Getting rid of flies can feel impossible – but this hack could help.
Flies are attracted to decomposing leftovers, often congregating around bins where discarded bits of meals end up. Efforts to eliminate these pests can be frustrating, yet thankfully a cleaning enthusiast has offered a simple solution that won’t drive you to despair. You only need one common kitchen ingredient and some water, which you can combine to create a spray that promises to deter flies indefinitely.
Cleaning influencer Babs, famed for her TikTok posts on household upkeep, advises that to stop flies from hovering near your bins, ensure your garbage is disposed of “before it starts smelling”. But to keep them at bay thereafter, mix white vinegar and water together to form a fly-deterring spray.
She explained: “The key is, once a week, use equal parts of white vinegar and water and spray away. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and wipe down.” Demonstrating in her video, Babs uses a vinegar-water mix sprayed over her kitchen bin lid. This concoction can be used within the bin for enhanced efficacy.
Babs also shared her wisdom for dealing with pesky “drain flies”, the tiny flies akin to fruit flies that breed in household drains.
She added: “Use half a cup of salt, half a cup of baking soda, and one cup of white vinegar. Plug that drain and let it sit overnight. The next morning, pour boiling water right down the drain, and that’s going to take care of those drain flies.”
However, for those with plastic plumbing, you should use hot water instead of boiling to avoid damaging the pipes.
Social media users were ecstatic about the tips. One remarked: “Good tip, especially at this time of year!” Another comment read: “For some reason flies are so bad this year! I’ve never had an issue and it makes me feel so dirty.”