All You Need To Know About Getting Rid Of Small Flies From The Kitchen

by Anugraha Venugopal | January 4, 2024 | 6 mins read

Easy and effective way to get rid of small flies in your kitchen

Here’s your guide on how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen and keep it spanking clean and pest-free.

The house fly is not as harmless as it seems. Before we share our tips on how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, here’s something you need to know about them — they carry food-borne pathogens that spread diseases such as conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, typhoid fever and dysentery, to name a few. We fall ill when they contaminate our food or drink. Diseases are also transmitted via contaminated cooking vessels, eating utensils and cutlery. Further, we may get infected when we touch a contaminated entity and subsequently touch our eyes or open wounds. So, avoiding COVID-19 is not the only reason to wash your hands regularly. But to fully tackle the bigger problem of small flies and other insects in the kitchen, we need to do more than wash hands regularly. Here are some hacks on how to avoid small flies from gathering in your kitchen in the first place!

How To Remove Small Flies From The Kitchen With Herbs

It doesn’t matter if you’re into kitchen gardens or not because we’re about to tell you a simple but effective tip. Keep strong-smelling potted herbal plants such as mint, bay leaf, basil, tulsi, lemongrass, rosemary or lavender in the kitchen. They naturally repel insects of all kinds including small flies. Also, with herbs, nothing goes to waste as the dried leaves are just as effective to keep flies and other bugs away from the kitchen. Another option is to add a few drops of any herb-based essential oil into a container and leave it in a corner of the kitchen. If you’re keen on potted plants but don’t know where to start, here are some fabulous kitchen garden ideas

Get rid of small flies in kitchen with strong-smelling herbs
Strong-smelling herbs tackle flies well

How To Avoid Small Flies In The Kitchen With Pantry Items

As you prepare for the battle, stock up on key everyday use resources in the pantry. Here’s what you need to fight the flies, mosquitoes and other insects:

  • Salt: Mix salt and water and sprinkle the solution across the kitchen
  • Cinnamon and cloves: Keep them in the open for the smell to do its trick or use a few drops of their essential oils
  • Vinegar: Spray diluted vinegar or wipe your kitchen clean with a mix of vinegar and dishwasher soap
  • Lemon: Sprinkle lemon juice or place lemon peels across your kitchen 
  • Chalk: The one specifically designed for repelling insects like roaches and ants

These ideas on how to remove small insects from the kitchen are cost-effective and sure-shot tricks. To keep these resources and other kitchen commodities handy in your kitchen, explore our kitchen organization ideas.

Mix salt and water to eliminate small insects in the kitchen
Reach into your pantry for quick solutions
Looking to transform your kitchen this season

Check For The Source Of Small Flies In Your Kitchen

While deliberating how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, looking for the source of the infestation helps. Sweet food left in the open could attract bugs. So could raw vegetables and fruits that are rotting. If you keep your raw produce in a wicker basket in the open, monitor them regularly to discard those that are unusable. Even when keeping them in the refrigerator, do keep checking for those that need to be discarded. Remember to remove them from your kitchen immediately instead of keeping them in the dustbin for too long.

Check for the source of small flies in the kitchen in India to get rid of them and throw out rotten vegetables and fruits
Food that has passed its shelf life can be a source

Proper Waste Disposal Helps To Avoid Flies In The Kitchen

When discussing how to get rid of small insects in the kitchen, let’s not forget that regular and proper waste disposal plays a key role. Modular kitchens such as this design are equipped for proper and easy waste management. The wastebasket is enclosed in an efficient pull-out tall drawer to prevent attracting insects and flies. It also features multiple bins to segregate dry and wet waste. With pop-up lids and easily detachable arrangements, discarding waste and cleaning the bins are easy to handle.

Proper waste disposal is the best way to remove small flies in your kitchen
A modular kitchen fitted with proper waste disposal

How To Avoid Small Flies In The Kitchen With Clean Countertops

It’s well-known that food spills attract flies. But no matter how experienced one is in kitchen affairs, preparing food without any spillover, every day, is a tough task. The simpler solution is to clean the countertop regularly with plain water. Wipe it occasionally with small amounts of mild dish soap and water. Many homeowners prefer a marble countertop and backsplash for their kitchen thanks to its ease of everyday maintenance. With marble countertops, you don’t have to worry much about how to keep small flies away from the kitchen!

Clean the countertop regularly with plain water to avoid small flies in the kitchen
A marble countertop promises easy maintenance

How To Fight Flies With An Undermount Marble Sink

An undermount marble sink is a fabulous extension of a marble countertop for a squeaky clean, no-pest kitchen. Cleaning and maintenance are a breeze as food particles and liquid spills on the countertop can be cleared directly into the sink. The lack of a rim keeps it free from remnant food particles which usually attract flies. Wiping the kitchen surface with water or mild dish soap will keep it clean, and more importantly, make it a no-entry zone for flies and other insects. Take a look at our interesting marble kitchen sink designs, if you’re looking for one.

Go pest-free and fight flies in your kitchen with an under-mount marble sink
Go pest-free with a marble undermount sink
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A Dry Kitchen Helps To Avoid Small Insects

Maintaining a dry kitchen is also an integral part of a clean and pest-free kitchen experience. Make sure that you stock up on different kinds of towels. Be it cleaning the countertop, holding hot utensils (protects you and the countertop), wiping clean the washed vessels or cleaning your hands — there are many tasks in the kitchen that need towels. So, it’s useful to keep towels handy for everyday use and store spare ones in a cabinet that’s easy to access. It’s also important to wash the kitchen towels regularly and allow them to dry thoroughly.

Avoid or get rid of small insects in your kitchen by keeping the place dry
Keep the kitchen dry to repel flies and insects

Flies and insects can be a real menace to our health and surroundings. That’s not all they do. They even eat up our happiness by lingering over our favorite treats. Nobody wants that cake after a fly has tasted it first! Now that you know how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen, we hope you can fight the enemy soon and win your territory back. If you’d like to know more about modular kitchens, marble countertops or sinks for your space, talk to our designers. Book your consultation here.

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Anugraha venugopal is a home interior content writer at a design cafe

Anugraha Venugopal

Born in Kannur and raised in a multicultural community in Chennai, Anugraha prefers her world to be a mix of variety. She enjoys the adrenaline rush in moments of commotion as much as she loves the deep silence for a moment of calm. She's into all things content – writing, editing, strategy & consulting. Her works have been published in anthologies & magazines. She’s also an independent facilitator for children’s training programmes.

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