Drain flies are fuzzy little insects which like spending their lives across many homes around the world. More precisely, in drainpipes and sewerages of such homes. They like to feed on the scam that people produce, and they will often eat the most various meals ever. But, even with them being not that picky when it comes to food, it seems there are some fragrances which they loathe. So, what smell do drain flies hate?
If you are thinking of trying to get rid of your new roommates with the use of different fragrances instead of reaching to harsh chemicals, it may just be worth the try.
How Do You Get Rid of Drain Flies Naturally?
Harsh chemical products are certainly the most effective during any kind of cleaning activity, including battles against drain flies. Or against any other insect. However, more and more people today tend to avoid such products, as they are not only unsafe for the environment, but they can occasionally present health risks for our families, too.
There are several natural and homemade remedies which you can use in the attempt of getting rid of drain gnats. And some of them are as simple as growing plants which have strong fragrances and which flies are known to hate. Others, alternatively, include setting some extremely simple traps, combined of products typically present across households.
If you have decided to first try getting rid of gnats with the help of fly-repelling plants, here comes a list of the most effective ones.
Basil
Basil is an amazingly helpful plant. It has a strong fragrance which flies literally hate. Planting basil around your kitchen or other areas of your home should really keep flies away, as they will do anything to avoid such smell. On the other side, basil smells amazingly, if you ask us. And, of course, it makes an amazing condiment for your culinary adventures.
Mint
Mint is a super-efficient plant to have around your home. Mint not only makes almost any cocktail taste better, but it has a strong smell which flies do not like at all.
Lavender
Same goes for lavender. On top of that, lavender looks really nice in every garden, and is super easy to grow. This plant will not take much time from you but will surely help you in keeping all those flies away.
Marigold
Finally, a flower which not only looks nice, but also keeps gnats away. Marigolds are such a common flower around many households and their gardens, but did you know that flies cannot stand their fragrance?
If none of these plants fit your home nicely, or you cannot stand their smell yourself, another potentially good thing to try is using strongly fragranced home products instead of planting.
Cloves
Wintertime is a good occasion to place some dry cloves around your home and enjoy their Christmas-reminding smell. Sewer gnats detest cloves, so this should keep them away from the affected areas.
Cinnamon
Same as for cloves, cinnamon also makes one of those fragrances which flies hate and people love. So, why not mix those two together, and double the fun? You can even make a glass of spiced wine while waiting for flies to leave.
Apple cider vinegar & liquid soap
Here comes a smell that flies love- apple and vinegar. So, obviously, we are not expecting them to be used as a repellent, but they can make a surprisingly good fly trap when mixed with liquid soap and placed into a bowl.
Essential oils
If you are not a fan of having either live or dry plants around your home, you may want to try with some essential oils. Those made from eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, and citronella seem to keep flies away quite efficiently.
What Essential Oil Kills Drain Flies?
Some people like to use essential oils not just to keep flies away from the affected areas of a home, but also to kill them. If you are one of those, you can find here a list of the oils which flies hate.
Essential oils can sometimes seriously harm human skin if it they get in touch for a while. Can you imagine what can they do to the tiny bodies of flies, then? Spraying flies with essential oils is surely effective, but is that perhaps just a bit cruel, too?
Killing flies in this or another way is probably very alike, one could say, as using slippers or drowning traps is just as bad as spraying them with oils, probably. However, we do suggest using other ways of killing flies, and to use essential oils simply to repel them.
Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, or citronella are some of the fragrances which are known to be loathed by insects (with lavender probably being the most effective so far). Simply pouring half or an entire cup of such essential oil onto a sponge or cloth, and later placing it into a small can, might do miracles in keeping flies away. If you are going to use any essential oil from our list, other than the lavender oil, it would then be recommendable to dilute the liquid with a bit of alcohol first.
Whichever option you choose here, you can simply refresh your fragrance with adding a few drops of essential oil every now and then.
Drain gnats should avoid such smelly areas of your home.
100% Bio Drain Gel Against Drain Flies
Another completely bio-friendly product which can help into fighting away drain flies is a commercial one. The InVade Bio Drain Gel can be ordered online and is a quite affordable option. Also, it is quite innovative and makes the first choice among many households today.
This probiotic cleaning gel is based on enzymes instead of chemicals. Enzymes attack flies, but they will also make sure that fly feeding and breeding sources are gone, too. This is the only way of being sure that flies are not going to come back at some point.
Bio drain gels are not only a good remedy among fly problems but are also amazing for doing preventive drainpipes cleaning flushes.
If you wish to find out more about it, or some other homemade remedies for scaring away flies, you may want to read our complete guide and tips.