literally be inside the walls multiplying.

29. Change your old sponges or dishcloths

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When you realize that your fruit flies could be living and breeding in your old dishcloths and sponges, it will make you feel like throwing the entire lot out and starting afresh. It's horrifying to think that something we are trying to clean with, may contain fruit fly eggs!

30. Contact professional pest control

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Sometimes no matter how many tricks you do or try, there's nothing that seems to shift fruit flies. They seem to multiply and you just have no idea where they are coming from. So at this point, perhaps you should try calling professional pest control to get the situation under control.