You shouldn’t be surprised if you notice drain flies in your bathroom. Out of all the places in your home, most of the time, the bathroom can provide the perfect habitat for drain flies to live and breed.
But now you know they’re there, you’re probably just wondering how to get rid of them. Well, in this article, you will find the 12 best ways to remove them from your bathroom and learn what’s causing them, how to prevent them when it’s time to call a professional, and other frequently asked questions!
So keep reading to find out everything you could need to know about dealing with drain flies in your bathroom!
What’s Causing Drain Flies In Your Bathroom?
If you want to get rid of drain flies for good, it’s important to know why they’re in your bathroom in the first place. Obviously, as you know, it’s because bathrooms have the perfect environment for drain flies to grow, but what exactly is this perfect environment comprised of?
It’s Damp
A lot of the time, if bathrooms aren’t getting aired out properly, they’re going to be quite damp. And even when your bathroom itself is dry, the pipes and other areas of your bathroom could be accumulating standing water which is one of the things that drain flies absolutely love.
A Food Source
More often than not, bathrooms also provide plenty of food for drain flies and their larvae. In particular, your shower, bath, and sink pipes are going to provide the most food from certain types of soap, hair, shampoo, and any other organic matter.
Humidity
Drain flies also love humidity. And while this humidity tends to only occur in drains and pipes in other areas in your home, when you begin to think on a larger scale, you can understand how drain flies end up inhabiting your bathroom when it isn’t being aerated.
Light
Although they’re more active at night, drain flies love light as well. Any light source is going to help them navigate, and just like moths, if they notice a light source, they’ll often fly directly towards it!
How To Tell You’re Dealing With A Drain Fly Infestation?
Obviously, the easiest way to tell if you have a drain fly infestation or not is when you can physically see them. Seeing a couple of adults is enough to know that you’re dealing with an infestation, even if it’s just a small one.
But there are other ways you can tell if you’re dealing with an infestation as well.
Duct Tape Over The Drain
One of the easiest ways to tell if you’re dealing with a drain fly infestation is to place duct tape over the drain when you go to bed. Then in the morning, when you wake up, you should check the duct tape. If you notice adult drain flies on it, then not only do you know you’re dealing with a drain fly infestation, but you also know one of the drains they’re coming from too.
Check For Larvae
If you’ve noticed drain flies, you can also check inside the drain for larvae. Just take off the drain cover when possible, and scrape the gunk from the inside of the pipes. Then look through it for small tube-shaped creatures.
If you notice them, then you know drain fly larvae are in those pipes.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies In Your Bathroom
Now you know exactly what attracts drain flies to your bathroom and how to check if you’re dealing with an infestation or not; the next step is to get rid of them! Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to get rid of them. Although, you’ll have to decide whether you want to do so naturally or chemically.
Natural Way To Get Rid Of Drain Flies
First of all, let’s start with the natural ways to get rid of drain flies in your bathroom. Natural ways are obviously much better, as they’re a lot less likely to be harmful to your home, house, and the environment.
Here are all the different ways you can try!
A Fly Swatter
The simplest way to get rid of drain flies in your bathroom is to hit them with a fly swatter. Drain flies are so slow, so you won’t have to worry about missing them. Simple and effective. While it’s great for getting killing drain flies you can see, for the drain flies and larvae hiding in other areas, you’ll need to use other methods.
Boiling Water
You can also try pouring boiling water down any drains that you suspect house drain flies and their larvae. Not only will the boiling water kill the bugs themselves, but it will also ruin a lot of the food the drain flies have been feeding on.
So try pouring boiling water down your drains a couple of times a day for a week, and see if there’s an improvement in the situation.
Baking Soda And Vinegar
One of the most popular and effective ways to get rid of drain flies naturally is with baking soda and vinegar.
If you want to try baking soda and vinegar, then all you’ll need to do is pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain. Once you’ve done this, pour half a cup of white vinegar down after. You’ll begin to notice that the vinegar and baking soda will begin to react with each other and bubble.
When this happens, you should place a stopper on the top of the drain to force the mixture further down instead of out of the plughole.
Now that you’ve done this, leave the drain overnight, and then in the morning, flush it with boiling water.
Duct Tape
While duct tape is good for noticing drain flies, it’s also good for catching them as well. So every night before bed, duct tape up any drains that are housing drain flies to easily catch any of them that are trying to fly out at night.
Use A Pipe Brush Or Drain Snake
If you want to get rid of drain flies for good, then you’re going to need to remove all the sludge and grime that is currently in your pipes. Before using a pipe brush, though, you should pour boiling water down the drain to help loosen the grime.
And after you’ve used it, make sure you’re disinfecting it thoroughly. The last thing you need to do is take a brush contaminated with drain flies and move it to another area of your home.
And if you’re cleaning a sink, make sure you’re also removing the U trap and cleaning out the additional build-up you find there as well.
Apple Cider Vinegar Trap
One of the best ways to get rid of drain flies that are flying around the room is with an apple cider vinegar trap.
To make one, you should add apple cider vinegar to a container and then cover it with plastic wrap. Once you’ve done this, poke some small holes in the plastic wrap. This will allow the drain flies to enter, but they won’t be able to get out again. Once this happens, it’s only a matter of time before they end up dropping into the apple cider vinegar.
Soap, Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar, And Water
Another great way to catch drain flies is by mixing soap, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water. To do this, mix apple cider vinegar, sugar, and water together, and then finish it off by adding a few drops of soap.
The sugar and apple cider vinegar will attract the drain flies, and once they enter the water, the dish soap will trap them.
If you’re going to make this kind of trap, make sure you place it directly near the drains the flies are coming from for the best results.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies With Chemicals
Sometimes the natural methods just aren’t going to be enough to get rid of drain flies in your bathroom. When this is the case, then it’s best to switch to something a little bit more powerful.
Here are some of the best chemical methods you can use to remove drain flies from your home.
Enzyme Cleaners
Enzyme cleaners are one of the best ways to get rid of drain flies in your pipes, and in fact, most professionals would recommend them. And not only are they going to kill the drain flies, larvae, and their eggs, but it’s also going to dissolve and remove their food source as well.
So any drain flies that happen to survive will have nowhere to go back to; instead, they’ll be forced to leave your house.
Drain Cleaners
If drain flies are attracted to a stubborn clog in your drain pipe, then drain cleaners are going to be one of ht best choices to use. I’d recommend Drano. One of the main ingredients in Drano is lye, so as you can imagine, it’s going to be extremely effective at eradicating drain flies.
Just make sure you check the amount of time you can leave drain cleaners in your pipes. Because if you leave them for too long, you could end up damaging the pipes in your home!
Chemical Sprays And Repellents
You can also try using chemical sprays and repellents around your home as well. While most of them say they’re meant to be used for fruit flies and gnats, a lot of them are also effective against drain flies as well!
Just be careful where you’re spraying them, as some of them contain caustic chemicals which could end up being harmful.
Insect Growth Regulators
Another way to stop drain flies from multiplying in your bathroom is by using insect growth regulators. IGRs work by preventing drain flies eggs from hatching and drain fly larvae from maturing, and they’re extremely effective at doing so.
However, caution is needed when using IGRs as they’re extremely powerful, and you’ll need to check whether they’re safe for indoor use or not.
How To Prevent Drain Flies In Your Bathroom
Once you’ve gotten rid of drain flies, you want to make sure they don’t end up coming back again in the future! Here are all the different ways you can prevent drain flies from returning to your bathroom!
Clean Your Drains Regularly
One of the best things you can do to stop drain flies from entering your home is to clean your drains regularly. Or, at the very least, make sure you’re flushing them with water, so that old stagnant water doesn’t build up.
The best practice is to use boiling water, but this also depends on the kind of pipe. PVC pipes can be damaged by boiling water,
Remove Standing Water
Drain flies love standing water, so if you notice it around your home, you should mop it up as soon as possible. If the standing water is in an area that is shaded and humid, it’s going to be even more attractive to them.
So make sure you’re checking areas of your home standing water can be starting to stagnate.
Fix Leaky Appliances
Sometimes the water from leaky appliances can be enough to attract drain flies to your home. So if you notice there are some things in your house that are leaking, then you should fix them as soon as possible.
Remove Any Food Sources
Sometimes it can be the case that drain flies in your bathroom could be a secondary infestation. And the first infestation is somewhere else. So make sure you’re removing any kind of food source that could attract drain flies from every area of your home!
Empty Bathroom Sink Strainers
The sink strainer is the part of some drains that separate water from muck and grime. While this is good for making sure that your drains don’t get clogged up, just make sure you’re emptying the sink strainers, as they can often end up attracting drain flies!
Check For Infestations Outside Your Home
A lot of people have the misconception that drain flies come up from your drains, but this isn’t the case. Normally drain flies end up being attracted to your bathroom from outside your home.
So if you end up with a drain fly infestation, make sure you’re removing the infestations outside your home as well!
When Should You Call A Professional
Sometimes, no matter what you do, it can feel like it’s impossible to get rid of drain flies in your home.
If you’re wondering when it’s time to call a professional is when everything you’ve done hasn’t worked. Fortunately, drain flies are a nuisance, but they’re not harmful, so you can exhaust all your options before consulting a professional.
FAQ
Here are some commonly asked questions people have about drain flies.
Will Bleach Kill Drain Flies?
While bleach can kill drain flies, it’s not the most effective way of getting rid of them. And in cases of more severe infestations, it probably won’t be enough to get rid of them permanently.
Will Drain Flies Go Away?
Once you remove a drain fly’s food source and get rid of any standing water, you should notice that your drain fly infestation will end quite quickly. However, you need to make sure you’re removing every infestation site; otherwise, they’ll continue to thrive.
Do Drain Flies Come From The Toilet?
Drain flies don’t come up from the toilet; however, they can make a home between the toilet and sewer flange when the seal is broken. In fact, this area is going to provide everything they need to survive and breed.
Recap
As you can see, getting rid of drain flies in your bathroom doesn’t have to be difficult. With a bit of patience and dedication, you should get rid of your drain flies and prevent them from coming back in no time!
And remember, the key to getting rid of them is removing their food source and any standing water!
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!
