The one thing that can completely ruin your household experience is unwanted insects. Be it a nice morning breakfast or an afternoon tea party on the porch, a swarm of flies can ruin your day faster than almost anything else.
Flies even have a habit of getting into your home even if the windows are closed!
But not everyone is comfortable using fly spray pesticides filled with chemicals to get rid of these nuisances. Odd toxic smell aside, chemicals are also awful for your body and surroundings.
So, how do you get rid of flies naturally? You have come to the right place. Below you will find all the natural fly repellents and a lot more.
Let’s begin.
The Best Natural Fly Repellents
While the best way to get rid of flies is not to attract them in the first place, sometimes things get out of hand really quickly. But fear not, as there are quite a few natural fly repellents.
Here are the bests we found:
1. Herbs and Spices
Almost everyone will have these cooking ingredients in their house, and they all can be a fantastic way of getting rid of flies.
Cayenne Pepper
This delicious spice is also an amazing fly repellent.
All you need to do is take one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and mix it up with one to one and a half cups of water. Then, take the mixture in a spraying bottle and spray around the house.
The best places to spray are near doors and windows. You can also spray it directly when you see a fly.
Cloves
Cloves have a strong odor that can repel flies. Make an arrangement of dried cloves in a dish in each area where you are encountering fly difficulties and watch as they disappear!
While we do understand the smell of cloves is not universally loved, it is still worth a big mention.
Cinnamon
Here is a spice that is almost universally loved. Cinnamon powder or even whole sticks do wonders in keeping those annoying insects away. Put them on your kitchen counter or around the house in open spaces.
As an added benefit, this will work as a natural air freshener too.
Basil
Basil is a multipurpose herb that may be cultivated in a variety of environments, including gardens, flowerbeds, and indoor containers.
Flies are attracted to basil, so place plants near windows or entryways to keep them out of your home. You can also plant basil in outdoor gardens to keep flies away while you’re outside.
Planting basil will also mean you’ll never have to buy them from the store ever again.
Mint
It works in the same way as basil, but you can also use fresh leaves instead of the whole plant.
2. Fruits and Flowers
Plants are gifts from nature that just keep on giving. Here are the best fruits and flowers you can use to get rid of flies.
Citrus Peels
Many marketed natural fly repellent options include citrus extracts, not only for their pleasant aroma but also because citrus oil is an excellent biological fly repellent.
Place orange or lemon peels in areas where flies are buzzing to drive them away.
To keep the peels wet, wrap them in a tiny towel and place them on a plate. Rub them every now and then to maintain the aroma as fresh as possible.
Lavender
As lavender is readily accessible in a variety of forms, it is one of the most effective methods of getting rid of houseflies.
Growing lavender plants outdoors, buying fresh bouquets, and placing lavender oil near doors and windows may all help to keep flies away from your home and away from your family.
They also look beautiful and can set the mood for a perfect afternoon.
Rotten Fruits
Okay, let us explain ourselves for a bit here. Under no circumstances are we suggesting you put out rotten fruits on your counter.
What we are suggesting, however, is to create a trap using rotten fruits. It is possible to put a rotten piece of fruit in a jar by covering it with perforated plastic. Homemade fly traps are made using the same process:
- Place rotting fruit in a jar
- Cover with plastic wrap
- Pierce small holes in the top
The decaying fruit attracts flies, who enter the jar, get trapped, and are unable to flee! Apple cider vinegar can also be used to trap gnats and flies using the same method.
3. Essential Oils
Essential oils smell fresh as well as bring a lot of other health benefits to the mix. You can even use these essential oils to create your very own homemade fly spray.
Our essential oil suggestions to drive flies away are:
Citronella
This is perhaps the best essential oil to repel flies as well as mosquitos. The best way to utilize it is in candle form.
Get a citronella candle and light it up on your countertop so that the flies think twice before bothering you.
Neem
This cheap but effective essential oil is very nontoxic and pet-friendly. You can mix a few drops of oil in a spray bottle with water and spray it around the house.
Peppermint
Peppermint oil has marvelous longevity and can repel flies (especially fruit flies) for up to 6 days after application. The application method remains the same as mixing oil and water and spraying.
4. Other Household Methods
Here are a few other household traps that you can easily use;
- Apple Cider Vinegar
The smell of apples, as well as vinegar, is loved by flies. So, this is a very effective method of deterring flies from your home.
Take a big bowl and mix equal parts apple cider vinegar and natural soap mixed water and put it out on the countertop or anywhere flies tend to gather.
The insects will be attracted due to the smell and get trapped due to the soap.
- Sticky Traps
These traps are readily available at most shops, and you can just hang them near the entryways to your house. As the name suggests, the flies will get attracted and then stuck to the traps.
We suggest you be cautious with these traps as they are very sticky and can create a mess if not applied with care.
5. Light Traps
Ok, so these are not really natural fly repellent, but they work very well.
These traps are also cheap and accessible from almost any store.
The traps have a light in a box that attracts the flies, and once the flies enter, they get stuck or zapped to death depending on the trap.
Conclusion
Equipped with all of these handy and easy methods, you are now prepared to combat almost all household insects, especially flies.
While some of these methods do require caution, they are all-natural and nontoxic so that you don’t need to worry about other issues while creating a safe and healthy home environment.
Good luck!
