Keep flies out of your house and trash this summer with these tricks
Summertime is a time for outdoor activities: dinner on the grill, days at the beach, and water balloon fights in the front yard. But with warmer weather and more frequent trips outdoors comes a familiar summer annoyance–flies. No matter how careful you try to be, flies seem to always make their way into homes, trash cans, and cars. Flies love to buzz around wherever there's food and to clumsily bump into people, windows, and doors when they're getting shooed out of the house.
Ugly, sticky fly strips can help but accidentally walking into one is about as pleasant a wet sock sliding down your heel after an amusement park water ride. But there may be an easier way that doesn't require a rolled up newspaper and mental calculation on the velocity in which you'd need to swat a fly mid-air. Turns out you don't need an old fashioned fly swatter or harsh chemicals because there are pesticide-free ways to keep the pesky insects away.
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Let's face it, while adult flies are annoying, it's the larvae hatching in your trash can that makes you want to jump out of your skin. Successfully shooing the adults away will greatly reduce the likelihood of seeing their creepy crawly babies. One of the more time consuming but cost effective ways is to keep your trash cans clean and dry. Flies are attracted to decaying foods so tossing food into the trash quickly becomes a calling card for the unwelcome guests. You can also try:
1. Vinegar solution and baking soda clears flies hovering around outside trash bins
There's no rule that says you can't use the two products for your inside trash can, so do so if you're feeling ambitious. You may be thinking vinegar and baking soda will turn your trash can into a school science fair worthy volcanic explosion, but we aren't mixing the two. If you notice flies having family reunions around your trash can, it means they smell something deliciously gross in the making.
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Grab an empty spray bottle, fill it up with water and some white vinegar, let it sit for 20 minutes and then use it to clean the trash can. After the solution dries, sprinkle around two cups of baking soda into the trash can and let it sit to neutralize the smells. You can add more baking soda every time you take out the trash to keep the odors from returning. To be extra cautious, use newspapers to line the bottom of your trashcan to help keep the moisture down, since flies love moisture and heat.
2. Certain essential oils makes flies find somewhere else to visit
There was a point in time where essential oils were suggested for just about everything with very little direction for use. Cough? Essential oils. Stomach bug? Essential oils. Exorcising demons? You've got it, essential oils. Ok, maybe that last one is a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly seemed like essential oils were the cure-all for several years, but maybe those crunchy oil moms were onto something because it turns out essential oils can help deter flies from finding your home inviting.
calming essential oil bottle with flowers.Photo credit: Canva
Lavender, eucalyptus, bay leaves, cinnamon, peppermint, and clove oil can all be used to deter flies. You can add a few drops of the oil of your choice to cotton balls or pieces of cloth and place them in inconspicuous areas around the house. These oils can also be dropped into a spray bottle filled with water to spray around door frames, windows, sinks and trash cans. Clove oil specifically can be sprayed directly onto flies as a natural insecticide according to Lomi.
Note: certain essential oils shouldn't be used around certain pets and sensitive people. Here's more information on it, but also double check with your veterinarian about which oils are safe to use.
3. Grab a couple of fans to help circulate cool air and keep flies from buzzing around
Did you know that flies aren't strong flyers? Kind of weird since "fly" is literally their whole name. It's sort of like someone saying bumble bees aren't great at bumbling around. You'd think it's made up but it's not. Fly wings are very thin and fragile and, in comparison to the weight of your average housefly, it makes sense that a slightly strong gust of wind would be inconvenient for them.
Dog enjoying a cool breeze from the fan.Photo credit: Canva
This is terrible news for flies but fantastic news for humans who prefer a fly free environment that's also free of heat. During the warmer months, having a few tower fans to keep discretely near doors can cause enough of a flying hazard to keep flies searching for a more suitable environment. Kind of like how some grocery stores have that constant gust of air at the entrance of their stores. Feels good to people on a warm day but for practicality purposes, it keeps flying insects out. Replicate that at home for a fly-free summer.
Of course, if all else fails or you simply don't want to go with a more natural solution, there's always chemical sprays you can pick up at your local grocery store.