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How to get rid of stuff » Pest Problems » How to Get Rid of Gnats
 

How to Get Rid of Gnats

January 22nd, 2007 by admin
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GnatGnats are very much in need of a public relations department. Actually, a gnat could be one of several different small flying insects that are related in those biology classifications. The most common are called fruit flies (Learn how to get rid of fruit flies) and some types are called fungus gnats or vinegar flies. Regardless, they are always pests. They are completely harmless in every way except that they are one of the most annoying insects on the planet. They tend to buzz around our heads, clumsily bouncing off of our faces and occasionally get into our ears. The gnat has an average life span of around four months. It would be a very rare and unusual thing to see just one gnat flying around. This is because they spend most of those four months laying eggs. Each gnat can lay between two hundred and three hundred eggs during its life.

Most gnats love the smell of rotten food. It’s their main choice as a place to eat and to lay eggs. This is why you see them so often around your trash cans and sink drains. Most likely they are busy laying eggs there. They also seem to like over-watered plants. Since they really do not serve any practical purpose, are pests, and you’re reading this guide; you most likely want to get rid of them. The best way to get rid of gnats is to not let them come around in the first place. If you cover you trash cans, wash out you sink, and don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, you shouldn’t have to worry about them. Also make sure not to over water your plants. If somehow, despite all your preventive measures, you still have gnats inside your home, there are several ways to go about getting rid of them.

    Soap spray
  • Nuke Them. This is a good choice if you just have a few that wander in from outdoors. Just about any flying insect spray will kill them and very quickly. If the situation becomes an infestation, a fogger might be a better way to get the job done. If you use a spray and have pets make sure that you check the labels, and follow all directions for safe use. A less caustic approach would be to use insecticidal soap sprays.
  • Track Them and Kill Them. If you’ve got a swarm, you need to eliminate the source. It seems gnats are attracted to vinegar. Fill a jar almost to the top with vinegar, poke several small holes in the lid and then set it out. The gnats will come to the jar, wiggle down into the hole, and will not be able to climb back out. Set several of these traps around your home and monitor them to determine where the highest concentration is and use that information to find the source. Understand that the gnats that pester you in your home require moist or wet organic material in which to breed – it could be anything from a grimy drain to the drip pan under your refrigerator. Check your door and window seals also – they could be breeding right outside and wandering in.

VinegarThere are other home remedies that have met with success, but most of them use vinegar, and work pretty much like the vinegar trap above. Mixing a half cup of vinegar and a tablespoon of Dawn dish detergent attracts the gnats. They will feed on the mixture and die. Apple cider vinegar and baking soda works also. Be careful with this one. Vinegar and baking soda react and foam up, so make your mixture slowly. A cup of ammonia poured down the kitchen sink can also encourage the little pests to go elsewhere.

Gnats are harmless pests, and like many such household pests, the best way to get rid of them is to prevent them from coming around in the first place. It takes just a bit of protective sanitation to take away their breeding grounds. Also, most commercial flying bug sprays will wipe them out with little or no trouble. For more information regarding this article, read how to exterminate gnats.




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  1. February 3rd, 2010 at 2:48 pm    Esther Says:

    It seems like the only permanent solution is re-pot your plants with fine, high-quality potting soil. Here are things I tried:

    1. Watering less frequently. Gnat population was reduced, but they never went away.
    2. Replacing topsoil with sand. Gnats came back within a couple weeks.
    3. Vinegar and dish soap traps. Killed some but not nearly all of the gnats. But I still keep a little bowl of the stuff next to my plants to keep things under control.
    4. Water plants with highly diluted Windex solution. Got rid of the gnats most effectively, but nearly killed my plants.

    I’m just going to have to wait until spring, and wash and re-pot all of them. :(

  2. October 20th, 2009 at 3:56 pm    Catherine H Says:

    I have no idea what to do!! I have made the vinegar traps and they only have a few gnats in them, the rest are still on walls, drains, toilets, everywhere I look the whole house is full of gnats!! I tried spraying them with hairspray and then vacuuming them but I cant keep ahead of the problem!! I dont know what to do!!! HELP!!!

  3. September 30th, 2009 at 10:35 pm    Nikki Says:

    First of all, gnats don’t necessarily mean you have a filty home. You have to kill the source. Rotten fruit, vegetable, leaky drain. Find and destroy (literally) the source and gnats will be gone.

  4. September 16th, 2009 at 10:06 am    Jeff Says:

    I’m on the hunt for vinegar and jars right now. Excellent article.

    For those of you not in the know, mixing ammonia and bleach creates a chemical reaction the inhalant of which is chlorine gas. This is more than just a simple lung irritant, it is potentially lethal. Charlotte was lucky that their “gf” only had to leave a Christian concert early.

  5. September 10th, 2009 at 10:46 am    Becky Says:

    Every year I use vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a jar with small holes in the lid, in two days my jar is black with dead gnats.

  6. August 19th, 2009 at 3:49 pm    El Paso TX Says:

    Well currently I am using the white vinegar mixed with baking soda and dawn dish washer liquid bottle it is working good right when i mixed the baking soda ( slowly) the gnats were attracted very very quickly

  7. August 14th, 2009 at 5:57 pm    Charlotte Says:

    I have a word of warning for you all. DO NOT MIX AMMONIA AND BLEACH! It can get into your lungs and kill you! It says right on a bleach bottle not to mix them. I had a gf once that was cleaning her toilets, mixed the two together and several hours later she was so sick and her lungs hurt so bad we had to leave a Christian Concert we went to. There’s a chemical reaction when you mix the two and really, it can make you very sick or mess your lungs up. Stick with Ammonia down the drain with nothing else….if you have to use that.
    I was watching an infomercial and some guy wrote a book 1001 ways to get rid of bugs in a natural way….can’t remember the name of the book, but he had some great tips on how to get rid of flies, spiders, etc. in your house for good, animals in your garden, and much more. Unfortunately, I was broke and couldn’t order the book, but would have if I had the money (only 19.99…) for two sets…what a deal. He said some animals hate organic peppermint oil…there was a lot of info on natural ways to get rid of unwanted pests…look it up if you want to have the info at your fingertips….:) Good luck. (I have a million gnats right now in my kitchen, and they did find their way into my dish soap when I didn’t have the top on…Guess I will be trying the vinegar and dish soap in a jar myself!

  8. August 12th, 2009 at 9:01 am    Stephen's Wife Says:

    OMG!! Every time we go to the grocery store, we always buy fruits for the little ones.. which we put in a fruit bowl on the dining table..By day 1, there are a swarm of gnats everywhere!!…so much that my two year old is now saying” flys get on my nerves”!!..To hear that they lay 200-300 eggs a year discusses me!… Ive tried Raid, and they just wont die… I have even tried different chemicals… but obviously did not work! They should make a spray that kills them little demons… Anyone have any ideas? Plllease let me know! Thank you <3

  9. July 25th, 2009 at 1:50 pm    Jim Says:

    DANGER! I read a post above about using bleach and ammonia. DANGER!

  10. July 24th, 2009 at 2:53 pm    Barbara Says:

    Help, my daughter is in Iraq so before she left she and rented out her apartment. When the renter left,( not telling anyone) food was left in the fridge for 3 months(yeeek)I cleaned out everything, but now I have millions…yes…millions of gnats. I go over to her apartment to clean the empty fridge every day, but I still have millions. How do I get rid of them? Do I have to throw out the fridge? I hate to do that because it is only 3 yrs. old. Help Please

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