Household insects are pain, and getting rid of them is even harder if you don’t act quick and smart. With so many different types of household insects that infest our homes, it isn’t surprising that people are consistently looking for effective ways to get rid of them for good. Drain flies are of the same nature and congregate on standing water, something that you don’t need in your home, especially if you don’t want to end up struggling with the slightest of impacts on your health.
If you are here wondering how to get rid of drain flies, we have sorted out all the information that you’d likely need to know about.
Also read: 10 Ways to Get Rid of Fruit Flies Instantly at Home
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What Causes Drain Flies Infestation?
Unlike some of the other types of flies and insects that are attracted to food particles and trash, drain flies are attracted to moisture and shallow water. If you have water stagnant around the house, drain flies are likely going to hover over them and cause an infestation in the long run.
But that doesn’t mean that the drain flies don’t infest over food crumbs and organic waste. You need to be mindful of every last bit of trigger around your home that could be causing an infestation and get rid of the same for good.
Some incidents have even shown that drain flies can infest in cleaner areas too. So, even if you tend to have a clean workshop or basement, the chances are that you will need to check them every once in a while to rule out any possible infestation.
What are the Signs of a Drain Flies Infestation?
If you witness a sign of drain flies in your home, even one or two, you need to put sticky tape around the entrance site and then leave it overnight. If the infestation is too bad, the chances are that you will have a few flies attached to the tape by the end of the night.
Best Ways to Get Rid of Drain Flies
Like any other insect that has infiltrated your home, getting rid of drain flies is equally easy. All you need to do is find the right techniques to implement. In this section, we have sorted out some of the most effective techniques that you can take a look into.
1. Start Cleaning the Pipelines
The first and likely one of the most effective things you can do is take a cleaning solution and go to town. Start by cleaning down the pipeline and the drain and around the sink to ensure that you get rid of all the possible spaces that the infestation could be in. Not just spraying or throwing the solution down the drain, you also need to use a pipe brush to clean around the insides of the pipe to get out any gunk or dirt.
You can also try to pour down some boiling water down the sink to help you with the infestation of drain flies. This should effectively work a lot better than you’d anticipate and even get rid of any clogs that you might have in the drain.
2. Try Baking Soda, Salt, and Vinegar
These three are hands down the most go-to items that you can find in your kitchen, and you’d be surprised to know that they work like magic to get rid of any kinds of dirt or infestation that you see around your home. The baking soda, salt, and vinegar solution has been effective in cleaning the drain overnight and even rule out any blockages that you might have.
Also, once you have poured the solution down the drain, you can douse the same further with some boiling water to clean out the infestation and any kinds of blockage that you might be struggling with. Make sure you pour the baking soda solution the night before and leave it overnight before you pour down some boiling water down the drain the next morning.
3. Dry all the Drain Areas
Since drain flies are attracted to moisture and stagnant water, it isn’t surprising that you should dry out all the drain areas effectively before going to sleep every night. Not just drain flies, fruit flies can also infest in such areas. So, before going to sleep every night, make sure that you dry out all the drain areas and get rid of any moisture or water leaks from the surrounding spots.
Also, once you are done drying out the drain areas, you can put sticky tape around the drain openings to trap any drain flies that try to move in or out of the drain.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar Solution
Like the simple vinegar procedure, even apple cider vinegar works equally well. The flies are attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar; however, the moment they lick into the solution, they will die because of the acidity. However, when you are using the apple cider vinegar solution, make sure that you leave it overnight by the sink to get as much as the flies as possible.
5. Get Professional Help
Even though it might seem like it, drain flies aren’t as easy to get rid of as they look. If none of the above methods are working out for you, your next best option is to opt for professional help and call in pest control to your home. They cannot just help source the site of infestation of the insects; they can further help get rid of the excess range of infestation that you likely have in your home. More than anything, you are likely doing yourself a favor by getting rid of all signs of insect and pest infestation in your home.
6. Try Soap, Water, Sugar, and Vinegar Mixture
Another effective way to get rid of the drain flies is with bait that you can set up. Unlike the baking powder and vinegar solution you put down the drain, the soap water, sugar, and vinegar mixture are more of a trap. If you want a natural way to get rid of drain flies, this is one of the most effective methods.
For this, all you need to do is take a shallow bowl and fill it with water. Add a teaspoon of sugar into it and mix till it dissolves. Add 1 tbsp of vinegar to the solution too. Once everything is mixed and dissolved, you can go ahead and add a few drops of dish soap to the mixture and then mix everything till it becomes frothy. The drain flies will be attracted to the sugar and get trapped in the bubbles, and then die.
7. Try Chemical Sprays and Repellents
If the natural methods don’t work for you, the next best thing to do is by using chemical sprays. Chemical sprays and repellents have been found to have promising impacts in getting rid of the drain flies for good and within a very short period. Just ensure that if you are spraying them around the kitchen, clean the surfaces or open food materials lying around the surface.
There are solution-based chemical repellents and even gel-based ones that you can consider looking into. At the end of the day, you need to find the option that technically works the best for your needs.
8. Use a Fly Swatter
If nothing else works, you need to get into doing the hard work, and a fly swatter is an amazing tool for that. All you need to do is take it and find the infestation site and put down all your frustration to kill every last one that flies out. You need to be extremely vigilant if you don’t want to end up with fly bites on your skin.
Also, make sure that you kill out all the ones visible around because if you miss, they will eventually find another site of infestation to bore into.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes? | 14 Effective Ways
If you have been looking for ways on how to get rid of drain flies, we hope this article gives you all the insights that you need to know about. Just ensure that you find the right method and the source of the infestation before you go to town with it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can Bleach Kill Drain Flies?
Yes, bleach is quite a potent way to get rid of the drain flies for good. The toxic chemicals in the bleach effectively kill the drain flies and eliminate their infestation for good.
How to Prevent Drain Flies?
If you haven’t necessarily found an infestation in your home, the best thing to do is to prevent them from entering your home. The best you can do is seal off the cracks, get rid of moisture and stagnant water around the house, etc.
How to Get Rid of Drain Flies From the Toilet?
The best way to get rid of drain flies from the toilet is by treating them with a copious amount of baking soda. This can help kill the drain flies and eventually clear out the clogs too.
