Using household bleach is one typical method of removing drain flies. Wear protective gloves and exercise extreme caution when handling bleach to prevent skin burns in the event of spills. If you have a septic system, bleach is not advised. Continue reading, you will learn how to use the most effective way to kill drain flies.

What Are Drain Flies?

There’s a good chance that drain flies are to blame if you’ve noticed teeny, tiny flying insects taking over your kitchen or bathroom drains. They are typically about ¹/₈-inch long, black or brown, and have hairy bodies and one set of wings featuring a unique pattern of veins. Their bodies leave behind a powder-like smudge if you happen to crush one.

Drain flies congregate in drains, septic tanks, and sewers where they feed on grease, sewage, and other rotting organic materials, in contrast to fruit flies which hover around vegetables and fruit. Although they are not harmful to humans, they are bothersome. Even worse, female drain flies can lay up to 100 eggs at once, so it’s simple to see how things can quickly get out of hand.

Will Bleach Kill Drain Flies?

Bleach and drain fly control are frequently linked in people’s minds. It is a common misconception that pouring bleach down the drain will get rid of drain flies because this rarely works to do so.

While bleach may kill some larvae, it quickly disappears into the drain and does not pierce the dense buildup where the female drain fly deposits her eggs and where the larvae live.

Because of this, bleach typically is unable to get rid of drain flies. Furthermore, older pipes might not be able to handle this liquid. Fully concentrated, bleach is corrosive.

What Causes Drain Flies?

The majority of the United States is home to drain flies. They are drawn to moist areas (like drains and pipes) where there is decaying organic matter (like food or sewage).

The best way to stop drain flies is to adhere to a routine of cleaning your drains, such as using a drain cleaner once a week in the drains you use most frequently.

Is Bleach An Effective Way to Kill Drain Flies?

The problem with using bleach is that, while it may kill drain flies, it carries some risks. Bleach should only be used as a last resort after trying all other options.

Here’s why:

• When bleach is combined with other chemicals like ammonia, vinegar, or rubbing alcohol, it can produce toxic, hazardous fumes. Combining these substances and inhaling the resulting fumes can cause breathing difficulties, respiratory harm, chest pain, and even death. It is crucial to only mix bleach with water if you decide to use it to kill drain flies.
• Full-strength bleach poured down household drains can harm septic systems in the long run.
• If bleach is introduced into the wrong substance inside your pipes, it can also harm your home’s plumbing. Plastic or lead pipes may also corrode as a result. Older pipes are particularly vulnerable to corrosion and bleach damage.
• The drain is quickly cleared of bleach. That means the dense layer of drain fly eggs and larvae is frequently too thick for bleach to penetrate.

What About Bleach and Ammonia?

For the control of drain flies, some homeowners have tried bleach followed by ammonia. Extremely hazardous, this mixture. Chlorine gas, which could be fatal if inhaled, could be produced by combining these substances. Other pesticides and DIY remedies can also harm wildlife or pollute waterways.

How Much Bleach Does It Take to Kill Drain Flies?

Depending on how far along the infestation is, bleach may not be sufficient to completely eradicate drain flies. The recipe calls for a ratio of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, however.

1. Combine 1 part bleach with 10 parts water
2. Pour this mixture down the drain
3. Let it sit for about 4 hours
4. Run cold water down the drain

This bleaching method might be effective, but keep in mind that it lacks the scouring power that baking soda and salt have when cleaning pipes.

How Do You Get Rid of Drain Gnats With Bleach?

If you’re considering using bleach to kill the drain flies in your home, keep these facts in mind:

• Drain flies cannot be killed with bleach.
• Pouring bleach down your drains may cause toxic fumes to be released, won’t remove clogs, and may be harmful to septic systems.
• Bleach is not as effective at killing drain flies as commercial drain cleaners.
• A homemade drain cleaner that contains vinegar, baking soda, and salt works well to kill drain flies.
• Pouring boiling water down your drains will kill drain fly eggs and larvae.
• To catch and kill adult drain flies, use fly strips and fly traps.

You can get rid of your infestation as quickly as possible by using strong cleaning agents to kill immature drain flies in your plumbing, then following up with traps made to kill adult drain flies. The other uses for bleach around the house are fantastic, but you should never pour bleach down the drain.

How to Kill Drain Flies With Safer Remedies?

So, what effectively gets rid of drain flies without endangering your plumbing or health? Here are a few simple cures you can use without risk.

Kill Drain Flies with Vinegar and Baking Soda

With this remedy, you can kill drain flies and unclog your drains at the same time. After pouring ½ cup of baking soda down the drain, add one cup of vinegar slowly. The mixture will start to bubble and fizz, which you’ll notice. This response is normal and secure. To loosen drain buildup and eliminate the nesting flies, larvae, and eggs, let this potent mixture sit in the drain for at least an hour. Next, pour a pot of boiling water over it and rinse it down the drain.

Shoot Drain Flies with Dish Soap and Water

In a spray bottle, mix dish soap and warm water in equal parts. When you see drain flies, spray them with this solution; the soap acts as an insecticide and kills the flies (while remaining safe for your family to consume).

Trap Drain Flies with Apple Cider Vinegar

A little under a cup of apple cider vinegar should be added to a glass before it is wrapped in plastic. Rubber bands are used to affix the plastic wrap. Create a few tiny holes throughout the wrap with a toothpick. Put one or more of these traps close to the troublesome drains. Since the vinegar has a pleasant smell, drain flies are drawn to it and will squeeze through tiny holes to get at it. Through the plastic wrap, they won’t be able to return.

Keep Drains Clear and Fly-Free

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What Are the Best Ways to Kill Drain Flies Without Bleach?

When it comes to eradicating drain flies, bleach is only one of a number of significantly safer, more powerful substitutes. If you want to kill drain flies quickly, use these techniques:

Drain Cleaner

One of the most effective methods for getting rid of invasive drain flies is an enzyme-based drain cleaner. Clearing clogs that serve as breeding grounds for drain flies requires a good enzyme drain cleaner. It eliminates the bacterial buildup in your pipes as it operates. The larvae of drain flies that eat the bacteria in your plumbing will also be killed, as well as the eggs that drain flies lay in your drain.

• Drain flies will be killed by this enzyme-based drain cleaner more effectively than by bleach.
• Your drain fly problem won’t recur because a good drain cleaner also removes clogs and kills bacterial growth.
• The eggs and larvae of drain flies found inside your plumbing can be killed by drain cleaners thanks to their strength.

Drain flies can be eliminated and kept from coming back with the help of Drano. Drano products have comparable killing power to enzyme-based drain cleaners and are safe for septic systems. Therefore, using Drano to kill drain flies rather than bleach will yield better, longer-lasting results.

Boiling Water

Although boiling water kills drain flies more effectively than bleach, it might seem too easy to be true. Pour 8 cups of boiling water down the drain to get rid of pests, whether they are in your kitchen sink or shower drains. Continue after the water has drained. Bacteria and larval drain flies will be instantly eliminated by boiling water.

• To get rid of drain flies, boil 8 cups of water and pour it down the drain.
• Repeat the procedure with eight more cups of boiling water for added killing power to make sure all the flies are gone.
• On contact, boiling water kills bacteria, fly eggs, and fly larvae.
• Any household plumbing system can safely be filled with boiling water.

The best first option for eradicating bothersome sewer flies in boiling water. All types of plumbing can use perfectly safely, and it is also very affordable. The pests in your drain can be eliminated by simply boiling some tap water.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a much better option than bleach when it comes to killing drain flies with common household items. There are actually a number of ways to use vinegar to get rid of drain flies. Baking soda, vinegar, and salt can be combined to make a foaming drain cleaner that will clear your drain, get rid of drain flies, and won’t give off any hazardous fumes.

• Pour 1 cup of baking soda into your drain, then add 1 cup of vinegar mixed with 1 cup of salt. This homemade foaming drain cleaner will unclog pipes and eliminate drain flies.
• Use apple cider vinegar to lure drain flies to traps and fly strips.
• Spray the bottle with white vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. Then, spray drain flies to instantly kill them.

You can even create traps for drain flies, sewer gnats, and fruit flies depending on the type of vinegar you use. Apple cider vinegar smell attracts drain flies. In order to draw adult drain flies to the trap, you can put a dish of apple cider vinegar close to a fly strip. Alternatively, you can use a spray made of vinegar and dish soap to instantly kill drain flies.

Fly Traps

Pouring bleach into a sink won’t get rid of the adult flies that are buzzing around, even though it might be your first choice for killing flies in a drain. You must capture and kill the mature flies in order to stop them from reproducing. You can set up homemade traps or use commercial fly bait.

• Drain flies in adulthood must be trapped; bleach won’t kill them.
• To draw in and kill mature drain flies, hang these fly strips near your drain.
• Check out the best ways to get rid of drain flies for more advice.

Because drain flies prefer to walk instead of fly far distances, a typical fly strip hanging close to the infected drain frequently kills a lot of adult drain flies. Even better, you can use some apple cider vinegar as bait on the fly strip. This will draw the drain flies, killing them even faster.

What is a Safe and Effective Drain Fly Treatment?

Using enzyme cleaners to remove the film inside pipes is the most contemporary method of getting rid of drain flies. The film coating that drain flies consume is broken down by foaming enzymes used by pest control specialists, who may also target drain fly eggs to help stop further reproduction. Plumbing is not harmed by or in any danger during this treatment.

How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Drain Flies?

In most cases, getting rid of drain flies is fairly easy.

To flush out their nest and send them on their way, use boiling water or baking soda and vinegar.

You might want to throw away organic ingredients like a bowl of fruit if your kitchen has drain flies because they are probably contaminated. Your home should be free of bothersome gnats after a few days.

But if you don’t deal with the bigger problem of the slow or clogged drain they’re living in, your efforts might be for naught.

After making all the effort to eradicate them, if you still see them returning, it’s likely that a new colony has returned to your plumbing system.

When that happens, it’s time to address the clogging problem and get rid of the flies’ ideal habitat to prevent them from returning permanently.

Conclusion on Bleach Kill Drain Flies

You only need to pour a cup of household bleach down the affected drain to kill the majority of drain flies. The remainder of the adult flies should start to disappear within a few hours to a day or so since the chemical is potent enough to kill the larvae.