Having flies buzzing around your kitchen can be worrisome. These pests can contaminate food and surfaces where food is prepared. Taking the time to make your space unwelcoming to them and using insecticides can help to keep flies away. We’ve made a list of tips to help you keep your kitchen free of pesky flies.
Don’t Let Flies in Your Home
One of the best ways to keep flies from taking over your kitchen is to ensure they can’t get inside.
- Check the exterior of your house for holes where flies could enter and seal any you find.
- Repair tears in window and door screens or replace screens that are too damaged to fix.
- If your doors and windows don’t have screens, you’ll want to keep them closed.
- Check seals on windows and doors, and repair any that are loose.
Minimize Moisture
Flies are attracted to damp environments, so you’ll want to minimize moisture build-up in your kitchen.
- Check for and resolve any plumbing problems such as leaks or dripping faucets.
- Ensure your drains aren’t clogged or draining slowly.
- Empty mop buckets after using them.
- Wipe down your counters and the floor near your sink to keep the area dry.
Remove Potential Food Sources
Flies like to snack on your crumbs, spilled drinks, and rotting food. To deter fly activity, you’ll want to remove potential food sources.
- Wipe down counters, and sweep and mop your floors to remove crumbs and spills.
- Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight.
- To avoid attracting fruit flies, don’t leave overripe produce on the counter.
- Store fruit, vegetables, and other food in the refrigerator or in airtight containers.
Take Out the Trash
Your trash bins can be a hangout spot for flies looking for food or a place to breed, so you’ll want to take steps to make this area as unattractive as possible.
- Make sure your trash can has a tight-fitting lid.
- Take out the trash when the bag becomes full.
- Wash your bins to remove food or sticky residues.
- Hang a Garbage Refresh Deodorizer & Insect Control block in your trash bin to help kill and repel flies and fruit flies while also deodorizing your trash bin.
Clean & Treat Your Drain
Drain flies like to live and breed in the organic matter found in drains. Keeping your drains clean can help to prevent these pests.
- Use a drain cover to help prevent food particles from accumulating in the drain.
- Scrub the drain with a metal brush to remove debris.
- Clean the drain with a microbial cleaner that digests the organic matter and scum in drains.
- Treat your drain with a Drain & Fruit Fly Killer to help kill adult drain flies, larvae, and eggs. This can also help to repel flies from laying eggs in the drain.
Use a Fruit Fly Trap
Placing a fruit fly trap in your kitchen can help to keep fruit flies away. Our Fruit Fly Trap discreetly lures and captures fruit flies, helping to prevent them from breeding and multiplying in your kitchen.
- If you’re dealing with an active fruit fly problem, place the trap close to where the flies are hanging out.
- Place traps in areas where fruit flies frequent including close to fruit bowls, around sinks and dishwashers, and near garbage areas.
- If you use more than one trap, space them at least three feet apart.
Use a Plant-Based Insecticide
Our plant-based Flying Insect Killer can also help to get rid of flies hanging out in your kitchen. It provides contact kill of houseflies and fruit flies and also has repellent properties. You can spray near areas where flies are likely to enter your home to help prevent them from entering. You can also use our Drain & Fruit Fly Killer to spray areas attractive to flies like trash bins. Put a standard sprayer top on the bottle to treat the area.
When flies invade your home, it’s important to take steps to get rid of them. Bug-proofing your space and using insecticides can help to keep flies out of your kitchen. If you’re dealing with a fly problem, we want to help! Check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products.