How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies Using Common Kitchen Ingredients

Here's what to know about what causes fruit flies, how to get rid of them quickly, and how to prevent them in the future.

Don't have a store-bought trap on hand? No problem. You can quickly get rid of fruit flies using materials you already have in your kitchen with these six homemade traps:

Kris Bordessa, a green living expert and the author of Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living, notes that the apple cider vinegar in this DIY trap lures the fruit flies, while the soap reduces the surface tension of the vinegar and effectively traps them.

Environmental journalist and author of Humane Home: Easy Steps for Sustainable & Green Living Sarah Lozanova uses this method in her home kitchen and has been impressed by how many flies it can trap at once. The key is making your paper funnel opening very small at the bottom but wide at the top so the flies can get in easily but have trouble getting out.

Ever the boozers, fruit flies always seem to find their way to a good glass of red, Bordessa notes. You can use their love of fermented grapes to your advantage by making a quick trap out of off or unsavory wine.

Bordessa notes that this simple trap is also an easy way to reuse plastic bags and reduce waste in your kitchen.

You can put this research to work by diffusing essential oils in your kitchen to create an inhospitable environment for fruit flies to continue reproducing. At the very least, it will make your space smell nice.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and if your fruit fly problem has gotten really annoying, Bordessa has heard of people simply sucking up flies with a vacuum.

Fruit flies typically only live for one to two weeks, and if they can't find a place to reproduce in that time, they die off.

Once you've set up these natural pesticides, the key to keeping fruit flies out of your home for good is to get rid of anything they may see as food. That way, even if they do find their way into your home again, they won't have anywhere to reproduce and will quickly die off.

Keep rotting fruits and vegetables covered and off your counters. Better yet, keep your produce from rotting in the first place by properly storing it to preserve freshness and eating it up quickly.

Lozanova notes that dirty counters and drains can also harbor flies. Be sure to get in the habit of keeping your kitchen clean and fishing food out of your sink after washing dishes.

Rinsing off your produce—even things with peels you don't eat like oranges and bananas—as soon as you bring them home can help wash away any fruit fly eggs before they have the chance to hatch.

Since fruit flies gravitate toward moist areas, Lozanova recommends being vigilant about keeping your kitchen dry and tackling any leaks and spills right away. "This is good for other reasons related to air quality," she adds.

If you've set all the traps and taken all the precautions and are still finding annoying critters in your kitchen, Bordessa notes that they might not be fruit flies. Instead, they could be fungus gnats coming from your houseplants. Check your greenery for signs of pests and treat them with neem oil if they have an infestation.

A few common household ingredients can go a long way in getting rid of fruit flies. If the issue persists, you'll want to call an exterminator to come and take a look. But with any luck, a little apple cider vinegar or funky wine will be all you need to clear the air at home.