How do you get rid of fruit flies?

Using homemade traps — like apple cider in a bottle — or store bought aerosols, you can rid your home of existing fruit flies. Then, keep them away with simple preventative measures. Follow these 5 simple steps to rid your home of fruit flies, once and for all.

1. Wipe Down Surfaces That are Potential Breeding Grounds
   Start by wiping down all cabinet surfaces and cleaning the interior of all household trash cans. Make sure that your trash cans do not have any gunk or food residue stuck to the interior walls; it should look like it did when you first bought it. After you wipe down the trash can, always use trash bags and throw the trash bag away at the end of the day. If the bag is not full and you don’t want to toss it, at least make sure it is always covered. Additionally, wipe down any fruit or vegetables ripening on your counter tops. To wipe the fruit, use a clean towel that you have dipped in slightly soapy water. After wiping, rinse and dry the fruit. You can also use a combination of water and apple cider vinegar in place of soap to wipe the fruit (1 cup water to 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar). Again, after wiping, rinse and dry. Once dry, you can let the fruit and veggies continue ripening on the kitchen counter, but put them in an empty paper bag, which you should keep closed while on the counter.
2. Clean Those Drains
   Next, cleanse the drains in your kitchen sink. You can do this whether or not you have evidence that the fruit flies are living there. This part is purely a preventative measure. Do not use bleach. Since bleach does not coat the pipes, it will not kill the flies. Also, undiluted bleach is not good for your pipes and is not eco friendly. Instead, try picking up an everyday drain cleaner from your local supermarket that will remove all sludge, grime, and bio buildup. It is the bio buildup that attracts fruit flies to your drains. It also gives them another place to lay their 500 plus eggs, other than on your fruit and in your plants.

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|This article was written for State Farm’s Simple Insights website. The purpose of this article — and of the Simple Insights website — is to serve as helpful user resource. The second purpose is to create awareness of and draw traffic to the State Farm brand. I was asked to write this piece, incorporating the SEO keywords and phrases I was given by the SEO team.|