13 Effective Way to Eliminate Gnats at Home

Gnats enter your house from the outdoors through cracks or holes in the walls or straight away through windows or doors.

But have you found that gnats made your home their home?

If yes, then this isn’t a piece of good news, and now you might be looking for quick ways to get rid of them.

Important Note: If you're tired of pests and want a reliable solution, then you should definitely consider seeking help from a professional pest control company. DIY solutions can be effective, but if you're dealing with a significant pest infestation, you don't want to rely solely on DIY methods. Pest control companies typically don't charge huge fees. You can fill out this form to receive free quotes from the top local pest control companies, and compare the quotes and see for yourself. Then, finally, your pest problems will be eliminated for good.

Also, it is crucial to take the necessary action before the infestation gets bigger.

Luckily, you can make your own gnat traps and effectively eliminate their presence. If you are wondering how, then continue reading this article, as we have listed some simple DIY gnat traps that can be made at home.

1. Lure Gnats With Rotten Fruit

Gnats love the smell of fruit and are easily attracted to it. In fact, more often than not, rotten fruits are the first reason why an infestation started. So why not use them against gnat?

To create a rotten fruit trap:

Take a few pieces of overripe fruit in a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap.
Use a rubber band and tightly wrap it around.
Use a toothpick to put tiny holes in the plastic cover.

This trap will invite gnats, and when they get into the tiny holes, they will get trapped inside as they won’t know how to find a way out.

2. Set A Candle Trap

Effective Way to Eliminate Gnats at Home

Though this sounds like an old-school trick, it works. First, understand the logic behind it. Light attracts flying insects. So by lighting a candle, you can lure gnats and kill them.

Place a tall candle in a candlestick and keep it in a small bowl or pan filled with water.
Then turn off the lights and light the candle.
Now, wait for some time to allow gnats to come near the light.

When they come near the light, they hit the flame, fall on the water, and drown.

Note: It is recommended to attend to the flame with caution and blow it carefully once it’s done.

3. Use A Wine Trap

You don’t have to sacrifice your wine collection to trap gnats. Rather, you can use the expired cooking wine that turned into vinegar.

Pour some wine into a small bowl, add a few drops of dish soap and mix it. Place this mixture in a place filled with gnats.

The wine attracts gnats, and when they sit on the mixture, the dish soap traps and kills them.

4. The Apple Cider Vinegar Trap

This one is a famous trap as it is very effective. Take a small bowl, add half a cup of warm water, mix one tablespoon of sugar with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and then add a few drops of liquid dish soap.

Now mix it well, place the bowl in gnat dwelling areas and wait patiently.

The sweet sugary mixture attracts gnats, and when they sit to drink it, the dish soap will trap them.

5. Cinnamon Powder

Another natural way to eliminate fun gus gnats is to use cinnamon powder. Cinnamon powder has mostly been used as a fungicide in many houses. You can also use it against gnats.

Mix a few tablespoons of cinnamon powder in a cup of water and sprinkle the solution on the soil. This gets rid of adult gnats and their larvae and eliminates gnat infestation.

You can try this method once or twice a week.

6. Essential Oils For Gnats

Do gnats fly around you or near your face often and annoy you? If yes, here is a quick solution to repel them. Yes, as you have guessed, it is essential oil.

Gnats hate the smell of essential oils. So you can use them to repel them. Though essential oils don’t kill gnats, they can keep them from roaming around you.

Peppermint oil is most effective in keeping gnats away. Other such oils include lavender, cinnamon, tea tree, citronella, garlic, lemon, lemongrass, and mint.

You can use the essential oils as a body spray. This strong smell would prevent bites from insects and drive the gnats away from you.

7. Sticky Honey Trap

This works similar to fly trapper but in a more natural way.

Spread a little honey on a bright yellow index card. Then glue the card to a straw or chopstick and place it in the soil, especially near indoor plants.

This sticky honey trap lures gnats easily, and once they get stuck, they die.

Get Rid Of Drain Flies Using These Three Easy Methods

Your sink drains remain as a haven for gnats to breed. You can kill gnats and prevent their future infestation by clearing this breeding spot.

8. Diluted Bleach Solution

If you have found drain flies in your kitchen sink or drainage area, you can treat the area with bleach. Drain flies don’t survive bleach.

However, when undiluted bleach is inhaled by mistake, it can cause much harm to your lungs. So to avoid this, we recommend using diluted bleach.

Take one and a half cups of bleach and dilute it with one gallon of water. Then pour this solution into the drain. This eliminates drains, flies, eggs, and solid food wastes present there.

9. Baking Soda and Vinegar

This is another proven method to kill drain flies. Mix half a cup of salt in water and pour it into the sink drain. Now, pour half a cup of baking soda on top of the salt.

As a final touch, pour 1 cup of plain white vinegar. This mixture will create a foam and clean the drain thoroughly, killing the gnats and eggs.

10. Ammonia Trap

This method can also be applied in killing drain gnats or flies. But avoid trying it when kids or pets-animals around because the pungent smell might suffocate them.

Pour half cup of ammonia into the sink and wait for a few minutes. Then flush your sink with hot water. This will kill gnats and clear their dwelling place.

Note: It is highly NOT recommended to use ammonia with any other type of cleaner. For instance, we have mentioned vinegar and bleach to clean a drain. So never use all these ingredients together, as the chemical reaction between them can be hazardous.

Conclusion

So that’s all about the different ways to get rid of gnats. All the methods mentioned above are tried and tested by our team, which is why we recommend them. We hope it works for you as well.

Also, most methods need products that are easily available in your home. Some methods need cash. However, we will leave it upto you. Choose the one which seems easy.

Thanks for scrolling. Cheers!