Best Way to Get Rid of Flies in Your House

By HomeAdvisor

Updated January 27, 2021

close-up of a fly

The best way to get rid of flies in your home is to use a light trap that attracts and zaps flies with electricity. Sticky tape traps and pest control sprays that are safe for indoors are also effective. If you prefer home remedies, try vinegar, cayenne pepper or planting herbs around your home.

On This Page:

  1. Best Way to Get Rid of Flies
    1. Fastest
    2. Easiest
    3. Safest
  2. Best Way to Catch Flies on a Budget
  3. Best Thing to Kill Flies on Contact
  4. Best Way to Get Rid of Drain Flies
  5. Home Remedies for Repelling Flies

Whether you have a few flies or an entire infestation, they can be obnoxious. Not only that, but they often carry diseases like E. coli, tuberculosis and cholera. Keeping your home clean indoors and out is one way to keep them at bay, but even the cleanest homes can develop a fly problem. Try these commercial products and home remedies to get rid of them.

Best Way to Get Rid of Flies

The best way to get rid of flies in the house is to use a light trap. These electronic traps attract flies with light. Once they land on them, they zap them, killing them instantly. Homeowners love them because they don’t bring harsh chemicals into their home, and they work well.

But light traps aren’t perfect. They cost more than other methods, and they require some extra cleanup. If you use one in your kitchen, you’ll want to get rid of dead flies immediately. And while they kill adult flies, they don’t tackle eggs and larvae.

If you choose to get rid of flies with a light trap, don’t place it near doors and windows. It attracts flies from the outdoors, causing an even bigger pest control problem.

Fastest Way to Get Rid of Flies

The quickest way to get rid of flies involves using various solutions, from traps to sprays. At the same time, you’ll want to seal up all entryways, screens and keep food safely stored.

Easiest Way to Kill Flies

Lay out light traps and use a mixture of vinegar and dish soap for the easiest DIY. It’s easy to do and works well for fruit flies and drain flies. Call a professional exterminator for an even easier solution.

Safest Way to Get Rid of Flies

Since flies carry disease, the fastest way to remove them is also the safest. You can even skip the chemicals and use a light trap plus vinegar and water. Pyrethrin kills them on contact and it’s non-toxic to humans.

Best Way to Catch Flies on a Budget

Electronic light traps are expensive, so if you’re on a budget, consider using sticky traps. These traps are long sticky pieces of paper that you tack to a wall or door. They attract flies and trap them once they land.

While sticky traps aren’t as effective as light traps, they do get the job done. They may even help catch other annoying insects and bugs, like mosquitoes and gnats. Best of all, there’s no cleanup. Once the flies fill the trap, just take it down and throw it away.

Some homeowners find that sticky traps have an unpleasant scent. They aren’t very attractive either. While it’s working, you have a strip of dead flies hanging from your wall.

Best Thing to Kill Flies on Contact

Insecticide sprays are always an option if you want something that kills flies on contact. They’re generally inexpensive, and you can buy them at your local hardware store or grocery store. Sprays are available for both indoor and outdoor use.

If you plan to use a spray indoors, make sure you purchase one that is pyrethrin-based. Pyrethrin comes naturally from chrysanthemum plants and is an effective and commonly used pesticide regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Ventilate the room where you use it. Never spray it around food, children or pets. If you use a spray outdoors, keep in mind that it may kill beneficial bugs and insects as well.

While an insecticide spray kills flies instantly, they can build up a resistance over time. This means it’s not a good long-term solution like the traps. And some homeowners don’t like spraying chemicals in their homes, even if they’re labeled safe for indoors.

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Best Way to Get Rid of Drain Flies

If you have drain flies coming up through your sink or shower drains, you can usually take care of small infestations by pouring boiling water down your drain. You may need to repeat this step a few times a week to see results.

Another option that works well is to mix together:

  • Half a cup of baking soda
  • Half a cup of salt
  • One cup of vinegar

Pour the mixture down your drain, and let it sit overnight without running the water. The next morning, pour boiling water down over it.

If that doesn’t work, try using a commercial product that helps unclog drains. While they aren’t meant to kill flies, they will help eliminate any kind of debris where the flies are building a nest. They can also get rid of eggs and larvae.

Home Remedies for Repelling Flies

If you prefer home remedies and organic pest control methods, try making vinegar traps. Fill a glass container with about an inch of apple cider vinegar, and add a few drops of dish soap. Cover the container with plastic wrap, but poke a few small holes in the plastic. Flies are attracted to the vinegar, and once they enter the holes, they won’t be able to escape.

Some other home remedies help keep flies away from your home too. Try one or more of the following:

  1. Create your own insecticide spray by mixing one-part cayenne pepper with 16-parts water.
  2. Make your own repellent by mixing essential oils and water. Use oils like lavender, mint or lemongrass.
  3. Plant herbs like lavender, basil and catnip in window boxes and near your doors.
  4. Purchase a venus flytrap — it’s a plant that eats flies.

Flies in your home that just won’t go away may mean you need to find the source of the problem. Look for any areas in or around your home where garbage, rotting plants or standing water collects. A pest inspection service near you has the experience and tools to help you get rid of a fly infestation too.

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