Gnats are small and annoying flying insects commonly seen in your kitchens during the summer season.
The dirty kitchen sink is the typical source of their food, water, and shelter and provides a breeding site to them.
How to Keep Gnats Away from Kitchen Sink? You can keep gnats away from your kitchen sink by keeping your kitchen clean. Avoid keeping your food outside and store it in the refrigerator to keep these flies away. Check the holes in doors, windows, and sink pipes and repair them as soon as possible. In addition, empty the trash cans regularly to prevent this issue. If the kitchen is facing into the garden, make sure to trim plants and maintain their neatness to keep gnats away from the kitchen. You can also use homemade tricks and repellent sprays like basil oil and peppermint oil.
They enter the house through holes in windows or doors and quickly start to lay eggs once they find a suitable place.
House plants on the kitchen walls can also attract these bugs because moist soil is their ideal habitat. It is not difficult to keep them away, but you should take proper steps to get rid of them. Ensure clean the garbage and empty trash cans regularly to maintain hygiene.
Keep food in the refrigerator
Vegetables and fruits like bananas and apples are the number one breeding place for gnats to lay hundreds of eggs.
Gnats have a strong sense of smell, and they always seek decaying organic material in the kitchen.
They are attracted to rotten and refrigerated fruit and vegetable, and to prevent their growth; you should not leave ripened food exposed.
Avoid keeping food outside, especially all night, and prefer to store it in a container or refrigerator wrapped in the packaging until you eat it.
Once they land on food, they can transmit bacteria to you, and to avoid this issue; you should first wash your food product and then store it in the refrigerator.
Sanitize drains and pipes
Dirty debris in drains and pipes is the breeding ground for these insects because sewage causes the accumulation of waste materials pipes.
These insects mostly come out from the parts of the home having a water drainage system and can be seen hovering around the sink or drain.
It is essential to sanitize drains and pipes with cleaners to maintain hygiene and sanitation. For this purpose, use bleach diluted in water and pour it into the drain.
Moisture is the favorite place for these insects to grow; you can use a dehumidifier to reduce the excess moisture from the kitchen.
Use the sealed trash bin
The rotting matter of the trash bin attracts the gnats towards itself, and you should be careful to put this waste material in the bins.
It is better to use a sealed trash bin to prevent the access of fruit flies to the waste material. However, if the trash can is not closed securely or you notice holes in the lid or bin, then replace it as soon as possible.
Empty the bin daily to prevent the foul smell of waste products, but an empty can is not also a clean bin. Instead, you can clean it by using warm and soapy water to remove bacteria invisible to the naked eye.
Seal the entry areas of Gnats
Make regular inspections to find the holes that can act as entry points for these insects.
Check for holes inside and outside your kitchen cabinets, shelves, doors, windows, and under and behind the stove.
They can also enter through damaged pipes and drains, and you should be careful to repair them as soon as possible.
It is essential to seal the entry areas of these flies by using materials such as caulk and cement to make your kitchen gnats’ free zone.
You can also prevent their entry by closing the doors and windows tightly, especially when you are not home.
Pay attention to your garden
It is better to check your garden because these flies are often seen around rotting wood, dead leaves, and moist soil.
They are present around dead leaves and plants that have developed any fungal disease. Therefore, you should keep your lawn clean and trimmed.
You should remove dead leaves, fallen fruits, and vegetables from your lawn because they are the primary source of their shelter.
Many kitchen windows present a beautiful view of shrubs and bushes, and you should trim them to keep these insects away from your kitchen.
These flies are in continuous search of moist places to breed, and the soil of houseplants provides them the best place to lay eggs.
One of the major reasons for gnats residing in the damp soil of plants is excessive water to the garden, and you can resolve the issue by avoiding overwatering.
Keep the kitchen clean and tidy
Your kitchen should be clean to keep the gnats away from the sources which attract them. Empty trash can and wash dishes as soon as possible after using them.
Clean crumbs from stove and countertops after a meal and then sweep up your kitchen floor because these can be their ideal snacks.
It is better to clean your sink properly; otherwise, food particles will start to adhere to the pipe and will begin to rot.
Use of gnats repellent sprays
Many types of gnats repellents are available that help you get rid of flies.
Vanilla is a readily available repellent and helps keep gnats away due to its strong smell.
Basil oil mixed in water is used to keep flies away when strained on plants, preventing them from entering the kitchen.
Neem oil spray is a non-toxic repellent with a powerful scent, and it can be applied directly to kill flies.
Peppermint oil mixed with water and dish soap is used as gnats repelling spray and can be applied on flies and in areas where they reside.
I use lemon oil spray and diluted alcohol spray due to their strong odor to prevent gnats.
It is easy to keep gnats away that enter the kitchen from the garden by using simple kitchen ingredients that are readily available in every house.
Cinnamon is a natural fungicide used to repel fungus gnats when sprinkled on the soil of potted plants.
Crushed garlic mixed in water can be used as a spray in the soil to inhibit the growth of gnats.
The combination of cloves and lemon produces a strong aroma that irritates these flies and helps to kick out these flies.
Place chunks of potatoes around the soil of an infested plant, flies are attracted to the potato, and you will see flies moving towards it. After some days, replace these infected chunks with fresh pieces.
Ultraviolet light bug zapper
Gnats are attracted to ultraviolet rays, and for this reason, UV light bugger zap is used to kill the flies between the metal wires when turned on.
Water bag trick treatment
This is a simple tricky method used to keep gnats away from home, and for this purpose, we use a Ziploc bag and a penny.
Fill this bag with water and then put a shiny penny in it and hang it in the area of light in the kitchen. After some time, you will notice that flies have gone away.
Due to poor vision of gnat, shining penny placed in a bag under the reflection of light will look like a spider web to them.
Egg bait trap for eye gnats
This trick is effective for eye gnats to trap them, and a solution of eggs and water is used to lure their eyes. Crack eggs in a bottle containing water to prepare a solution.
Put some holes on the top of a bottle and hang it in your garden, and you will notice multiple dead gnats in the bottle almost after two weeks.
Citronella candle
Citronella candles can also be used as a tricky treatment for gnats because bugs hate citronella oil.
You can also use simple candles in the infested areas of the kitchen because these flies love light, and their wings will burn when they come close to the flame.
Red Wine trap
Pour some wine into a bottle and cover the top with plastic wrap and then make holes in it. Leave wine bottles in the kitchen, and they will be attracted towards the bottle due to its fruity smell and will be trapped. You can also add some drops of dish soap to make this trick more effective.
Buffalo Gnats trap
To make this trap, use a string and pass it through the stool, and now hang a dark-colored ball to the free end of the string.
Wrap the flypaper around the legs of the stool and place this stool in the kitchen or other infested areas. Bugs will be attracted towards the dark moving ball and will get trapped in the flypaper.
Make a fruit trap
Fruit traps, especially rotten bananas, are an easy trick because these flies love the smell of fragmented bananas.
Place a jar filled with rotten bananas into the kitchen, and the flies will be trapped in this prison.
Vinegar trap
Vinegar is readily available in the kitchen cupboards and is a popular trick to get rid of gnats.
Take a container and add vinegar, sugar, and dish soap to make a solution and put this on the kitchen’s countertop and wait for the flies to get entrapped in it.
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