Baking Soda, Vinegar and Other Home Remedies for Drain Flies
Although moth flies are not particularly harmful, it can be really annoying when they invade your personal space. Apparently, households with drains that are not properly maintained offer an amazing place for these little pests to live and breed in.
They live to consume all that fermenting organic matter and bacteria that develops in those drains. On such decaying matter, a gelatinous slime also tends to develop. That’s where adult drain flies lay their eggs so that larvae can grow up inside that substance.
But how do you stop all this nuisance? We are going to talk about all the different remedies that can kill them once and for all.
Our Drain Fly Identification article will help you tell drain flies apart from other fly species.
Will Baking Soda Kill Drain Flies?
Baking soda is one of the main ingredients you are going to need. It can absolutely kill moth flies, yet you usually need to mix it with salt, water, vinegar or dish detergent. These are all effective drain fly killers but by mixing them together, you can end up with something even more effective.
The thing about baking soda is that it won’t attract them in of itself. The smell of fermenting foods is what moth flies are really looking for, which is why vinegar has to be part of the equation.
How do You Get Rid of Drain Flies Fast?
There are multiple simple methods that can help you to get rid of drain flies in a few hours. The simplest one is to pour a big pot of boiling water down the drain a few times every day for a week. This completely destroys the substance their eggs and larvae reside in.
If you want to kill the adult flies, then create a mix of salt, baking soda and vinegar. The vinegar should be double the amount of the soda and salt mix. Leave it near the drain they come from and they are eventually going to drown in it.
Does Apple Cider Vinegar Kill Drain Flies?
Apple cider vinegar can kill drain flies if you prepare it correctly. Take a glass or other similar container and pour some vinegar into it. Then take a plastic wrap and poke some holes in it so that moth flies can enter. Cover the glass with the plastic wrap, then put it near their breeding spot.
Drain flies are going to be attracted to the apple cider vinegar. Once entering, they are going to fall into the vinegar and drown.
Can Ammonia Kill Drain Flies?
Ammonia turns out to be a great solution when it comes to killing drain flies. You won’t need a lot of it though, as a few drops of ammonia is enough for a single drain. Just by pouring some ammonia into it, you can kill both the eggs, larvae and flies that live there.
Keep in mind that using bleach and then finishing off with ammonia is dangerous to your health. This mixture releases chlorine gas and you should avoid inhaling it at all costs. It can be fatal and there are many other, much safer ways to get rid of drain flies.
Will Pouring Bleach Down a Drain Kill Drain Flies?
The problem with bleach is that you would need so much of it to kill drain flies that it is not even worth to use alone. Bleach won’t stick to all that decaying organic matter there is in the drain. It will rather just slide by, damaging some of the gelatinous slime and killing off some of the flies and larvae.
Most of them are going to survive, as it won’t get to the eggs and larvae can survive without oxygen for a while. Moreover, we would recommend not to use bleach if you have and old pipe system under the drain. Bleach is corrosive and it would do more damage than good in that case.
How Much Bleach does it Take to Kill Drain Flies?
One thing we can tell you about bleach is that you would need a ridiculous amount of it in order to kill all the drain flies, larvae and eggs. It is simply not reasonable to use only bleach to kill drain flies. Even if you would pour down multiple bottles of it, some of the eggs or larvae would most likely survive.
A simpler and more cost-effective way to get rid of them is using baking soda and vinegar. You can start with pouring down at least half a cup of baking soda. Once it’s in there, continue by pouring in at least a full cup of vinegar.
In an hour or two, all the larvae, eggs and adult moth flies will be dead. It loosens up the buildup in your drain, which is why you need the final touch of pouring some boiling water down the drain.
Does Rubbing Alcohol Kill Drain Flies?
Using alcohol for eradicating drain flies is not a bad idea either. Once you locate the drains where they breed, you need to make sure the sink hasn’t been used for a few hours. It has to be relatively dry before you pour in the alcohol.
Then, get a bottle of 90% rubbing alcohol and just pour some of it down the drain. This has to be repeated in about every half an hour if you want those drain flies to be gone once and for all. If you don’t have 90% rubbing alcohol at home, strong alcoholic beverages such as top-shelf vodka can also work.
The goal is to make that decaying organic matter soak in as much alcohol as possible.
Will Boiling Water Kill Drain Flies?
As mentioned above, pouring boiling water down the drain is the simplest way to get rid of drain flies. However, this method is not going to kill all the moth flies and their larvae overnight. You need to pour down a big pot of boiling water at least two times a day throughout a week or two.
If you do this consistently, then you are going to end up with a clean drain with no drain flies in it.
More House Remedies and a Bio Drain Gel Solution
In one of our other articles we collected 10 house remedies how to get rid of drain flies and also reviewed a very useful but 100% bio drain gel. It can be your ultimate solution if the above mentioned house remedies don’t solve your drain fly infestation.
Click here to read the article: How to Get Rid of Drain Flies
Frequently Asked Questions
Ammonia & drain flies – will this chemical kill these small, flying bugs?
