5 All-Natural Ways to Keep Flies Away From Your Home

How to Keep Flies Away from Your Home

1. Close Doors, Windows and Screens

   Keeping the doors and windows shut is one of the most simple yet effective ways to keep flies out of your house. This will ensure that any pesky flies lurking outside don't manage to get into your space.

   Additionally, installing screens on every openable window can make a huge difference in the number of flies you see inside your home. Screens guard against intrusion and add an extra layer of protection, acting as an additional barrier against flying bugs.

   As you can tell, closing the doors and windows and having properly fitted screens are two essential steps to keeping flies at bay inside your home. If your screens are damaged, it's probably a good idea to repair or replace them.

   Tip

   When trying to identify flies, start by looking around your windows. Oftentimes, when flies are trapped inside, they will fly toward the window hoping to make their way back outside where they belong. While they often don't make their way back out, they will die trying, leaving intact fly samples along the windowsills. It may seem gross, but these samples will be very helpful for identifying the flies.

2. Remove Rotting Organic Material

   Flies like bottle flies like stinky, smelly, nasty things. Things like spoiled food waste, rotting yard debris, and, of course, dog poop.

   If you're noticing lots of flies around your home, inside or outside, it will be important to address any sources of rotting materials so they will be less attracted to your property. Flies are known to travel 1-2 miles in search of stinky meals. Don't let your house become a pit stop.

   Inside, aim to address areas like:

   • Compost bins on the counter: Make sure it seals well so the smell can't get out, and take it out frequently
   • Garbage and recycle storage: Keep them clean and empty them regularly, or they will smell, and flies will come looking for a meal
   • Dirty diaper storage: Like all stinky trash, dirty diaper storage cans should be emptied on a regular basis

   If there are outside sources attracting flies to your property, it's only a matter of time before they make their way inside. Outside, you can:

   • Pick up dog poop: This goes without saying, but certain flies like poop and will hang around in large numbers if there's ample poop in your yard
   • Move your outside trash bins: Ideally, keep your trash and recycle bins away from the house to avoid drawing flies in
   • Enclose your compost: Consider purchasing or building an enclosed compost space that makes fly access more difficult, and if that's not possible, try to keep it as far away from the home as possible
     

3. Keep the Air Moving

   Believe it or not, you probably have one (or more) of the most effective fly-repellent tools available, and you don't even know it.

   Place fans throughout your home, especially in areas where you see flies hanging out. This will keep the air in your house moving, making it difficult for flies to do what they do best: fly! Not only is this method cost-effective, but it also requires little effort to maintain. With the proper positioning and settings, you have an all-natural solution for keeping flies away.

   There are specialty fans called "air curtains" that can be installed above doorways and blow over the door to prevent flies and other pests from entering as people come and go. These fans are handy but expensive.

   Tip

   You can place a fan at the entrance of your home, pointing outward. This will discourage flies from entering the same way an air curtain does.

4. Use Fly Traps

   If you are finding yourself in the unfortunate situation of dealing with a fly infestation, there are a wide variety of fly traps, including:

   • UV lights: There are UV lights available for both indoor and outdoor use. While effective, these traps are designed to draw flies in before zapping them, so don't place them in areas where you don't want to see flies.
   • Flypaper: Homemade or store-bought fly paper can be hung in more localized areas, either indoors or outdoors, to deal with larger flies. Focus on hanging your flypaper in areas where the air is stagnant. Flies like to hang out in the still air, so flypaper can be a great tool for reducing their population size.
   • Vinegar traps: These traps work for fruit flies, where the smell of the vinegar draws them in and the device traps them inside. Just make sure you're dealing with fruit flies and not drain flies.

5. Clean Your Drains and Garbage Disposal

   Many flies could be attracted to the smell coming from your drains or garbage disposal, but the most interested party is the drain fly.

   Keeping your drains and garbage disposal clean is a necessity if you want to avoid the nuisance of drain flies. These pesky little insects that look like teensy, heart-shaped moths are known to invade the areas near kitchen sinks and bathroom drains.

   To prevent an infestation of drain flies, it's important to clean any areas of your home that house drainage systems. Remove debris from your drains and disposal by thoroughly scrubbing with a stiff brush and drain cleaner.
   

When to Call a Professional

Generally speaking, flies are a source pest, meaning once the source of the issue has been resolved, the issue should go away on its own.

That being said, fly problems can be perplexing, especially if you're having trouble identifying the source of the issue. Don't be afraid to call a pest professional if you're stumped. They'll be able to help you identify the fly in question, as well as point out potential fly sources that need to be addressed.