How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

September 10, 2026

Clear fruit flies out of your kitchen in about a week by removing what they breed in, setting a vinegar and dish soap trap, and flushing the drains.

Applies to: ordinary household fixtures and materials. Last checked September 10, 2026. Suggest an edit

Fruit flies live about a week and lay eggs in anything wet and fermenting. Remove their food and breeding spots, and trap the adults that are already flying.

Find and remove the source

Check the fruit bowl for anything soft, split, or overripe and throw it out or refrigerate it. Look at the recycling bin for unrinsed bottles and cans, the kitchen trash, a damp mop or sponge, a forgotten potato in the pantry, and standing water in a houseplant saucer. Fruit flies gather within a few feet of the breeding site, so follow where they hover.

Set a vinegar trap

Pour 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar into a small jar or bowl and add a drop of dish soap. The soap breaks the surface tension so the flies sink instead of landing on the liquid. Cover the top with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in it with a fork, or leave it open. Put one trap wherever you see flies. Empty and refill it every two or three days.

Flush the drains

Fruit flies lay eggs in the film inside sink drains. Pour a kettle of boiling water down each kitchen drain. For a drain that keeps producing flies, pour in 1/2 cup of baking soda, follow with 1 cup of white vinegar, let it fizz for 10 minutes, and flush with boiling water. Scrub the drain flange and the underside of the stopper with an old toothbrush.

Take out the trash and rinse containers daily

Empty the kitchen trash every night while the flies are around and wipe out the bin. Rinse bottles, cans, and jars before they go in the recycling. Wring out sponges and hang dishcloths to dry.

Keep the counters dry

Wipe up juice and spills right away and keep produce in the refrigerator until the flies are gone. Drain the dish rack and empty the drip tray under the coffee maker.

Where they hide. The drain and a wet sponge are the two breeding sites most people miss. If the traps fill but the flies keep coming, one of those is the source.

How long it takes. With no food source and traps running, the population is gone in about a week, since the adults die and no new ones hatch. Never mix bleach with vinegar when treating a drain.