The fastest way to get rid of flies in your house depends on which type you’re dealing with. Fruit flies, house flies, and drain flies each respond to different traps and strategies, but they all share one thing in common: removing their food or breeding source is the only permanent fix. Traps buy you time while you address the root cause.
Identify Which Fly You Have
Before setting traps, take a close look at the flies in your home. The three most common indoor species need different approaches.
Fruit flies are tiny (about 1/8 inch), tan or brownish, and usually have red eyes. They hover around fruit bowls, trash cans, and anywhere food is decomposing. They’re small enough to pass right through standard window screens.
House flies are the larger, gray-black flies that buzz around kitchens and land on surfaces. They’re attracted to food waste, pet waste, and garbage.
Drain flies are small, dark gray to black, and look fuzzy or moth-like. They hold their broad wings flat or tent-shaped over their bodies and tend to hover near sinks and tubs. They breed in the slimy organic film that builds up inside drain pipes. To confirm a drain is the source, place a strip of clear packing tape across the opening overnight without fully sealing it. If you find flies stuck to the tape in the morning, that drain is a breeding site.
Apple Cider Vinegar Traps for Fruit Flies
This is the most reliable DIY method for fruit flies. Pour about half an inch of apple cider vinegar into a jar or small bowl and add two or three drops of dish soap. The vinegar smells irresistibly sweet to fruit flies, drawing them in. The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the liquid, so instead of landing safely on top, the flies sink and drown.
Place the trap near your fruit bowl or wherever you see the most activity. You can boost the trap’s effectiveness by adding a small amount of yeast to the vinegar, which increases fermentation and makes the scent stronger. Other attractants that work in the same setup include red wine, banana slices, orange slices, and apple cider. Replace the liquid every two or three days as it fills with flies or loses its potency.
For a more contained version, cover the jar with plastic wrap, poke a few small holes in it, and secure it with a rubber band. Flies crawl in through the holes but can’t easily find their way back out.
Eliminating Fruit Fly Breeding Sites
Traps will catch adult flies, but they won’t stop the cycle if the breeding source stays in place. A single piece of overripe fruit can produce dozens of new flies. Take out trash regularly, refrigerate or discard any soft or bruised produce, and wipe down counters where fruit juice or spills have dried. Check under appliances and behind the trash can for forgotten food scraps. Recycling bins with residue from beer bottles or juice containers are another common source people overlook.
Getting Rid of Drain Flies
Drain flies breed in the greasy, organic buildup that coats the inside of pipes, so killing the adults without cleaning the drain won’t solve the problem. Start with the simplest approach and escalate if needed.
For a mild infestation (just a few flies), pour a pot of boiling water slowly down the drain. This temporarily melts the greasy film and flushes it further down the line. It often needs repeating every day or two.
For a more thorough treatment, pour half a cup of baking soda into the drain followed by one cup of white vinegar. The fizzing reaction helps break up buildup near the top of the pipe. Let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes, then flush with hot water.
If the problem persists, you’ll need to physically scrub. Use a stiff, long-handled brush (a pipe brush or bottle brush works) to scrub as far down the drain as you can reach, loosening the slimy film where larvae live. Follow up with boiling water. For stubborn cases, an enzymatic or bacterial drain cleaner designed to break down organic films will work through the entire pipe over several applications. Avoid caustic chemical drain cleaners, which can damage pipes and don’t target the biofilm as effectively.
Fly-Repelling Plants
Several common herbs and plants emit scents that flies avoid. Keeping a pot of basil on your kitchen windowsill does double duty as a cooking ingredient and a fly deterrent. Lavender repels flies, mosquitoes, and moths. Fresh mint, placed near doorways or windows, also discourages flies from entering.
Tansy is particularly effective as an indoor fly repellent. Tying a bunch of dried tansy leaves and hanging it in a room is an old but well-regarded method. Rue is another option that deters flies along with several garden pests. These plants work best as a supplement to other methods rather than a standalone solution, especially during a heavy infestation.
Essential Oil Sprays (With a Pet Safety Warning)
You can make a simple spray by mixing 10 to 15 drops of essential oil with water in a spray bottle and misting it around windows, doorways, and trash cans. Peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and lavender are commonly used. The strong scent discourages flies from lingering in treated areas, though you’ll need to reapply every day or two as the scent fades.
If you have cats, birds, or dogs, be very careful with essential oils. Tea tree oil is the most commonly reported cause of essential oil poisoning in pets. Eucalyptus, pennyroyal, cedar, and cinnamon oil can also cause serious problems, including seizures and liver damage. Ultrasonic or nebulizing diffusers are especially risky because they release tiny oil droplets that settle on fur and feathers. Pets then ingest the oil while grooming. If you have animals in the house, stick to plants or vinegar traps instead.
DIY Traps for House Flies
House flies aren’t drawn to vinegar the way fruit flies are. For the larger species, a simple sugar water trap works better. Mix two tablespoons of sugar into about a cup of water, add a squirt of dish soap, and leave it in a shallow bowl. You can also use a piece of overripe fruit or a few drops of honey as bait.
A homemade bottle trap works well for house flies too. Cut the top third off a plastic bottle, invert it into the bottom section to form a funnel, and add your bait liquid. Flies follow the scent in through the funnel but struggle to fly back out through the narrow opening.
Sticky fly strips, while not the most attractive option, are genuinely effective. Hanging one near a window or light source catches house flies passively throughout the day.
UV Light Traps
Plug-in UV light traps attract flies using ultraviolet light in the 360 to 370 nanometer range, which is highly attractive to house flies and many other flying insects. The flies are drawn to the light and then caught on a glue board or zapped by an electric grid. These traps work around the clock and are especially useful in rooms where food is stored or prepared. They’re most effective when placed away from competing light sources, like windows during the day, so the UV light stands out.
Why Carnivorous Plants Won’t Solve the Problem
Venus flytraps and sundew plants look appealing as a natural solution, but the math doesn’t work out. A typical Venus flytrap catches only two to three flies per month. Sundew plants can handle tiny gnats and fruit flies but lack the size to trap house flies, and their catch rate is too low to make a noticeable dent in an infestation. They’re fun to grow but not a practical pest control strategy.
Preventing Flies From Coming Back
Once you’ve dealt with the immediate problem, a few habits keep flies from returning. Store fruit in the refrigerator once it begins to ripen. Empty kitchen trash cans daily during warm months. Rinse out bottles and cans before putting them in the recycling bin. Clean drains with baking soda and hot water once a week as maintenance. Keep windows and doors screened, and repair any tears in existing screens, since fruit flies are small enough to slip through damaged mesh. Wipe down counters after cooking, and don’t leave pet food sitting out overnight.