How To Get Rid Of Flies

When pests get in your house, it can ruin your day (or longer if there's a serious infestation). To get rid of ants, people have to go ant traps or find DIY solutions, but to get rid of flies, people are often told to grab a fly swatter. Still, that solution doesn't stop flies from entering your house. It only stops them in their tracks once they're already in your house. And not everyone wants to kill flies, anyway! They might just want them to remain outdoors.

Flies have been the topic of conversation more since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic than usual, too. Some have wondered if flies can transmit COVID-19 because they fly around and interact with so many people in their short life spans. Then there was the infamous fly that landed in Mike Pence's hair during a debate last year. If the debate's venue had subscribed to the following removal methods, that might have never happened!

Before spending any money on fancy fly treatments, turn to your cabinets. According to MedicineNet, scents that keep flies away include cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, cloves, lavender, and mint, with essential oils in these scents working, too. Spraying windows or other problem areas wherein flies might arrive with apple cider vinegar or keeping cinnamon sticks near them could help prevent these pests from entering your home. If flies have already entered your home, however, it may be too late to employ these tricks — so here's what to do instead.

Turn to your baking shelf and grab honey or sugar. According to Healthline, making traps out of these simple pantry items can lure flies in with ease, and you can remove them from your home once trapped. Of course, Healthline adds that you can invest in some venus fly traps, too, if you want a real hands-off answer.

To get rid of flies, you should also rid your kitchen of foods and other items that may strike their attention. According to The Spruce, problem items could include a sink with too many dirty dishes, rotten produce on your counters, half-empty pet food bowls, and open trash cans. All of these things invite flies into your home, so maintaining general cleanliness, especially in the kitchen, can be a game-changer. You can also grab strips of fly paper from your local supermarket. These strips are sticky and, if stationed near entrance areas, catch flies when they fly inside. They can't get off of the tape and therefore don't make a nuisance or lay eggs.

Overall, getting rid of flies isn't as bad as it sounds. You simply need to up your cleaning habits if necessary and otherwise use some household items or cheap supermarket products to maintain your preventative measures once you're rid of them. If the problem becomes too bad, meaning the fly has laid eggs and your home is getting infested, you should call a professional to remedy the situation, per Country Living.