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How to Get Rid of Drain Flies

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There’s nothing more off-putting than pesky flies on your dishes and around your home. Drain flies are small annoying critters that look for food and water remains around your fixtures. They’re also a symptom of your plumbing ecosystem having something a little off, which means you have double the incentive to get rid of them.

Read along to see the best way to get rid of drain flies, keep them from coming back, and have sparkling clean water supplies.

What Causes Drain Flies?

Drain flies are typically caused by water buildup in your pipes or drains. When organic material gets built up along the pipes, it becomes food for drain flies.

Even worse, drain flies will nest and lay eggs in or near these sources, so it’s essential to get rid of pipe flies quickly.

What Are Drain Flies?

Drain flies are also commonly referred to as sewer flies, drain bugs, sewer moths, fruit flies, and colloquial names. They are not fruit flies, but what’s important to note is that they are typically tiny and hang around in your sink pipes to feed off sewage and food remains.

Fly on a pot

Most importantly, drain flies are annoying for you and your household. That’s why we’re writing about them and letting you know the best way to get rid of drain flies.

How Do You Know If You Have Drain Flies?

The first way to know if you have drain flies is by seeing the pesky critters buzzing around your kitchen, bathroom sink, or house. However, an excellent way to test is by placing tape over your drain overnight and seeing if any sewer moths stick to it.

If you’ve confirmed your suspicion (and their guilt of trespassing), it’s time to clean your drain.

Are Drain Flies Harmful?

Put, drain flies are not harmful to humans – they don’t bite or spread infectious diseases easily. However, they feed on sewage and are generally not sanitary to be on your food and surfaces, so we would qualify them as a threat that warrants elimination before they lay eggs and start to show up more frequently.

How Do You Get Rid of Drain Flies?

Identify affected drains: Select your areas of need either by seeing moth flies near the drain, the tape trap, or you can be overly cautious and clean every drain.

Clean the affected drains: There are a number of ways to clean sink drains or areas affected by drain flies. A pipe brush is a great first step to dislodge eggs and fly larvae. You can pour boiling water down the drain, which is effective. Still, we recommend using something a little more substantial. Consider combining baking soda and salt and washing it out with apple cider vinegar.

Clear the U-Trap: Place a bucket under the sink trap, carefully unscrew the joint nuts, remove the trap, clean it, and reassemble the trap. This isn’t always necessary on your first pass, and you may want to hire a plumbing professional for this job if you aren’t familiar with it.

Use an Enzyme Cleaner: There are a number of commercial bacterial enzyme cleaners that will coat organic material and drain flies in your pipes. The enzymes will digest, break down, and eliminate whatever they cover.

Rinse your Drain: After taking drain cleaning measures by using any of the brushes or products listed above, thoroughly rinse your drain to push any remaining particles through your pipes and out of your plumbing system.

If drain flies persist after taking multiple steps to eliminate them, then it is time to call a professional plumbing service. There is a good chance that your issue may not be near the surface of your drains or you are having trouble diagnosing and treating a drain fly infestation.

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When to Call a Professional Exterminator to Treat Drain Flies

If you have tried home remedies but are unable to get rid of sewer flies, don’t feel disheartened – they reproduce quickly and are extremely pesky. However, it’s probably time to call a professional plumbing service to diagnose and treat the problem in the most effective manner.

As we said, drain flies aren’t menacing individually, but many of them can affect your home environment and health. Additionally, it’s your time and money being spent trying home remedies, and the professional solution will often save you both.

How to Keep Drain Flies Out of Your Home

Drain flies are attracted to food and other organic waste. Keeping your home clean and your drains empty is the best way to stop them from hanging around. We’re not accusing anyone of being dirty, but you might need to take an extra step or two, especially in humid areas or if your pipes are prone to standing or stagnant water.

Kitchen Sink with a Stopper

Implementing the warm water or cup of baking soda + vinegar cleanse every couple of weeks is an effective method to prevent sewer flies from getting into your drains and laying eggs.

Reach Out to Deer Valley Plumbing

The most effective way to keep your entire plumbing ecosystem healthy is by working with trusted professionals. At Deer Valley Plumbing, we pride ourselves on having an experienced staff of licensed plumbers who will save you time and stress in almost any situation – especially one involving pesky drain flies.

If you are looking to get rid of drain flies and restore order to your household, please reach out to us today – we’d love to help.

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