TIPS FOR GETTING RID OF THEM IN THE KITCHEN OR IN THE HOUSE

To keep gnats away from your kitchen, you should store food in the fridge or cupboards . In fact, midges are attracted to leftover food and certain ingredients such as sugar or honey.

By sealing your leftovers and storing the food, you will limit the invasion of midges and protect your food from humidity and dust.

Opened bottles of wine are a real treat for gnats, like bottles of syrup or bottles of fruit juice. By leaving sugary drinks within reach of midges, you invite them to come into the kitchen or other rooms of the house to eat and reproduce there.

Read also : 5 tips to get rid of midges around your green plants

CLEAN DIRTY DISHES AND DRAINS FROM YOUR SINK

Dirty dishes are a real delight for gnats, because they combine leftover food with humidity conducive to their development. By cleaning the dishes and purifying your pipes regularly, you will attract less gnats.

Here are some effective products to properly unclog drain pipes:

Coffee grounds  : you can pour some into your sink and run boiling water. This will have the effect of preventing gnats from coming up and ridding your drains of food residue.

Baking soda and white vinegar : this is the winning combination for disinfecting pipes. Just pour 2 tablespoons of baking soda down the sink hole, then top up with a glass of vinegar. Leave on for at least 2 hours before running water.

EMPTY THE TRASH REGULARLY

empty kitchen trash can© istock

The garbage can is the midges’ favorite place to lay their eggs and feed in abundance. By adopting a trash can with a lid or by locking it in a cupboard, you will limit its access to gnats and flies. Of course, you must regularly disinfect your trash can to rid it of odors that also attract gnats.

If you have a compost bin in your kitchen, you need to cover it tightly and empty it very often to prevent the foods that midges are very fond of from fermenting. If possible, choose to place it on a balcony or in the garden.

Also read: Soil flies: 10 effective tips to get rid of them

TAKE CARE OF YOUR PLANTS

Plants in poor condition or those with moldy soil systematically attract gnats. This applies to aromatic plants that you have in the kitchen, such as basil, parsley or mint that you use in your preparations. Sometimes it will be better to change them to stop the proliferation of midges.

Plants in other rooms of the house can also attract gnats. Fortunately, there are tips for getting rid of them without throwing away your favorite plants:

Water less for a while to let the soil dry out on the surface and prevent the eggs from developing. In addition, it will discourage them from laying eggs. If the soil is old moldy, you can repot with clean potting soil to restart on a good foundation.

Sulfur repels midges who are bothered by its smell. By planting matchsticks upside down in your plant’s soil, you’ll get in the way of them and they’ll be less likely to lay eggs there.

The lemon is harmless for your plants, but it greatly annoys the gnats which move away when smelling its odor. Just mix a few spoonfuls of liquid soap and some lemon juice in water and spray the mixture on the plants to protect them from a midge invasion.

FRUIT ATTRACTS GNATS

The fruits are best when kept at room temperature, but they attract insects. To avoid feeding midges with your beautiful pears or juicy apples, there are tips:

Cork is a natural repellent to midges who hate its smell, so you can put a few corks in the heart of your fruit basket.

Garlic repels them just as much and you can use it to keep them away from your fruit.

Clove gives off a smell that bothers midges. Plant a dozen in a lemon and place it in your basket, or in other places in the house.

THREE NATURAL PRODUCTS TO GET RID OF GNATS

There are products that are naturally harmful to midges and which are particularly effective for better hygiene in your home:

Eucalyptus  : make a homemade spray by boiling 150 g of eucalyptus in 5 liters of water. Let cool, strain and place in a spray bottle to diffuse a sweet fragrance, clean the air and scare away the gnats.

Essential oils  : when diffused, peppermint is a very effective midge repellent. Geranium essential oil (like the plant for that matter) gives off a scent that midges strongly dislike and you can use it to make a spray by mixing about ten drops in 100 ml of water. In the same way, mix 10 drops of lavender essential oil with ½ liter of water and ¼ liter of vinegar and pour everything into a spray bottle.

Black soap  : it is a must and you can combine it with vinegar to thoroughly clean your kitchen, your bathroom, and even your windows and the floor. Its smell is appreciated by humans, much less by insects of all kinds who will tend to flee it.

Try one or more of these tricks to get rid of gnats and live