Updated: Mar. 03, 2023
Make sure you never have fruit flies.
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Fruit flies are undoubtedly pesky pests. They fly around your head while you cook, gather in groups on your kitchen counter and take up residence on your basket of fruit. And while you can shoo them away with a wave of your hand, they’re bound to come right back. Thankfully, there are ways to make sure that once you get rid of them, they stay away for good!
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Deter Them With Scents.
Fruit flies can’t stand the smell of basil, peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, lavender and clove. If you’ve had a fruit fly problem in the past, try placing these fragrant herbs in muslin sacks or tea bags and hanging them around the house. You could also buy them in essential oil form and use them in a diffuser.
Change Your Sponges and Dishcloths Regularly.
Since fruit flies are attracted to food and odors, it makes sense you’d want to keep the things that come in contact with their favorite snacks as fresh as possible. Never mind the fact that fruit flies can breed on these common household items. Yuck!
Keep Your Kitchen Sparkling
Much like with your sponges and dishcloths, it’s important you keep your whole kitchen, specifically your counters, as clean as possible. Dirty dishes should never be left in the sink, surely, but you should also wipe down your counters at least once a day with an all-purpose spray and a microfiber cloth. This will remove the fruit flies’ snack bar.
Try using this homemade all-purpose cleaner on countertops and surfaces to disinfect and freshen your home.
Clean Produce
Fruit flies catch a ride on your produce long before it enters your home, especially on the backs of bananas and melons. This is why it’s important that you wash the produce you plan to leave on the counter. You can purchase a fruit and vegetable wash for this purpose. Just be sure you do it as soon as you get back from the store to rid your food of any flies and their eggs.
Cover Up
For extra precaution, be sure that clean bowl of fruit is covered if left on the counter or table. You can use a cake dome or plastic wrap to ensure fruit flies aren’t attracted to your produce.
