September 2, 2022

Gnats are incredibly annoying. Once they invade your home, it feels like they mass-produce a million of their little friends overnight.

A single gnat in your kitchen becomes an infinite supply, swarming in your face and living off your garbage, fruit bowl, and indoor plants. What’s worse is when gnats decide your kitchen is their home base, getting cozy in the sink drain or garbage disposal. 

A week later, you’re probably still trying to banish every gnat from the corners of your home. Aside from their annoying existence, they are harmless. 

Common fruit flies and fungus gnats won’t bite you—at least not the type found in North American households. Though they mean no harm, it’s best to get rid of gnats before the problem escalates. 

If you are sick of swatting at these little flying bugs, keep reading to learn how to remove gnats from your home and prevent them from returning. 

Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are among the most common type. They are attracted to rotting organic matter, such as fruit and vegetables that are overripe or decaying. You will see them hovering over trash cans, garbage disposals, and even near open alcohol or fruit juice bottles. While you may see fruit flies in the winter, they are most common in the summer months. 

Fungal Gnats

Fungal gnats are the second most common type. As the name suggests, they lay their eggs in moist soil and usually hang out around plants feeding on decaying plant matter. If you give your plants a shake and see bugs fly out, you’ve got a case of fungal gnats.  

Drain Flies

Lastly, there are drain flies. These tiny bugs live in drains, sewers, and septic tanks; you get the picture. You may see drain flies fly out of your kitchen sink or hovering near standing water. 

How To Get Rid of Gnats

Now that you have identified which type of gnat is flying around your home, you’re probably asking, “How do I get rid of this gnat infestation?” You can get rid of fungus gnats and their cousins by following a few simple tips and practices. Additionally, you will want to eliminate the source that attracted them in the first place—throw out garbage, fruit, dead plants, etc. It wouldn’t hurt to clean your whole home either. 

Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

Ah, the classic gnat trap. Apple cider vinegar is a go-to solution to eliminating household gnats. The sweet smell lures them in, and once they drink it, they won’t be able to fly away. 

Pour a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into an open bowl, cup, or jar. Then, stir in a little dish soap or something similar. You can really ramp up the sweetness by mixing in a bit of sugar. 

We’ve seen people cut a small soda bottle in half, filling the bottom with the apple cider vinegar and flipping the top upside down to create a funnel into the mixture—no escape. 

Diluted Sugary Solution 

If you have an almost-empty wine bottle lying around, you can create a gnat trap with that. This works best with red wine that has oxidized. Use the wine instead of the apple cider vinegar and follow the same steps as above. Fruit juice may also do the trick if you don’t have any wine you want to spare. 

Fruit Fly Traps

We also recommend using traps, such as this TERRO fruit fly trap. We’ve personally used these to help solve a gnat infestation, and they worked! The trick is setting them up in the right places. Since the pack comes with two, sit one next to the source of the gnats and the second near their go-to spot. 

For us, the source was the kitchen sink, and the gnats loved to hang out in the living room window. Alternate the trap position around your house until you start to see results.

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