Drain flies, also known as sink flies, sewer flies, moth flies, or sewer gnats, breed due to the accumulation of moist organic matter in your sink.
Before the situation gets out of hand and you need to spend money calling in professionals, I have two solutions to help you kill them.
Even the most mindful people in charge of a home kitchen let bits of food get swallowed into the drain.
Drain flies have short, hairy bodies, and with their wings open, they look like tiny moths.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve faced the fly dilemma in the kitchen for the second time.
In our kitchen, we’ve also had to deal with pantry pests such as fruit flies, household ants, and flour mites, also known as weevils.
Thankfully, I found solutions to tackle pest infestations using natural products without spending a fortune.
Although we are mindful of what goes down the sink, we both admit to not being smart when ensuring nothing gets past the drain, but it happens.
It’s not done on purpose, nor do we pour oils or bacon grease down the pipes, as that can cause a primary backup and a fortune for a plumber.
Today, I want to discuss the steps we took to eliminate drain flies from our kitchen fast before the situation got out of hand.
Fruit Flies vs. Drain Flies – Know The Difference
At first, I thought the flies were fruit flies, so naturally, I made my homemade apple cider vinegar and dish soap concoction to eliminate them.
Not one flying nuisance went for the bait, so I knew they had to be a different kind of fly.
I did my best to get a close-up photo of the flies, as they are tiny, like fruit flies.
They don’t stay still long enough.
The significant difference is that the drain flies are created from a moist, organic indoor environment, and the fruit flies hang out with fruit and sweets, and drain flies like the drain.
Here’s a chart I created to show you the differences between each breed of flies.
Places You Might Find An Infestation
You may not believe drain flies are coming from the drain; however, it’s common, especially during the hot, humid summer months.
Believe it or not, drain flies can come from the toilet in your bathroom, the bath, the shower, and the sink.
They can appear anywhere there is humidity, heat, and organic matter that can mould, ferment, gel, and turn into a blob of grossness.
Check the sump pump, sinks, bathrooms, and floor drains in the basement for fly infestations.
Finding Drain Flies In The Bathroom
You may find drain flies in your bathroom, especially around the sink, tub, and shower areas.
You’ll also see them hovering around the mirrors, perhaps because they like to look at themselves.
Large amounts of hair and dead skin end up trapped in the drain, turn into a gel substance, and are ripe for drain fly breeding.
First, you will want to deep clean and clear the drains, removing as much of the gunk as possible.
We bought long, rigid, orange drain gunk removal tools from Temu for cheap, but I’m sure the Dollar Store or hardware stores carry them.
Plastic drain snakes are also available at Amazon Canada for under ten dollars.
Slide the plastic tool into the drain, and the ridges on the side will catch the hair and anything else that gets in.
After you finish this step, follow the steps below, followed by a finishing spray before bedtime.
You’ll want to repeat this at least for 5 days (apart from removing gunk from the drain, as you wouldn’t have gotten it all).
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies Fast
If you are unsure if the infestation is drain flies, put plastic wrap over the opening overnight, and in the morning, you’ll see the flies trapped under the wrap.
However, if you don’t see any flies, that doesn’t mean you don’t have them. They may be in another drain in the home.
Repeat the process until you find the breeding ground so that you can kill it following the intense cleaning process below.
What You Will Need:
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1 whole kettle of boiling water
Use a drain snake to clean out the drain of any hair or gunk that you can reach, especially if it’s a bathroom infestation.
Pour a whole kettle of hot water into the drain and let it sit for 10 minutes.
Boil a second kettle of hot water
Pour the baking soda into the drain, followed by the vinegar.
The mixture will bubble up like a cool science experiment, and that’s how you’ll know it’s working.
Once it settles, pour the second kettle of hot water down the drain and plug the drain overnight.
You will want to continue with this process for at least 5-7 days to kill the lifecycle of the drain flies.
Homemade Drain Fly Spray
We make a homemade drain fly spray after a drain clearout with vinegar, baking soda, and hot water.
You can use the spray in an area where the flies gather, including all the drains.
Like fruit flies, you can use a similar recipe to make a killer spray to get rid of drain flies fast.
The only difference is that we use apple cider vinegar for the fruit flies, and for the drain flies, the active ingredient is isopropyl alcohol.
What you will need:
If you have a large infestation of drain flies before bed at night, spray a mist of the homemade drain fly spray into the drain.
You Don’t Need To Suffer
After 5 to 7 days, you should see a significant reduction in drain flies.
Once a month, follow the above process to ensure that the flies don’t get a chance to start a party in your drain again.
Be proactive with cleanliness in your home. It’s just another job to add to the task list.
Discussion: Have you ever dealt with drain flies in your home? How did you fight them off?
Please leave any comments or questions below.
Thanks for reading, and please consider subscribing to my blog.
Mr. CBB
