Home Remedies for Gnats

Gnats are tiny, pesky insects that, while not harmful to humans, can be extremely annoying. Before you shell out the big bucks for someone to deal with these pesky insects, you can try these natural home remedies for gnats.

Two common kinds of gnats like to make a pest of themselves. The first kind of gnat is the type that you find swarming around aquatic bodies, especially stagnant bodies of water, in large quantities.

These are known as fungus gnats. The other kind that likes to take up residence in your home and fester around overripe fruit are the infamous gnats known as fruit flies.

When you run into a gnat infestation in your home or outside, you may automatically call your local pest control company or use an insect fogger to get rid of gnats but it’s not necessary. You can take care of the issue yourself.

What are the Best Home Remedies for Gnats?

Having a few stray gnats in your house can quickly explode into an annoying swarm in a matter of a few days. These flying insects can damage your houseplants and cause you a great deal of frustration as you try to deal with the pesky gnats.

If they aren’t dealt with when they make their presence first known, the gnat problem will only get worse. If you are dealing with a gnat infestation, you’ll want to learn how to get rid of gnats in the house with home remedies.

Here are some natural remedies to get rid of gnats without resorting to harsh chemicals.

Ammonia

Spreading ammonia around infested areas in your home is a great way to kill gnats. Start by placing some vegetable oil in your sink drains. The gnats will gather around the vegetable oil in the sink.

When enough have assembled, pour some ammonia on them. Ammonia is hazardous for living organisms, so it will kill all of the gnats that have gathered in your sink.

You’ll want to avoid using the sink for several hours after spreading the ammonia to ensure that you’ve killed all the gnats.

Apple Cider Vinegar

One of the most popular and effective home remedies to catch gnats and fruit flies is apple cider vinegar. You can lure gnats and fruit flies into a vinegar trap both inside and outside because they love the sweet smell and taste of the apple cider vinegar.

Pour the cider vinegar into the Mason jar. Add the sugar and the dish soap and carefully stir the mixture to evenly distribute the soap through the vinegar. Cover the top of the pot with the plastic wrap and secure it with the rubber band.

Using a toothpick, create several small holes in the plastic wrap. The holes will allow the gnats to fly into the jar, but because there is no stable place for them to land in the bowl, the gnats drown in the apple cider vinegar. Place several of the fly traps in areas around your house where you have noticed them congregating.

If you have a concentration of gnats in the kitchen, which is common, you’ll want to place one of the traps on the floor near the refrigerator, another container on the counter, one near the trash can, and one more trap near the sink drain. These are all areas in your home that attract gnats because they are damp areas and contain food.

Wine

Just like white vinegar, wine is an excellent home remedy for gnats. Like the vinegar fruit fly trap, the sweet smell and taste of the wine attract gnats and fruit flies. Here’s how to get rid of cluster flies naturally using a cheap bottle of wine.

To make a gnat trap using wine, pour some leftover red wine in a small container and add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the bottle.

Leave the containers close to a food source, like rotten fruit or near your potted plants. The gnats will fly into the pot to get to the sweet-smelling wine, and become covered in the dish soap which will prevent them from being able to fly free, and will drown in the wine.

Vanilla

Another home remedy for gnats is vanilla. The scent of vanilla repels gnats and fruit flies. You can purchase a bottle of vanilla extract or vanilla essential oil online or from your local store and make your own insect repellent.

Vanilla Gnat Repellent

2 cups of water

2 tablespoons vanilla extract or 5-10 drops vanilla essential oil

Several drops of liquid dish soap

Spray bottle

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Fill the spray bottle with the water and the vanilla. Replace the lid and shake to combine. Spray the homemade gnat spray in the areas of your home where you are having a problem with gnats. Continue to use the mix in an area that becomes infested with the gnats.

Baking Soda

There is an endless number of uses for baking soda. From food preparation to cleaning, it can even be used to ward off various pests and insects, like gnats and black flies. The best reason to use baking soda to repel gnats is that it is non-toxic to humans but will wreak havoc on these tiny pests.

To use as a gnat repellent, combine four teaspoons of baking soda with a gallon of water and one teaspoon liquid soap and pour into a spray bottle. Mix the solution thoroughly and spray in the areas affected by gnats to effectively kill them.

Dryer Sheets

One of the best gnat repellent home remedies that you can utilize is dryer sheets. The fabric softener sheets that you use in your laundry typically contain an ingredient called oleander, which acts as a natural gnat repellent.

Place some dryer sheets around your indoor plants or throughout your garden to prevent gnats from using them as their breeding grounds. The dryer sheets will help to dry out any moist soil and prevent the gnats from laying their eggs.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon powder is one of the best home remedies for ants and other insects and can easily take care of your gnat problem.

Cinnamon’s fungicidal properties kill the fungus on rotten fruit or food, which is the primary food source for fungus gnat larvae. Toward of gnats in your garden and potted plants, sprinkle some cinnamon powder around your plants, and anywhere there are gnats to prevent an infestation.

Gnat Repellent Home Remedies using Essential Oils

Another one of the home remedies that you can use to get rid of gnats is essential oils. We have long utilized essential oils for repelling insects. Essential oils are concentrated essences of plants thang t are obtained through a distillation process of the plants.

At the first sign of a gnat problem, you can use one of the following essential oils to get rid of them. Here are seven essential oils that will help get rid of gnats in your home.

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Essential Oils for Repelling Gnats

Eucalyptus

Tea tree

Peppermint

Rosemary

Cedarwood

Lemongrass

Citronella

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You can add a couple of drops of any of these essential oils to a candle burner or diffuser to kill the adult gnats that are buzzing around your home. Or you can make a homemade anti-gnat spray using a combination of the essential oils.

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Essential Oil Anti-Gnat Spray

1 cup distilled water

1 cup white vinegar

15 drops eucalyptus oil

10 drops rosemary oil

7 drops peppermint oil

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Add all of the ingredients to a spray bottle. Replace the lid and gently shake the bottle to mix the ingredients. Use the spray directly on any gnats that you find flying around your home.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

If you have an issue with drain flies a mixture of baking soda and vinegar will take care of the problem. An inexpensive remedy, the combination of these ingredients will quickly kill any gnats in your kitchen sink drain and garbage disposal.

Add between three and five tablespoons of baking soda to your sink drain, then pour in one cup of vinegar. The ingredients react with each other, creating a gentle fizz, and will dissolve the built-up decaying organic material in your pipes and dissolve any clogs.

Let the solution sit for at least 20 minutes, then pour hot water down the drain to flush away the suspended dirt and dead gnats. You can also get rid of fungus gnats with hydrogen peroxide in the same way.

Honey Trap

Honey is another sweet ingredient that attracts gnats. Making your honey gnat trap can quickly take care of your gnat problem without using harsh chemicals that are toxic to your family as well as the environment.

To create this tricky sweet trap, cut out colored pieces of paper in long strips and glue them to a popsicle stick, then smear honey on one side of the paper. Place the stick traps into the soil of your potted plants. The gnats will fly into the paper and become trapped in the honey.

Lavender

Lavender can help you get rid of gnats while keeping your house smelling fresh and floral. You can place some lavender oil on some cotton balls and place them strategically around your home where the gnats tend to gather, or you can grow lavender plants. Gnats hate the smell of lavender, so placing a plant in your home will keep them away.

Best Gnat Bites Remedies

While most of the gnats that you find in the home are harmless, there are a few species that will bite humans and animals because they need the proteins in your blood to reproduce. The best way to avoid getting uncomfortable and itchy gnat bitesis to prevent them in the first place.

However, if one of the typical kinds of biting gnats does happen to bite you, there are several gnat bite home remedies that you can use to keep them from itching and to prevent further issues. You can make a gnat bites treatment at home.

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Common Kinds of Biting Gnats

Stable flies

Sand flies

Deer flies

Buffalo gnats

Biting midges

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You can apply an antiseptic, including alcohol, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide directly to the bite to get rid of any bacteria that may be present. Then rub a bit of apple cider vinegar directly onto the site to help relieve the swelling, pain, redness, and itchiness that accompanies gnat bites.

How to Prevent Gnats in the Future

After you’ve applied the gnat repellent home remedies to eliminate the gnat infestation in your home, you’ll want to make sure that that your fly problem doesn’t return. Here are some of the best preventative measures that you can take to keep these pesky flying insects from once again invading your home.

Clean Up Dirty Dishes

If you want to eliminate fruit flies and gnats from your home, then you want to make sure that you don’t leave dirty dishes lying around in your kitchen sink. Get in the habit of cleaning up your dishes as soon as you are done with eating your meal.

Get Rid of Trash Bags

Make sure the trash in your kitchen is always covered. Don’t let your trash bags sit around full for too long because this is a major attractant for gnats and fruit flies. If you don’t have a trash can with a lid, then you might want to consider covering the top with something like a newspaper.

Store Food in the Proper Containers

If you leave fruits and vegetables lying around on your counter, you will find yourself with a serious fly problem. Make sure that you store food in airtight containers and don’t leave uncovered food lying around.

Get Rid of Damp Areas

Take a look around your home and see if you have any areas that are unnecessarily damp. Gnats are attracted to areas with excess moisture, so you want to try and do your best to eliminate them. If you have a leaking pipe or if you notice water leaking into your house when it rains, address the issue by getting it fixed.

Repair Holes in Your Windows and Doors

Gnats are so small that they can enter your house through the tiniest of cracks and crevices in your window and door frames. Take care of these small entry points by caulking or placing fine mesh screens over the openings.

Dealing with gnats in your home can be incredibly frustrating because of their rapid reproduction. These home remedies for gnats can help you get control of a gnat infestation and prevent more gnats from invading your home. With the simple ingredients and methods, you can have a gnat free home in no time.