Kitchen gnats are frustrating because they make your kitchen feel dirty. I don’t know about you, but the thought of any bugs around my food upsets me. Thankfully, I’ve developed the perfect household hacks to get rid of all small, flying bugs in your kitchen. Here’s how to eliminate gnats and get back to enjoying a clean, beautiful space.
1. Deep Clean the Kitchen
Kitchen gnats are often drawn to food residue. So, the first step to get rid of them is to clean your kitchen from top to bottom. Don’t skip anything. Wipe down your pantry shelves, perform a deep cleaning of your stovetop, and move appliances so you can clean under and around them.
- Clean surfaces in your kitchen to remove food residue that attracts gnats.
- Deep clean hidden areas under and around appliances.
- Scrub floors and cabinets.
If there’s anywhere in your kitchen that you haven’t cleaned in a while, scrub it thoroughly. Then, sweep and mop the floors. Starting with a clean slate will help you kill off gnats and stop them from coming back.
2. Put Away Produce
Nothing attracts gnats and fruit flies like fruits and vegetables left out in the open. If you have any produce on display, immediately store it. Otherwise, the gnats in your kitchen will lay eggs on the produce and the bugs will multiply.
- Store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Fresh food left out in the open gives gnats a food source.
- In some cases, gnats will lay eggs on produce in your kitchen.
Bananas are the number one food that attracts gnats to your kitchen. So, if you have kitchen gnats it’s essential to freeze your bananas with our special method so they won’t turn brown! This way, you can save your bananas and get rid of the gnats’ favorite food source.
3. Move Potted Plants
Plants can add a lot of life and joy to your kitchen. Unfortunately, if you’re dealing with a gnat problem in your home, those potted plants might be part of the problem. Gnats and small flies love to gather and breed in the damp soil of a potted plant. For this reason, it’s essential to move all plants out of your kitchen. If possible, place them outside. Otherwise, move them to another room.
- Gnats like to land and live in the soil of potted plants.
- Remove any live plants from your kitchen.
- Once all the gnats have been eliminated you can bring plants back into your kitchen.
Once you complete all the steps on this list and get rid of the gnats in your kitchen you can begin moving plants back in. However, while you’re eliminating bugs it’s best to keep plants far from the kitchen.
4. Clear Your Kitchen Drain
Kitchen gnats and drain flies love to lay eggs in the stagnant water of a partially clogged drain. So, it’s essential to make sure your kitchen drain is flowing freely. I recommend using a drain cleaner in your kitchen drain. I wrote a whole article about how Drano can kill drain flies—using it is a great way to make your kitchen pest-free.
- Gnats and drain flies reproduce in stagnant water and filmy residue in poorly draining kitchen sinks.
- Pour this clog buster into your kitchen sink to kill gnat eggs.
- Once your drains are working properly, you’ll eliminate gnat problems in your kitchen.
Once you’ve cleared your drain completely, you’ll eliminate the breeding ground for gnats. Now, there won’t be any new bugs to replace the ones you kill. It’s worth treating your drain with a drain cleaner, even if it seems to be draining well. It will help wash away old food residue and bunches of gnat eggs.
5. Make Vinegar Gnat Traps
When I had problems with kitchen gnats, the best way I found to kill them was to make these homemade traps. Here’s all you need to do to catch and kill gnats:
- Add 2–3 drops of dish soap to a small bowl, dish, or jar.
- Add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar to the container and mix it with the dish soap.
- Stretch plastic wrap over the top of the container.
- Poke 5–7 holes in the plastic wrap with a pen or pencil.
- Place several of these traps in different parts of your kitchen.
These homemade gnat traps work better than insecticide! The bugs are drawn to the smell of the apple cider vinegar, find their way in through the holes in the plastic, then fall into the liquid and get stuck there due to the dish soap. These traps are inexpensive, quick to make, and I know for a fact that they work because I’ve used them.
6. Hang Up Sticky Traps
Getting rid of gnats will go much more quickly if you add sticky traps to your kitchen. Hang a few of these fly strips in your kitchen. Any gnat that lands there will get stuck and die.
- Sticky fly traps attract and kill gnats.
- Hang sticky traps in high places and corners so they don’t get in the way.
- Throw out and replace sticky traps every week so they remain effective.
When you’re hanging sticky traps, choose out-of-the-way places in your kitchen. Corners work best. This way, you and your family won’t accidentally touch the sticky traps. The glue on those traps is strong, so you don’t want to have to unstick yourself.
7. Keep Your Kitchen Gnat-Free
Once you follow the previous steps on this list, your kitchen should be gnat-free. Now that the pests are gone it’s time to make sure it stays that way. Here’s how to prevent kitchen gnats from returning:
- Keep all cooking surfaces clean and remove all food debris.
- Maintain free-flowing sink drains by fixing clogs immediately.
- Store produce instead of leaving it out in the open.
It’s also a good idea to make sure that there’s no standing water for gnats to breed in. So, avoid putting vases of flowers and waterlogged potted plants in your kitchen. If you follow these tips you’ll no longer need to put on bug repellent before you enter your kitchen!
How Do You Stop a Kitchen Gnat Infestation?
If your kitchen has been invaded by tiny gnats, here’s how to get rid of them:
- Perform a deep cleaning of your kitchen to remove all crumbs and food debris.
- Store fresh fruit and vegetables in your refrigerator or freezer.
- Remove potted plants from your kitchen.
- Pour drain cleaner down your kitchen sink to kill gnat eggs.
- Attract and kill gnats with gnat traps made with apple cider vinegar.
- Hang sticky fly traps in your kitchen.
These steps will help you quickly kill gnats and gnat eggs. Plus, you’ll eliminate food sources and breeding grounds so the gnats won’t come back.
