How do you get rid of sink/drain flies?

by Cindy Stewart Trachsler

+70

Answered

I would like to know how to get rid those pesty little sink/drain flies. I've tried baking soda and vinegar, drain cleaners and put plastic over the drains.

Pesty sink/drain flies

60 answers

Gail on Jul 05, 2016
Our pest control guys that comes out for ants, mentioned just using a cup of bleach every night and covering it with a wash cloth or something to keep them trapped. It has worked for us!

1 marked as helpful Reply
Kat on Jul 05, 2016
we had a ton of them last year and they're already beginning now. I've done the trap thingy with soap/vinegar/sugar - worked for a bit for some but didnt take them away! tried putting bleach down the drain, nope. they are aggravating - they get in your face, your food/drink - I keep petfoods, regular food, everything spotlessly clean, wash cans, meat styrofoam, any food goes directly to the outside can and then way out in the woods. havent found anything to work!!! even the pest control cant get rid of!!! sad.....

Helpful Reply
- See 1 previous
- Akm on Nov 08, 2019
  
  Any luck in drain flies? We have the same problem
  
  Helpful
- Martin on Mar 12, 2022
  
  Working on a house i found water was leaking under the floorboards creating damp areas. When i opened up floorboards they came out in hoards. So first cleared out damp rubbish then i diluted bleach 1 part bleach 4 parts water and sprayed the whole area walls under floorboards and flooring under floorboards have done this three time and seen a significant drop in numbers. Place smells of bleach for a day but its doing it job. I have also been told that flies and insects dont like incense burning not tried it so dont know if that works.
  
  Helpful
Deisenhart2010 on Jul 05, 2016
I keep a mixture of dish soap and vinegar in a shot glass size container anywhere I have a problem. The vinegar attracts them and the soap catches them

Helpful Reply
- Cindy Stewart Trachsler on Jul 05, 2016
  Thank You Deisenhart2010, I have tried apple cider vinegar with very little luck.
  
  Helpful Reply
Kim on Jul 05, 2016
Same problem here! Thanks all for the suggestions!

Helpful Reply
- Cindy Stewart Trachsler on Jul 05, 2016
  Sorry to hear you have the same problem, but at least I know I'm not the only one.
  
  Helpful

Fred on Jul 05, 2016
Pour vinegar down the drain and cover the opening. After a few minutes uncover the drain and run hot tap water down until steam is coming out of the drain. If the problem comes back it's okay to repeat.

Helpful Reply
Jorja Love on Jul 05, 2016
I have had this problem every spring for years and have tried all the above homemade and store bought suggestions and nothing seemed to work for me. I've especially noticed that these flies are really, really attracted to my coffee after I sweeten it (I drink a lot of coffee and I now keep my cups covered), so I started keeping a little warm sweet-smelling soapy dish water in the wash tub - I use one of those cheap, fruit scented, bubbly detergents and the flies get attracted to the scent, go to it, get stuck in the bubbles or water and drown. In the evening, I empty and rinse the tub, then cover the drain.

Helpful Reply
Susan Walsh Harrington on Jul 05, 2016
This one works for me! Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of cider vinegar in an open container. Put in 1-2 drops dishwashing liquid and leave it on the countertop. It attracts the fruit flies and they drown.

Helpful Reply
- Larkatchi on Jul 05, 2016
  The same thing I do. It works. I put it in a clear juice glass and in one day the fruit flies are gone.
  
  Helpful
Ginger Trigg on Jul 05, 2016
I've used Clorox in mine, let it set covered for 30 mins then flush with hot water.

Helpful Reply
MadameRã on Jul 05, 2016
•As a Believer in plants for medicines, & many other positive 'things', this problem is common all over the world, however i keep an average size spray botle, using distilled water fill to the line indicated on most good bottles, now the expence is initially high but over a long period of time it actually is cheaper...collect some good aroma therapy oils, being clove & orange, place 8-10 drops of each, additionally black pepper oil adding 5-6 drops, then shake really well then use everywhere needed, you can even wipe frequently with a sponge to clean the bathroom(do remember to always shake before use, this activates the ingredients)... All critters hate it..& yes i always keep my bottle & cloths in my bathroom.. Oh, the smell is quite lovely as its different & feels earthy. Use frequently & you will discover how less the problem becomes,& Mother Earth will thank you to. Happy creating smartness:)) Madame Ra

1 marked as helpful Reply

Shells on Jul 05, 2016
Those are not fruit flies....they are sewer flies. That normally mean you have a breach in your sewer lines that are allowing the flies to come into your home. See when the last time you had your septic tank checked or cleaned out. If it's city hook up....you may want to give them a call. Beware the breach could be on your side of the line if it's city sewer. Peace!

Helpful Reply
- See 2 previous
- Tau7892353 on Jul 05, 2016
  Try putting Clorox 1 cap down the drain. If you have a disposal ? Same thing.. It works for me2 twice a week ..
  
  Helpful
- Marcia C. on Jul 05, 2016
  Be careful putting bleach down a disposal. It will eventually rot the rubber seals!
  
  Helpful
- Brenda Dixon on Aug 04, 2018
  
  These can seem to live in drains that aren't used frequently. I get them in the bathtub drain (I have another shower elsewhere, due to high iron content in the water), and once they're spotted, taking a bath usually rids the problem for a few months. I haven't found anything that will kill them though.
  
  Helpful
Jpe6277611 on Jul 05, 2016
I poor boiling down the drain.

Helpful Reply
Job7956378 on Jul 05, 2016
For the drain flies (sewer flies) we poured vegetable oil down the drains in the public restrooms in commercial buildings that we used to manage. Where I work now management pours linseed oil down the drains. Either works.

Helpful Reply
- Martin on Mar 12, 2022
  
  Oils down drains help cause blockages you are helping to cause blockages. The oils cause things to stick to them and gradually build up causing partial blockage causing more debris to get trapped and then block pipes. Oil down pipes is banned anyway. Boiling water every evening with bleach before lockup will cure the problem in a week or two. Block plughole after piuring down. First thing in morning boiling water again.
  If toilets get blocked a bucket of hot water pour in leave for 10 to 15 mins and repeat. This will clear it. Most have had to use is 3 buckets of hot water. Wear a mask when you do it. This is eco friendly with no chemicals used and cheaper and it is quicker.
  
  1 marked as helpful
Kay Forbes-Smith on Jul 05, 2016
Boiling water worked for us. Just for good measure we let the hot water from the faucet run for about 10 mins after that.

1 marked as helpful Reply
Melody on Jul 05, 2016
You have to get rid of the food source, hair, soap or food scraps. Try using a wire coat hanger to grab on to glob. Once removed, use baking soda and vinegar to foam-scour pipes.

Helpful Reply
Mary Beth Carrier on Jul 05, 2016
We had this problem several years ago and a friend who owns a restaurant told her exactly what to do and it was great. In the plumbing department of most big box stores you can find main line drain cleaners. You follow the directions on the bottle which include covering every drain in your home with a damp rag before bedtime. We woke up the next morning and flushed the drains with hot water and never saw another pesky drain fly again! It was like a $8 bottle of magic!

Helpful Reply
- Natasha on Jun 07, 2018
  
  Yes! I agree! That MainLine product really doesvwork!! And the greatest part about it is that they have a money back guarantee. Thats one of the best companies I have ever heard of!
  
  Helpful
GBear on Jul 05, 2016
It's best if you can remove the p trap and clean it out. If not, use a foaming drain cleanser or vinegar & baking soda. Rinse for several minutes with hot water. Let dry a little bit and treat with linseed oil. Do this once a month (Linseed oil) until problem is gone.

Helpful Reply
Kat6587025 on Jul 05, 2016
A exterminater told us to pour 1/2 cup bleach down each drain for 7 nights in a row. Pour the bleach at night so it remains in the drain while you sleep. Pour down every drain, kitchen and bathroom sinks, tubs, showers, washer drain.

Helpful Reply
Spr4270109 on Jul 05, 2016
Take one half cup of baking soda pour down drain than take a cup of white vinegar , pour the vinegar down the drain... Let sizzle for about ten minutes ... Take boiling hot water about 6 cups n pour down drain... How do this to all your drains at the turn of each season..

Helpful Reply
861650 on Jul 05, 2016
I researched this last year and I finally found the best option. For each drain in your home, buy one gallon of bleach. Slowly pour the entire gallon in the first drain. Let set overnight. In the morning, run hot water down drain for a couple of minutes. Remember, only do one drain each night till you have treated them all. I did place a post-it-note at each drain to remind me not to run any water. It is helpful to do this at bedtime...

Helpful Reply
- Martin on Mar 12, 2022
  
  a gallon for each drain? Bit over the top.
  
  Helpful
Kathy Bitzan on Jul 05, 2016
On a garbage disposal pull out the rubber ring and give it a good washing and soak in vinegar or bleach.

Helpful Reply
Carolyn Jean Ross on Jul 05, 2016
I agree with both the bleach and bicarb/vinegar remedies (unless you have a septic tank, in which case the bleach would be a very bad idea) - and to keep them from coming back, make a point of flushing the drain every time you use it. These flies thrive on decomposing organic material stuck in your drain - keeping the drain as clean as possible will help combat them. (The bleach will kill flies and bacteria but not necessarily the eggs - when they hatch, if there's anything in the drain for them to eat you'll have to start over.

Helpful Reply
Pat Bradfield on Jul 05, 2016
Pour boiling water down drains once weekly. This will clear the slime out of the drain and therefore get rid of those nasty drain flies

Helpful Reply
Janie on Jul 05, 2016
I use a small pickle jar and put a mixture of apple cider vinegar and maple syrup in it. I poke a few holes in the lid with an ice pick. I put this on the side of my sink and catch both drain flies and the tiny fruit flies. Hope this helps.

Helpful Reply
Susie Rufener on Jul 05, 2016
I use apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap in a small jar with holes in it. Or even a small disposable plastic container with holes in lid. Keep on counter and it will attract fruit flies and gnats.

Helpful Reply
Rosel Kynast on Jul 05, 2016
I agree with Kathy, clean the rubber insert. Cut a lemon in 4th and put it down the disposal, I do that ones a month. It will clean and freshen the disposal.

Helpful Reply
- Cindy Stewart Trachsler on Jul 06, 2016
  Thank You Rosel Kynast, but I do not have a disposal
  
  Helpful Reply
Chanwoo KIM on Jul 05, 2016
Pour hot water into your sink drain...

Helpful Reply
Charly on Jul 05, 2016
First of all, take all food off the counters. Fruit flies reproduce in the drain so you should pour Apple cider vinegar down the drain, wait about fifteen minutes and then pour boiling water down the drain to flush out the drain. You may have to do this again but it's relatively simple and inexpensive with no harsh chemicals to worry about.

Helpful Reply
Melody Stern on Jul 05, 2016
Those are sludge knats! The sludge is created because there is a deteriation of the drain pipe below your house where water is seeping through the pipe creating a pool of sludge! The knats are coming up through the opening in the pipe! You should have this fixed right away! If the problem is not too bad, you may find a plumber to fix it, however, if it has grown to a large area, over a long period,most plumbers will insist you call a specialist to remove or cover the sludge! Sludge can become dangerous as eventually, it will begin to emit gasses! Check w/your local hardware store to obtain bags of the proper cover and spread over the area to soak up the sludge,once you have the broken pipe fixed, you will no longer have those pesky knats!!!

Helpful Reply
Barbara C on Jul 05, 2016
The Fruit Flies are coming from the drain because they live and breed where it is dark and damp.Never heard of sludge gnats.,The Fruit Flies are attracted to and eat rotten and spoiled fruit and veggies.Get rid of all spoiled edibles in the kitchen.Keep drains rinsed out after every use.

Helpful Reply
Dee B on Jul 05, 2016
Never heard of sludge gnats ( knats), but I got rid of gnats in my drain by spraying a solution of 50/50 H2O and bleach after I clean the kitchen each night.

Helpful Reply
Janice Peterson on Jul 05, 2016
just a note: original post was about drain flies. these are different from fruit flies.

Helpful Reply
Bz on Jul 05, 2016
I sprinkled comet over my drains at night. Leave it set overnight. Do it every night for about 5 nights. Never had a problem again. Its been 2 years. I have fruit on the counter and still no problem. I believe I had drain gnats.

Helpful Reply
Pamela Robertson Pullmann on Jul 06, 2016
Bleach. Just pour it down the drain, let it sit for awhile and then run your water.

Helpful Reply
B on Jul 06, 2016
I live in Florida and a friend who has an older house gets these every summer. So this is what I have tried: Boil a huge pan of water. Place baking soda ( 2 cups in drain, followed by 2 cups of vinegar followed by boiling water and then 2 cups of washing soda and about three cups of course salt. Do this for each drain in your house twice. This seemed to do the trick. Good luck.

Helpful Reply
Mar7511670 on Jul 06, 2016
Bleach in hot water. Cover drain

Helpful Reply
Dwi5997718 on Jul 06, 2016
Pour 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1cup of vinegar. Let it foam out of hole. Leave soda in dan at might.

Helpful Reply
Barbara on Jul 06, 2016
I agree with the other suggestions posted here. I used baking soda, vinegar and boiling water a few years ago and we've never had another problem.

Helpful Reply
Paula on Jul 06, 2016
At home also in a floor drain at work what has always worked is a cup of bleach.

1 marked as helpful Reply
Mary Berry on Jul 06, 2016
Best natural is to use DoTerra Lemongrass oil. Place 4-6, 8 drops in drain, spray little water let it sit. Makes your kitchen smell good to.

Helpful Reply
Ann Bailey on Jul 06, 2016
Try pouring Clorox down the sink and leave it overnight

Helpful Reply
Flossie on Jul 07, 2016
Obliterate with a product called Barfly, it is specifically for these nasty visitors in the kitchen sink area.

Helpful Reply
- Danta2 on Jul 10, 2016
  Where can I find it?
  
  Helpful
Linda on Jul 07, 2016
A little bleach several times a week.

Helpful Reply
Katherine kelly on Jul 07, 2016
I put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda followed by 1/2 cup vinegar.let it bubble for a few minutes.Then boiling water 1 cup.I do this to my drains and it also keeps the drain clear.Win win

Helpful Reply
Flossie on Jul 11, 2016
In London it is available in the hardware shop, it may go under a different name in US. I had a look on Amazon for you but they don't sell it I will try and find the maker's name and let you know.

Helpful Reply
Cynthia Green on Jul 11, 2016
A jar lid with white vinegar in it & set it on the sink. Apple vinegar would probably work also.

Helpful Reply
Brenda Hand-Amunrud on Aug 15, 2016
The Problem is killing the egg sacks they lay, they stick them everywhere and anywhere in the drain usually where the water doesn't reach. I use a product called Liquid Plumber disposal and drain foaming cleaner. (It's a sort of bath bomb) That seams to foam all the way up into the sink and reach everywhere in the pipes. I haven't had a problem since I started using the product. But, I'm sure you could make something similar. The basic ingredients are baking soda, citric acid and essential oil. The bomb is ground up by the disposal, you have to have a small stream of hot water running also. Good luck. I hate those little buggers too.

Helpful Reply
Bz on Mar 14, 2017

I use a little apple cider in a cup. Seal the cup with Saran Wrap. Poke about five holes in the Saran Wrap. Set it off to the side of the sink.

Helpful Reply
Sch3kids on Mar 17, 2017

ammonia

Helpful Reply
Claude on Mar 17, 2017

Those look like damn pantry flies.....the sink is not t problem. THey are V aped and live in grain products..like flour, crackers, macaroni..nasty boogers. Go thru your pantry or wherever you store that stuff and look in every package..you will see webs and little larvae🤢. They hide in corners, look like webbed cocoons and hide under shelves. THEY can have entire generations hatching in a box of flour. THOSE flies in your sink are attracted by the. Smell and water. Use the cup on th counter. For adults...but go thru your pantry. I eventually found my source in the darn bird seed in the garage but not before they got to the dog food.

Helpful Reply
Bonnie Knight on Mar 24, 2017

I had them (drain flies - black with big round wings), they were in the drain line where my air handler condensate pipe drained to and also in my bathroom shower drain. I used Drano, let it sit and then flushed lines with water, no more flies. They really are annoying. You really have to use something to kill the larvae. Good Luck!

Helpful Reply
Oluwasegun Abe on May 28, 2019

Flies will be attracted to the fragrant liquid and drown. Boil a pot of water and pour it down the drain 1-2 times daily for a week. Pour 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar down the drain and allow to sit overnight. Follow with a pot of boiling water in the morning. Here is a guide i found online: https://homefitty.com/how-to-get-rid-of-drain-flies/

Helpful Reply
Kato on Oct 22, 2020

I tried everything. The worst are the ‘traps’. They trap 2%!!! Don’t waste your time. 2 years of this (they leave in the winter) and I tried ammonia down the kitchen drain. Presto! Gone!! Nothing else works.

Helpful Reply
Chloe Crabtree on Apr 01, 2022

Pour in 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of baking soda plus a cup of white vinegar. Allow it to work its magic overnight then flush the drain with hot or boiling water the next morning. This will sanitize the drain and kill the flies and their eggs.

Helpful Reply
Ann|The Apple Street Cottage on Dec 17, 2022

Pour some bleach down the drain periodically.

Helpful Reply
Ann|The Apple Street Cottage on Apr 14, 2023

Pour boiling water down the drain a couple of times a week.

Helpful Reply
Chas' Crazy Creations on Jun 01, 2023

Here's a post that might help https://chascrazycreations.com/irish-spring-soap-and-flies/

Helpful Reply
Mogie on Jun 02, 2023

Sticky yellow traps.

Helpful Reply
Ann|The Apple Street Cottage on Nov 28, 2023

Pour bleach down the drains.

Helpful Reply
Chas' Crazy Creations 6 days ago

Here is a post that might help, scroll down to the part about sinks - https://chascrazycreations.com/unclog-drains-toilets-with-out-plunging/

Helpful Reply
Deb K 18 hours ago

Hi Cindy, this should help you. Boil a kettle of water, pour the boiling water down the drain. Follow that with adding 1 full cup of baking soda, follow that with pouring in 2 cups of vinegar. Leave this to sit for 1 hour before using this sink.

Helpful Reply