How to get rid of fruit flies
Fruit flies clear in 3–7 days once you find and remove the source — usually overripe fruit, a forgotten potato in the pantry, the drain, or the recycling bin. A cheap apple cider vinegar trap mops up adults while the eggs run out of food.
Tools
- ✓For the DIY ACV trap.
- ✓Cover for the trap.
- ✓Secures the plastic wrap.
Materials
- +The active ingredient in the DIY trap. Smells like fermenting fruit; flies dive in and can't escape.
- +A single drop breaks the surface tension so flies sink instead of floating.
- +Pre-made, decorative, lasts 30 days. Worth it if you don't want a bowl on the counter.
- +Enzyme-based. Treats drains where fruit flies (actually often drain flies) breed in the biofilm.
Steps
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1
Find and remove the source
Check fruit bowls, the bottom of the pantry, behind the trash can, under the fridge, the recycling bin, and the bottom of the dish drainer. Anything fermenting feeds them.
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2
Take the trash and recycling out
Rinse the recycling bin (especially anything that held beer, wine, or fruit juice). Wipe the inside of the trash can.
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3
Build a vinegar trap
Fill a small bowl with 1 inch of apple cider vinegar. Add one drop of dish soap. Cover with plastic wrap. Poke 5–6 small holes with a toothpick. Place near where flies congregate.
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4
Treat the drains
Pour Bio-Clean enzyme cleaner down kitchen sink drains and disposal at bedtime. Lets enzymes break down the biofilm overnight. If you're certain flies are coming from the drain (they hover around the sink), repeat for 3 nights.
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5
Clean as you go for the next week
Don't leave dishes overnight, don't leave fruit out, wipe spills immediately, take trash out daily. New eggs hatch in 24–30 hours; remove their food and the population crashes.