Fruit flies are unwelcome pests that typically make an appearance during the warmer months, especially from late spring through to early autumn. While the pesky flies are most famously drawn to overripe fruit, sugary spills or the remnants of your bin, they also love warm, moist environments, which makes your kitchen and bathroom drains a perfect spot for them to lay eggs.
In fact, if you’ve cleaned up all visible food sources and still see fruit flies hovering around your sink, it’s likely there’s an infestation. They can lay hundreds of eggs at a time, and within a day or two, those eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the organic sludge coating the inside of the pipes. To stop fruit flies from laying further eggs, one cleaning guru has shared a DIY concoction to pour down your sink that promises to “get rid of them and keep them from coming back”.
Bethany, who goes by pnw.bethany on TikTok, says she learned the three-ingredient hack from a pest control expert.
“Nothing is more pesky than those little fruit flies. It’s like you squish one and then all of a sudden there’s 100 more,” she said in a video.
“Did you know that the fruit flies actually lay their eggs in your drains? That’s right. So your sink may have fruit flies, which is also why you might see them in your bathrooms, which means we’ve got to clear out those drains.”
The content creator suggests using baking soda, white vinegar and boiling water, which can safely be poured down the drain. This natural combination is used for clearing minor clogs and neutralising smells.
“We’re going to go ahead and just pour the baking soda down into the drain, and then add the white vinegar that’s going to create the foam, which is going to help clear out that drain. Add some more if you see the baking soda still sitting there,” said Bethany.
After the baking soda and vinegar have mixed to create a foam, you can then pour over the boiling water.
She added: “Basically, we are frying any eggs that may still be down in there. Once that’s done, just go ahead and rinse out any excess, and that’s it. You’re going to be surprised at how much that gets rid of all the fruit flies.
“Besides, the kitchen, I always do the bathrooms as well – and once I’ve done all the drains we rarely see any more fruit flies the entire season.”
Bethany also shared a hack to get rid of any of the flies still lingering around your home. She suggests mixing apple cider vinegar, dish soap and a splash of honey in a jar.
“Then just swish it around, put plastic wrap over the top and poke tiny little holes in it. The little fruit flies like to go in, and as soon as they touch the liquid, the dish soap pulls them down,” she said.