When it comes to controlling pests in your home, fruit flies can be one of the most frustrating—and common—species you have to contend with.
These pesky little critters can quickly become an infestation if you don’t take care of them, so knowing how to get rid of fruit flies and keep them from coming back is essential! Here are five top tips on getting rid of Fruit Flies as much as possible.
Getting rid of Fruit Flies

1) Eliminate fruitflies with Hydrogen peroxide
When you first notice fruit flies, there are a few things you can do to eliminate them and their breeding grounds. Start by removing any rotting food in your garbage or recycling bins, as well as any food scraps on countertops or dining room tables.
Next, sterilize anything that has been contaminated with fruit flies—including sponges and dishcloths—by soaking them in hydrogen peroxide for an hour. And finally, use a vacuum cleaner to suck up adult fruit flies or larvae from carpets and other soft surfaces.
To kill future generations of fruit flies before they start multiplying, dilute one part hydrogen peroxide with three parts water in a spray bottle and lightly mist fruits and vegetables (anything that will be eaten raw) that have already been washed.
The mixture won’t harm produce, but it will kill most eggs and larvae. This should help keep fruit flies at bay until you’re ready to buy traps or call an exterminator.
In some cases, professional help is worth it; if infestations are severe enough to bother your neighbors, property values could suffer too.
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2) Vinegar
Vinegar is natural, non-toxic, and free. However, it only works if you use enough of it, so try mixing one part vinegar with two parts water and adding a few drops of dish soap.
Let the mixture sit for about an hour before putting it into a spray bottle (you can even add a few drops of essential oil for a nice smell). Then spray around your home as soon as you see fruit flies around. It will kill them instantly!
Make sure you follow up with cleaning because vinegar smells like death to flies – which means they’ll come back as soon as they can.
But if you clean thoroughly and then keep a spray bottle nearby at all times, you should be able to keep your house fly-free without spending money on traps or poisons.
Just remember that vinegar will kill other insects too; don’t leave out bowls of apple cider or wine unattended.
Just remember that vinegar will kill other insects too; don’t leave out bowls of apple cider or wine unattended. The Trap: If your kitchen doesn’t have many windows or doors leading outside – where these pesky little bugs could get in – there are some simple solutions that are better than nothing at all!
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3) Sticky Traps
This is one of those easy-to-make things that will make your life easier. It’s as simple as cutting a piece of sticky paper into a small rectangle, and then putting it in a jar or bowl with some apple cider vinegar and honey.
The fruit flies get stuck in there, can’t get out, and die. Super easy! The downside? It takes days for them to all drown and die, so if you don’t see results right away (which will be hard because you won’t want to look at those little pests), just give it some time and keep checking back.
You’ll eventually have dead fruit flies to show for it. They should stop breeding in about two weeks, too. If they start breeding again after that, simply replace more sticky traps.
I find it works best when you place them near where you typically see fruit flies around food waste but anywhere will do really.
Just remember to put some sort of liquid bait on top of your trap – no water is needed here! Just stickiness and sweetness. That’s all they like…and death apparently…yeah…death seems good too…
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4) Essential Oils
Get rid of fruit flies once and for all. Simply fill a small dish with water, add 10 drops of citrus essential oil (orange, lemon, or lime) and 1 drop of clove essential oil, and place in your kitchen. The smell will repel fruit flies by masking their sense of smell.
To keep fresh, change out every two weeks. Make sure you don’t mix other scents into your recipe as it may alter how well it works.
If you prefer a more natural solution that doesn’t involve any chemicals, consider making a homemade fly trap using coffee grounds, apple cider vinegar, and an old banana peel!
Place these ingredients into an open container and set it next to where you usually see fruit flies hovering around. They should be attracted to the scent of ripe bananas but they won’t be able to fly away from the coffee grounds because they get stuck on them when they land!
If you find yourself battling with fruit flies frequently, try placing a bowl filled with vinegar next to your sink; fruit flies are naturally attracted to vinegar so it is likely that they will go inside where there is no way out!
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5) Freeze Them!
One of the most popular ways of getting rid of fruit flies is through freezing. Simply gather all your dirty dishes and leave them outside overnight, then seal everything in a bag and put it in your freezer.
If you’re short on time, simply put some saran wrap over whatever food source they’re eating from, then throw it in a freezer for half an hour. When you take it out, any lingering fruit flies will have perished.