One simple 30-second evening habit could keep flies out of your home all summer long, with no specialist products needed
Flies can be hard to get rid of in the home during the summer months(Image: Getty)
With summer just around the corner, most of us are already daydreaming about holidays or lazy days basking in the sunshine. However, now is actually the perfect time to ensure flies don’t become a nuisance in your home – and last year, a simple yet effective solution to keep them at bay for good came to light.
Last July, Reach’s Katherine McPhillips found herself battling a severe fly infestation in the kitchen, with every remedy seemingly falling short. The bin was scrubbed spotless, all fruit was removed from the worktops, and vinegar fly traps were set out, which provided some relief.
Yet the pesky insects kept coming back.
Frustration mounted as windows had to remain firmly shut despite the sweltering heat, all because the real culprit – the sink drain – had gone unnoticed as the source attracting the flies indoors, reports the Mirror.
Why check your sink drain in summer?
Flies are attracted to food waste, which is why giving your bin a thorough clean is typically the first suggestion when they become a problem – but sink drains are just as susceptible to food debris on a daily basis.
Many households fail to realise just how much food residue makes its way down the drain during washing up, and flies possess remarkably keen senses, allowing them to detect decomposing matter even from outside your home.
If your sink drain hasn’t had a thorough clean recently, flies may be drawn to it simply because it provides a warm, damp environment with plenty of food sources for them to flourish.
Luckily, Katherine caught her fly issue early on – but if ignored for too long, flies can start laying eggs, leaving you fighting an infestation for the rest of the summer
The positive news is that you don’t need to spend ages scrubbing out a drain or forking out on specialist products. Katherine managed to keep flies away simply by pouring boiling water down her drain.
How to keep flies out of your home in summer
All it required was filling up her kettle, waiting for it to boil, and slowly pouring the hot water down the drain each evening before going to bed.
Katherine maintained this routine every day throughout July and August – a mere 30 seconds of effort – and she had absolutely no further issues with flies, allowing her to keep my windows open throughout the day.
The boiling water removed any food debris from the drain, eliminating the smells that attract flies in the first place, while also killing any insects that may already have been hiding in her kitchen.
Katherine also set up several apple vinegar traps around the house, changed out her bin bag daily, and positioned herb plants near her windows, as flies are notorious for detesting their scent. Katherine is hesitant to spray insect repellent indoors as she owns a dog and I’m concerned about how the chemicals might affect him – so finding such a straightforward method to keep flies at bay throughout the summer was a huge relief.
