How to get rid of fruit flies with apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is the secret ingredient that Ideal Home’s editors swear by to keep fruit flies out of their home during summer – and this is how you can use it, too.

One of the biggest downsides to hot, sunny weather is the emergence of flies, lingering around your kitchen, bins and garden furniture, which is why you’ll be in need of an effective method to stop flies from coming into your home.

But you need look no further. Using a combination of apple cider vinegar and cling film, you can create a humane trap that effectively works to get rid of flies. What’s more, it’s so good that every editor I spoke to on the Ideal Home team swears by it – this is how you can do it, too.

How to get rid of flies with apple cider vinegar

It’s very easy to make this trap. All you have to do is fill the bottom of a jar with apple cider vinegar. Then cover the top of the jar with cling film and poke holes inside. Fruit flies are attracted by the smell of the cider vinegar and enter through the holes in the cling film. However, once inside the jar, the flies can’t escape, and you can release them away from your home, making this a humane and effective pest deterrent.

‘At HomeServe, our pest callouts jump by around 150% during the summer months, thanks to a rise in everything from rodents to wasps and fruit flies. While some infestations need professional attention, there are plenty of easy home fixes worth trying first,’ says Chris Houghton, Home Expert at HomeServe.

‘For fruit flies, a simple trap using apple cider vinegar and cling film can be surprisingly effective. It’s low-effort, chemical-free, and uses ingredients you’ve probably already got in the kitchen. Just remember to check the trap regularly if you’re aiming to keep things humane.’

One of the best things about this method is that all you need are cupboard ingredients. Apple cider vinegar can be picked up for a little as £1.50 at Tesco while cling film is just £2.50 at Dunelm. However if you’re looking to stock up, you can get a litre of apple cider vinegar for £5.99 at Amazon.

Why you should use apple cider vinegar to get rid of flies

Now, while simple, this method is certainly effective. Vinegar as a whole is an excellent cleaning arsenal, and white vinegar can also be used to get rid of fruit flies. So, if you’ve not yet been convinced by its powerful qualities, you should now.

‘Last summer, we had a real issue with fruit flies swarming around our fruit bowl, likely thanks to having the windows open in the heat. And once they’re in, they’re in! I turned to the trusty apple cider vinegar trick: mixing it with a drop of washing up liquid in a small container, covering it with cling film and piercing tiny holes in the top,’ says Jenny McFarlane, Ideal Home’s Senior Digital Editor.

‘The scent draws the fruit flies in, but once they enter the holes, they can’t find their way out again. It’s not the prettiest thing to have sitting about, and it’s not the nicest smell either, but it’s a simple DIY solution that I’ve found really effective for keeping them under control.’

Ideal Home’s Editor-in-Chief, Heather Young, also had similar results when she tested the method out for herself.

‘I have been using this method for a few years now, particularly over the summer when the fruit flies around our food waste bin in the kitchen start driving me crazy. It costs me nothing as I always have vinegar in the cupboard, and it solves the problem very quickly. It’s definitely my tried and tested method and I’m always recommending it to friends and family,’ she said.

Get rid of flies

If you’re still struggling with flies after trying this hack here are a few other solutions you can try.

What do you think? Will you be giving the cider vinegar method a go yourself?