No one likes to see a swarm of drain flies hovering around their kitchen and bathroom sinks. These flies seem to mysteriously come out of nowhere and be a quite unsightly and unwelcome house guest.Even further, these drain flies may have some worried about the health risks they pose to the members of their household. Getting rid of drain flies might seem impossible, but with some diligence, they can be eliminated.
Clean and stop up your sinks
It might seem obvious, but if you’re suffering from drain flies, be sure to clean your sinks, and clean them well. Use an antibacterial cleaner, or a cleaner with bleach, such as Comet. Once your sinks are cleaned thoroughly, rinse them and then pat them dry with a towel. Drain flies thrive in moist environments, and even just water droplets in a sink can promote their colonization of your kitchen or bathroom. Dry the sinks out well, and then put a stopper in the sink. Stoppers can be bought at department and hardware stores, but if you don’t want to spend money, you can wad up a grocery bag and stuff it in the sink. Just remember to remove the bag anytime you plan to turn on the water. Stopping up the sinks and drains will help prevent them from hiding, or laying their eggs in the drain.
Eliminate food sources
Drain flies are great at finding food in the most inconspicuous of places. Go through your house and eliminate any sources of food you might find. Place fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. Make sure bread products are tightly sealed and wrapped. Clean up any gunky spills, messes or debris that they may be attracting the flies. Pay special attention to the areas that the flies seem to be congregating the most.
Eliminate the majority
Using a vacuum hose or a shop-vacuum with an extension, try to sneak up on the flies and vacuum them up. You may not be able to get them all, but you should be able to get some of them. Every fly you eliminate is one that won’t contribute to the repopulation of drain flies in your home. Once you’ve vacuumed up all the flies you can, fold a grocery bag in quarters, then wrap it around the vacuum tube and secure it with a rubber band. This will prevent the drain flies from escaping the vacuum chamber.
Bait them
You can bait drain flies with a mixture of vinegar, dish soap and juice concentrate. Mix approximately two tablespoons of vinegar with one tablespoon of sweet juice concentrate (such as apple or grape) and then add a tiny bit of dish soap to the mixture. The dish soap breaks the tension on the fluid so that the flies are unable to rest on the surface. The vinegar and juice will attract the flies and they will drown themselves. Leave flat dishes filled with this solution in the problem areas of your home overnight. For added affect, place them under a night light which will attract them even more.