Ugh gnats. They have always haunted my homes as they do in most but since getting into house plants the problem exploded. Gnats start multiplying like you wouldn’t believe and before you know it they are running your house. So today we are going to chat about how I have taken care of my mortal enemy gnats.
I want to share actual and realistic ways to get rid of them because when I first started really dealing with them 8ish years ago so much of the advice online was insane. Literally telling me to get pool chemicals and put them through the vents?! Yeahhh there is way better ways. Ways that I have tried and tested and hope will help you handle these nasty pests too.
So let’s get into it-
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Realistic & Effective Ways To Get Rid of Gnats in Your House
How to kill and keep out gnats:
Eliminate the sources!
Alright so first things first, we gotta get rid of any of the sources that are attracting the gnats and giving them the feeding and breeding environment they are wanting.
Plants: now you will never find me telling you to get rid of plants!! As a proud plant lover with almost 100 house plants I have found that there are a few key things you can do with your plants to keep gnats away. Let’s go over them-
- Don’t let water sit. Overwatering plants is not only bad for them but also a breeding ground for gnats. Let your plants soil dry out in-between waterings. Like fully dry out!
- Use draining soil- soil that won’t just hold the water on the top will make it harder for gnats to lay eggs in!
- Quarantine new plants. When you bring a new house plant into your house you gotta quarantine it. That way you can see if there is pests that need treated before they spread all over your other plants and honestly gnats is one of the better pests in some ways compared to others like spider mites yuck!!
Food on counters: alright guys it’s time to be totally honest, leaving food out on counters, in the sink, or anywhere that isn’t sealed and unaccessible to gnats is gonna lead to problems. I know it’s tempting to leave things out to snack on or not deal with dishes immediately but is it more annoying than gnats??
Trash: similar mentality here- trash needs to be covered to keep gnats from feeding from it. That also goes for when a bag sits outside near a door because that will attract more towards your house.
Drains: drains are a sneaky place that gnats both feed and breed. The key is to run your garbage disposal after every meal and don’t let water sit in your drains. Again, we are trying to both starve the gnats into not being a problem AND make sure they don’t have a moist place to lay eggs because they loveeee a moist environment for making even more gnats.
Get Rid Of Them
Eliminating sources helps in the long run but in the short term we gotta deal with those ones flying around already. Let’s chat about my favorite ways to get rid of gnats and by favorite I mean effective and realistic!
Sticky traps:
They are the go-to option for myself and so many others because they just work. The double sided adhesive traps the gnats until they pass on.
A few tips for making them work more effectively-
- Put them where the gnats are. Seems obvious but pay attention to where you see the most gnats flying around and put the sticky traps there. No plant near there? You can attach the trap to a foam block or move a plant over to there.
- Change them out regularly, once you have a 50% full trap you’ll want to change it out for one that is new so that you are maximizing their trapping ability.
- You can get black ones that are less visually ugly! I have been using these ones for years and love them.
Vinegar Traps:
Vinegar traps are super easy and effective to use.
Use a disposable cup and fill it with 1 cup of vinegar (I prefer apple cider, the stronger scent attracts even more gnats BUT if you don’t have any on hand don’t worry. Any type of vinegar will get the job done eventually). As well as a cup of warm water- the warm water specifically helps to spread the scent which again will attract more gnats.
Refresh the cup when you start to see gnats building up in there, not only because it gets kinda gross but the scent will start to weaken and become less effective.
Dish soap Traps:
Similar to vinegar traps on how you want to set it up, with warm water and then a few drops of dish soap. And make sure to put it somewhere that there already is gnats present.
You can also combine the vinegar trap with dish soap for extra strength traps!
Electric Device Traps:
Wanna let technology do the work? Then get a electric trap!
Zevo is the brand that all my friends that prefer electric traps swear by so we’re gonna trust them 🙂
A downside of electric traps is that they don’t seem to actually attract gnats like vinegar traps do, like sticky traps it just depends on them coming near and getting stuck but unlike sticky traps they are way more pricey. However, they are definitely the easiest to use and there is power in that for sure!
Neem oil:
So not actually a trap but an effective way to get rid of gnats you see flying or lying around. I keep a bottle handy especially when Im doing plant care. But be warned- the smell is pretty nasty but ugh it doesn’t matter because neem oil works so well!
Get them before they hatch
Learn to spot eggs/larvae:
Want to really kick the gnat problem in the butt? Then you gotta get them before they hatch by learning to spot them before they are full grown adult gnats.
They are tiny, oval shaped white (sometimes a little more yellow) blobs that are laid in clusters somewhere with lots of moisture. AKA sitting water or damp soil. Overripe produce also gives them the perfect breeding environment so keep a close eye on exposed fruit. Compost piles are another place that there are a lot of risk for gnat eggs.
Prevention
Minimize moisture:
Alright as we have said over and over again moisture is what gnats LOVE.
So if you don’t wanna deal with gnats you gotta minimize available moisture throughout your home. Keep garbage disposals and drains dry. Don’t let soil sit soaking wet often (also most of your plants won’t like that anyway). Don’t let fruit on your counters start to over ripen which releases moisture.
Seal entrances:
Sometimes you can do everything right to prevent sitting moisture and still deal with gnats because they are breeding outside and sneaking into your home through exposed entrances. So check your exterior doors and windows for any leaks that gnats could be getting in through and remember that they are tiny which means the gaps can be really little that they are sneaking in through.
Korra-Shay
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