With warm weather comes both outdoor delights and plenty of insects that can get into the nooks, crannies, and drains where you live. If you’re noticing small flies that keep cropping up around the open drains in your home, it can be a sign of recurring trouble.  These tiny, moth-like bugs like to hang around sinks, showers, and bathtubs and are sometimes called drain flies.

At first, it’s easy to ignore their presence as a seasonal nuisance that will go away. But they have a tendency to multiply quickly and can make life in your home uncomfortable.  Luckily, learning how to get rid of drain flies can be an easy fix if you catch them early. With a little effort, you can stop them from reproducing and make the favorite areas inhospitable with common household products and a plan to help stop them in the future.

What Causes Drain Flies?

Despite their name, drain flies don’t enter your home through the drain. They actually come in from outside in search of water, and once they discover it within drains, they establish their new home and grow on a standard diet of bacteria found within the pipes.

For instance, if you have standing water or decaying material, you will likely find a large concentration of these insects. They’re hardy bugs that can thrive in your home for a long time unless you take measures to stop the drain flies infestation. 

Let’s take a closer look at how you can get rid of drain flies.

Carefully Clean Your Sink’s Drains

One of the most important areas to clean to prevent drain flies is your home’s sinks. With frequent scrubbing, the majority of drain fly issues will stop in about a week.  One of the easiest household ways to clear our drain flies is to pour boiling water gently down your drain 1-2 times a day for approximately one week. This helps increase the chances that the flies do not return while you’re sleeping if the water did not catch all of the organic material inside your sink’s drain. 

You can also use a baking soda, salt, and vinegar mixture for a natural cleaning solution to pour down your drain overnight. The baking soda will expand when it makes contact with the vinegar, reaching more areas than the boiling water. And in the morning, you can just flush out the pipe with boiling water.

Make Your Own Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

Here’s another tried and true drain fly solution: you can make a simple, yet potent homemade trap with apple cider vinegar and some plastic wrap. Simply fill a jar, cup, or dish with about an inch of apple cider vinegar. Then, poke a few small holes into the plastic wrap to lure the drain flies in, and the wrap itself will help prevent them from escaping (drain flies are not very smart). You should leave the concoction out near where you’re seeing them most and watch as they get stuck inside.

Use a Drain Cleaner

To get rid of any food particles and bacteria that may be lingering in your sink drains, you can use a drain cleaner to more strongly remove anything that seems to keep attracting drain flies. While a common cleaner like Drano or Liquid Plumber will help clear out anything, a good enzyme cleaner provides an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional chemical cleaners so you can prevent pipe corrosion for long-term plumbing health.

Congratulations on resolving your drain fly problem! Now you can focus on keeping them away with preventive measures. Since drain flies are attracted to standing water, it’s useful to go around your home every few days to briefly run water through the drains and clean your sinks and drains on a regular basis.

With these drain cleaning and prevention tips from The Plumbing Works, you should have no problem preventing any future drain fly challenges. If you’ve tried all the above and are still encountering infestation issues in your sink or other plumbing areas, don’t hesitate to contact The Plumbing Works today for a professional consultation!

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