It’s not uncommon for drain flies to inhabit most areas of your home, so if you notice drain flies in your garbage disposal, you shouldn’t be alarmed! In fact, when you find out what kind of habitat drain flies prefer, you’ll be surprised you haven’t noticed them in your garbage disposal sooner!
Luckily, in this article, we’ll talk about what drain flies are attracted to, how to prevent them from coming back, and most importantly, how to get rid of them! So keep reading to find out everything you need to know about dealing with drain flies in your garbage disposal!
Why Are There Drain Flies In Your Garbage Disposal?
There are three main things that attract drain flies to certain areas of your home. Damp, dark, and an abundance of food. As you can imagine, your garbage disposal is already damp and dark. And with the amount of organic waste that ends up down there, the moment there’s a blockage or buildup, it’s going to be THE perfect home for drain flies!
And not only is it going to be a great food source for them, but it’s also going to be a great food source for their larvae as well.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies In Your Garbage Disposal
Now you know why there are drain flies in your garbage disposal, here are all the different ways you can dispose of them!
Boiling Water
If you think that there’s only a mild infestation or a minor buildup of debris in your garbage disposal, then a lot of times, just pouring boiling water into it is enough to get rid of drain flies and the blockage.
However, if the problem is more severe, then you can also try the following solutions as well.
Baking Soda And Vinegar
One of the easiest and environmentally friendly ways to remove drain flies from your garbage disposal is with baking soda and vinegar.
To get rid of drain flies in baking soda and vinegar in your garbage disposal, just do the following:
- Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, and then after, pour half a cup of white vinegar.
- When you do this, it will begin to bubble, then all you have to do is leave it.
- For best results, you should leave it overnight, and then in the morning, flush the disposal unit with boiling hot water.
- Doing this will not only remove drain flies and their larvae, but it will also help remove any buildup of debris in your garbage disposal as well.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Another excellent option for killing drain flies, especially the ones in your garbage disposal, is hydrogen peroxide. In fact, any sewer fly that comes into touch with hydrogen peroxide will die almost instantaneously.
And the best thing is that hydrogen peroxide can also be used to clear out any accumulation of organic waste as well. So you’ll not only be eliminating drain flies from your home, but you’ll also be eliminating their habitat, making drain flies less likely to reproduce there!
Drano
You’ve probably had to use Drano to clear a blockage in your home at some point. So you probably have a fair notion of how strong it is. And the main reason it’s so strong is that one of the main ingredients inside it is lye.
So, if you want to get rid of drain flies quickly, pouring Drano down into your garbage disposal is an excellent way to accomplish it. You should be aware, however, that Drano should only be left in your pipes for 15-30 minutes. If the pipes are exposed for any longer, they may be harmed.
Enzyme Cleaner
Enzyme cleaners are by far one of the most effective ways to get rid of drain flies in your garbage disposal. Enzyme cleaners will not only kill any drain worms, drain flies, or eggs, but they will also eat away at any obstructions in your drains as well.
And one of the best parts of using enzyme cleaners is the fact that they’re not going to be harmful to your garbage disposal either!
Check Outside
Drain flies may be found in your garbage disposal, but it isn’t the only location they may be found. Drain flies, for the most part, live outside and only come inside when they detect locations in your home they can breed.
As a result, if you want to get rid of drain flies in your garbage disposal, do everything you can to get rid of any drain flies outside as well. Here are all the possible sources of drain flies.
Remove Any Standing Water
You should also try to remove any standing water from around your kitchen as well. Drain flies are attracted to standing water, so by removing it from your kitchen, you’re going to reduce the chance of drain flies wanting to stay in your home!
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies Around Your Home
Now that you’ve removed all of the drain flies from your garbage disposal, the next step is to remove drain flies from around your home as well. Otherwise, they’ll just end up flying back to your garbage disposal and breeding again.
So here are all the ways to remove drain flies from your home.
Kill Them On Sight
The easiest way to remove them is to just kill them on sight. Whenever you see one, just give it a good whack to prevent it from flying somewhere and breeding all over again.
Apple Cider Vinegar Trap
If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, then you can also make apple cider vinegar traps to kill drain flies as well. To do this, just pour some apple cider vinegar into a container. Once you’ve done this, cover the container with plastic wrap and poke small holes into it.
This will enable the drain flies to enter the container, but they won’t be able to get out again. Then they’ll slowly tire and begin to drop into the apple cider vinegar.
Dish Soap And Warm Water
If you want an insecticide that is safe for your family, then mixing dish soap and warm water is a great choice. Once you’ve mixed the two together, you just need to spray any drain flies you see.
They won’t be able to survive the dish soap, so they’ll end up perishing!
How To Prevent Drain Flies Living In Your Garbage Disposal
Now you know how to kill drain flies in your garbage disposal AND your home, the next step is to make sure that they never come back.
The main way to make sure that drain flies don’t enter your garbage disposal is to make it inhabitable for them. So the best thing to do is regularly clean it and make sure there’s no buildup of muck that could create the perfect breeding ground for drain flies.
As well as this, you should also make sure that you’re keeping the rest of your house and around your home clean as well. Especially making sure there are no areas of standing water or dark, damp areas that drain flies would want to inhabit.
Fortunately, deep cleaning the areas of your home that can often be forgotten about is one of the best ways to prevent drain flies.
Recap
As you can see, removing drain flies from your garbage disposal isn’t hard. In fact, with the methods above, you should get them out of your home in no time! But the real trick is to keep your home clean to prevent them from coming back in the first place!
In some cases, there are times when getting rid of drain flies may be too difficult for you, and you’ll need to hire a professional to remove them instead. (However, most of the time, this won’t be the case.)
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!
