How to Get Rid of Drain Flies: Home Remedies & Lasting Solutions

Bathroom drain or the kitchen sink filled with small flies? It's most likely drain flies, and you are not alone. These small insects are attracted to damp organic matter that accumulates in the drains, where they feed and breed.

Although drain flies do not bite or carry diseases, they are extremely annoying and very likely to multiply fast when neglected. The positive side is that there is no need to use harsh chemicals and professional services to learn how to get rid of drain flies. 

This is a problem that a majority of the homeowners can manage with a simple approach. Let’s see how.

How to Get Rid of Drain Flies?

Removing drain flies does not just involve the elimination of the ones that you can see. It also entails the removal of the breeding grounds within your drains where they thrive. Drain flies do not just appear everywhere; they are drawn to certain conditions that enable them to survive.

A combination of several measures is the best remedy: 

• Breaking down organic buildup in the drain

• Eliminating adult flies with the help of traps or treatments, and 

• To keep the drains clean. 

The flies can fall into the traps around your sink, but until the drain itself is cleaned, more flies will keep on hatching.

Common Causes of Drain Fly Infestations

Understanding why drain flies infest your home is half the battle, but it still gives you an idea of why they are occurring in the first place.

Organic buildup inside drains

Hair, food particles, grease, soap scum, and other stuff accumulate over time. This material does not flush off and creates a thin layer known as biofilm, where larvae of drain flies find their food and live. 

Such environments help female drain flies to deposit about 20-50 eggs and hatch within the biofilm, where they breed.

Moist environments

Drain flies thrive in damp areas. The presence of moisture in the drain pipes all the time provides the perfect environment to reproduce.

Stagnant water in P-traps

The U-shaped P-trap under sinks holds standing water. This water is a prime breeding place when it is not flushed and has organic deposits, which are a breeding place for drain flies.

Neglected or rarely used drains

Guest baths, basement floor drains, and plumbing in vacation homes that are not used. Stagnant water allows biofilm to accumulate freely, posing a threat of infestation by drain flies, particularly during hot seasons.

Quick DIY Fixes & Home Remedies to Get Rid of Drain Flies

These DIY home remedies are best when you don't want professional help or want to use harsh chemicals. They include:

Baking Soda and Vinegar Treatment

This is among the most widely used household remedies for drain flies. Add baking soda straight down the drain, then vinegar. The bubbling effect aids in loosening organic deposition on the walls of the pipes. 

Allow to rest and then after 10 minutes, rinse the drain with hot water in order to remove debris and larvae. It is better to repeat it after several days.

Boiling Water Flush

In some cases, it is just heat that helps. Pouring boiling water gradually down the drain will help to kill the larvae and loosen grease and soap residue. 

This is the most effective method for minor infestations and as a follow-up to other methods. In case your plumbing is plastic, hot tap water should be used instead, so as not to damage the pipes.

Mechanical Drain Cleaning

Physically removing the biofilm that drain flies are dependent on can be done by using a drain brush to scrub inside the pipe. 

In combination with hot water flushing, it contributes to the prevention of drain flies coming back after a week or so.

Using Tools to Eliminate Drain Flies

In addition to chemical and natural solutions, the physical tools can be truly efficient at getting rid of debris that drain flies require to live.

Drain Brushes and Other Tools

One of the best tools that is underestimated in the process of removing drain flies is a drain brush or a pipe brush. These brushes are physically worn to clean the inside of your pipes and remove the biofilm where fly larvae are.

In addition to that, other tools that can be used to enhance the outcomes include:

• Flexible pipe brushes: Long, flexible brushes are able to reach further into sink drains and P-traps and clean the areas where liquids tend to avoid being cleaned.

• Wet/dry vacuum: In garages or basements, a shop vacuum can be employed to clear any standing water and debris in the floor drains and lower moisture levels, which drain flies need for breeding.

When to Consider Using Cleaners?

Sometimes, despite your best efforts with a drain flies home remedy, drain flies persist. Knowing when to use commercial cleaners is important for getting control back.

Commercial Drain Fly Killer: Dr. Pooper's Accelerator

When home remedies are not yielding quick enough results, then Dr. Pooper has the specially formulated Accelerator Drain Fly Killer, which kills the drain flies at the source.  This is where how to get rid of drain flies can become much faster and more efficient.

How to use Dr. Pooper's Accelerator:

• Run a pencil-sized stream of water into the drain for 10 seconds

• Add one scoop of the powder to the drain.

• See it expand and foam throughout the drain.

• Place a cap or a piece of cloth over the drain and leave it in the drain for at least 6 hours 6 hours (preferably overnight)

• Repeat daily for 3-5 days until drain flies are gone

The foaming effect is the most important, as it spreads to cover the inside of your drain pipes entirely, reaching the biofilm, eggs, and larvae that liquid treatments may not reach. The formula of Dr. Pooper is specifically designed to loosen the organic layer where drain flies breed in so that they are killed, and their food supply is removed.

Signs You Need Professional Help

Call a professional plumber or pest control service if:

• Home remedies and cleaners have been consistently applied for 2-3 weeks without improvement

• You're seeing an increasing number of flies rather than a decreasing number

• Drain flies are appearing throughout your entire home, not just one bathroom or kitchen

Preventive Tips & Best Practices to Avoid Recurrence

It is much easier to prevent than it is to eliminate, and therefore, one should have the habit of taking good care of the drains.

Monthly Maintenance Routine

Make this your standard practice:

• Once every month, run hot water down all your home drains, even the ones that are not heavily used.

• Follow up with a baking soda and vinegar treatment for deep cleaning

• Use an enzyme-based or bio-accelerator drain cleaner, like the one Dr. Pooper offers to to break down organic buildup before it accumulates

Such frequent servicing removes the environments that are favourable to the drain flies.

Daily Drain Care Habits

• Take care of what you put in your drains: Do not pour grease down the line.

• Use drain strainers: Catch hair and food particles before they go down the drain.

• Wash your garbage disposal regularly: Do not allow food to accumulate in it.

• Keep drains dry when possible: After using a sink or shower, let the drain naturally dry out.

• Wipe down shower walls: Shower walls accumulate a lot of hair, which eventually moves down the drainage.

Conclusion

We hope to have answered the question of how to get rid of drain flies. The drain flies may not be huge, but they can most definitely make a big annoyance in your house. Fortunately, it is quite easy to dispose of drain flies once you understand what attracts them and take action when necessary.

Be it by applying a trusted DIY sewer fly remedy, such as the use of baking soda and vinegar, or cleaning products, such as Dr. Pooper's Drain Fly Killer. It's made in the USA, safe for all plumbing systems, and provides the foaming effect to penetrate deep into the drains where flies are concealed. Stop letting drain flies bug you. Take action today!

FAQs

1. What are drain flies?

Drain flies are tiny insects commonly found in sinks or showers, or floor drains. They nest in the greasy biofilm within pipes and live on bacteria and wastewater.

2. What DIY methods effectively get rid of drain flies?

The best DIY drain fly remedy is cleaning the drain itself. Scrub with a drain brush and then flush with hot water. Treatments with baking soda and vinegar are useful in loosening residue, and vinegar traps help decrease the adult fly population.

3. How long does it take to eliminate a drain fly infestation?

The majority of the mild to moderate cases clear up in one to three weeks. The adult flies might be gone in a few days; however, eggs and larvae may still hatch. This is why the treatment should be done constantly over time.

4. How can I prevent drain flies from coming back?

Prevention comes down to regular drain maintenance. Flush rarely used drains weekly, avoid pouring grease down sinks, use drain strainers, and clean drains monthly to stop organic buildup before it becomes a problem.