I tried 5 viral hacks to banish pesky flies from my kitchen – the best one scored 10/10 and it was totally free too

WHILE we’re finally set to see some glorious sunshine soon after weeks of unpredictable gloomy weather, summer’s likely to arrive with another, less welcome guest – pesky flies.

These irritating pests are a real nuisance for millions of households across the UK – and my London-based flat has, unfortunately, fallen victim to them too.

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Our biggest problem area is the garden-facing kitchen which at times feels like a breeding ground to both annoying houseflies and hungry fruit flies.

In fact, the issue has become so problematic I try to keep the big window shut – even during the warmer days when we desperately want to keep the air moving.

Of course, there are a number of pest repellents from the market that promise to work magic or sticky fly papers that you can order from Amazon and other major retailers.

But I love a challenge (and I’m also saving money wherever possible), so I decided to see once and for all – do the hacks going viral on social media actually work? Or are they a total waste of your time?

Here’s how it went…

Let’s get spicy

Over the years while writing about different fly-banishing hacks for Fabulous, the one trick I’ve come across over and over again is using cupboard essentials – herbs and spices.

According to Hudson Lambert, expert from NOPE! Pest Control, these pesky visitors find certain aromas particularly repugnant, so they work a charm as natural repellents.

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The aromatic rosemary and basil proved to be amongst the winners[/caption]

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Kate was impressed by how effective this technique was, but the plants did start to wither fairly quickly[/caption]

After doing some research, I found out that houseflies are not fans of fresh basil and rosemary – which you can nab for a little over £1 with a Nectar Card at Sainsbury’s.

Whilst these two herbs have beneficial properties in the kitchen – and add great flavour to most dishes – basil and rosemary can also be useful for repelling flies and other insects if you want to stick to natural remedies.

The trick here is pretty straightforward – simply place the plant by your window and watch it work its magic.

The natural oils evoked a juicy, earthy aroma – and while foodies like myself love it, the annoying pests seemed to be buzzing away from the property.

Although there were already some flies that had made their way into my kitchen before I returned from my grocery shop, I didn’t notice any of their annoying relatives joining the crew.

Now, I have basil and rosemary ready to be used for hearty meals, and also barely any flies roaming around – a win-win if you ask me!

The only issue is that both of the herbs, especially basil, begin to wither pretty quickly, so they’ll need replacing on a regular basis – which is why I’ve remove one point from the score.

Zap attack rating: 9/10.

Water idea!

Obviously, one of the key things to do during the warmer days to keep the pesky flies away is making sure your kitchen is clean.

However sometimes even despite the best of my and my flatmates’ efforts, we’d still notice a swarm of teeny flies.

For a while, we couldn’t figure out where they were coming from… until we realised there’s a hidden spot where these pests hide and lay their eggs – the sink.

Interior expert Rob Chadwick, from CGC Interiors and Outdoor Lighting, recently explained: ”The conditions inside a sink pipes are ideal place for flies to lay their eggs which grow into the nuisances we all hate.

“But two easy solutions can be to regularly pour hot water down your drain (every three-five days) which will effectively clean the drains and kill the eggs, larvae and any adult flies.”

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Kate found this trick super simple but effective – and it was totally free[/caption]

The guru also noted that some recommend mixing baking soda and vinegar together, followed by the free water trick.

As this is a rented property, I didn’t want to mess with the drains too much, in case it triggered some sort of a reaction… and an expensive visit from the plumber.

Although initially I was quite sceptical – after all, it’s just some water – to my surprise, the hack did indeed work.

I followed Rob’s advice, pouring boiling hot water straight from the kettle into the sink before before heading to work, and there were no baby flies after I’d returned.

Zap attack rating: 10/10

A bit stick-y

I do love my fruit, but while they’re full of vital nutrients and vitamins, your five-a-day can also lure in hungry fruit flies – especially if it’s a ripe banana.

But how to tackle this without giving up my fruit? Well, one internet-famous nan, Babs Costello, recently shared how she uses another common cupboard staple – cinnamon sticks.

“Cinnamon naturally contains eugenol, an aromatic compound commonly found in traditional insect repellants,” the savvy grandma explained.

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The cinnamon hack, praised by one savvy nan, turned out to be a bit of a flop[/caption]

You can get cinnamon – or cinnamon sticks – in all supermarkets for a relatively low price, such as Aldi were it sells for a mere 79p.

Following Babs’ recommendations, I placed a few cinnamon sticks in the fruit bowl next to my overripe bananas.

However, this hack was a bit of a flop, as, although slightly less, the flies were still buzzing about.

Zap attack rating: 6/10.

Spend a penny

Most of us have random change scattered around our homes, whether that’s in your purse or somewhere by the keys.

But as bizarre as it may sound, interior guru Rob insisted that you can use the 2p coins to deter annoying flies – yes, really.

Sharing the hack, the expert explained that all you need to do is simply fill up a clear pint glass with water and drop in 2p coins – ideally four to five.

“Flies hate naturally hate water and, the colour of copper, which is why one penny and two penny coins will work far better than more valuable silver or gold coins,” he said, as reported by Daily Record.

“The coins and water together look far larger to flies thanks to their thousands of small, stationary eyes packed together – it’s estimated each fly has between 3,000 and 6,000.

“The water and reflection combined with their eyes, create a large water mosaic, which they’d fly away from in nature.”

Armed with the spare change, I chucked the coins in a large glass before filling it up with tap water, placed it by the window sill and began to observe.

As much as I would’ve liked this hack to work, especially given how cheap it was, the water/penny method didn’t really repel many flies.

If you still want to give this a go I’ve also heard about people placing the concoction in a clear plastic zip-lock bag, which I didn’t have at hand.

Zap attack rating: 0/10

DIY repellent for surfaces

We’ve heard about vinegar being used for cleaning – but did you know you can also use this cupboard essential to fend off the winged insects?

According to Jordan Foster from Fantastic Pest Control, there are two easy hacks that involve the acidic liquid for this purpose, including soaking cotton balls in vinegar and placing them in the areas where the flies are a nuisance.

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Although the vinegar water spray didn’t prevent the winged insects from flying into my kitchen, they weren’t buzzing around as much[/caption]

The second method – which I opted for – is even cheaper and involves mixing water with vinegar (I went for white wine vinegar) and spraying onto any surfaces.

Although this alternative didn’t really prevent the insects from flying into my kitchen, they weren’t hanging around as much, especially near the fruit bowl.

Zap attack rating: 5/10.