Gnats aren’t harmful, but regardless, they can be annoying. Fortunately, there are different ways of exterminating these pests without costing you a fortune. We’ll be discussing some homemade but effective remedies to get rid of gnats. Similarly, we’ll also look at ways to prevent gnats’ infestation.

How to Deal with Gnat Infestations

1. Use Plastic Wrap to Cover a Bowel of Fruit (mashed banana)

Gnats are attracted to rotten fruit. The idea here is to trap them using mashed bananas. So simply put a mashed banana in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap to attract gnats.

Poke little holes on the plastic bag to allow the gnats access to the mashed banana. They won’t be able to come out of the plastic bag once they get in.

This technique doesn’t kill the gnats, so you have to dispose of both the banana and the plastic wrap in the trash. You can prepare the trap in a disposable bowl so you could just dispose of everything at once.

2. Pour Diluted Bleach Down the Drainage

This method is ideal where gnats congregate around or near the drainage. Mix 1⁄2 cup of bleach with 3.8L of water and gently pour it down the drain. This would kill any gnat within the drain. Continue this process routinely until you ride your drain of gnats.

Caution: wear protective gloves and a mask when you are working with bleach. You may also wear old clothes to avoid messing with your good ones should the bleach splash on you accidentally.

3. Use Home Made Spray

Mix vinegar and dish soap in water in a spray bottle and spray it on gnats. It’s a non-toxic and effective way of eliminating gnats. So you don’t have to worry about hurting your kids, pets, or plants.

4. Mix Apple Cider Vinegar, Sugar, Dish Soap, and Water

Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of sugar, 1⁄2 cup of warm water, and 1⁄2 teaspoon of dish soap.

Mix everything in a bowl and keep in gnats infected room. Leave the mixture overnight and clean it in the morning.

The scent of the apple cider vinegar and sugar helps to attract the gnats. On getting to the bowl, they will be trapped in the water by the dish soap.

Alternatively, you can use dish soap and red wine to the same effect. The scent of the red wine attracts the gnats, and the dish soap trapped them in a bowl. Continue this process until you clear the gnats’ infestation.

Get Rid of Things That Attract Gnats

1. Discard Rotten Fruits properly

Gnats are attracted by the smell of over-ripe or rotten fruits. If possible, always store your fruits in the refrigerator to preserve them from rotting fast. Discard all fruits on your counter that have started attracting bugs or rotting.

Similarly, keep any collected food scraps in a covered container; don’t leave them in an exposed bowl or bucket. Or simply take the scraps outside and keep them in the compost heap.

2. Always Maintain a Clean Sink Void of Dirty Dishes

Keep your sink clean at all times to keep gnats at bay. They love to feast in moist areas where food bits are littered around. Make sure you always wash your dish after a meal or put them into a dishwasher.  At the least, ensure that your sink and dishes are clean before the close of each day.

Furthermore, always run your garbage disposal after rinsing your dishes to prevent food scraps from accumulating in there.

Finally, prepared food should not be allowed to sit on the counter for more than 30 minutes. But rather, store them in reusable containers and keep them in the fridge.

3. Empty all Trashes with Food Scraps Daily

This method is suitable in the kitchen, where foods are easily thrown away. Emptying food trashes in the kitchen daily can help to check gnats.

Similarly, make sure all your open trash cans outside your house aren’t located close to any window. This is because gnats could easily find their way to your room through the window when they get attracted by the trash.

Note: your trash cans should have a lid that seals. Keeping trash can open can potentially attract gnats. Conversely, trash cans with a lid that closes firmly do not attract gnats.

4. Move Plants with moist soil Outdoor

If you have any plant with moist soil that is attracting gnats, move it outside the house until the soil dries out a bit. You can keep such a plant outside your house or in the garage until the soil begins to dry out.

On the flip side, some plants are known to repel gnats. You can pot and keep them indoors, or simply plant them outside to fight gnats’ infestation outdoors.  Some of these gnats repelling plants are geraniums, lavender, lemon thyme, and marigolds.

How to Keep Gnats off Your Body

1. Repel Gnats with a Dryer Sheet When Outdoor

Putting a dryer sheet in your pocket when you are outdoors can protect you from gnats. Lemon balm and lavender are some great choices for a dryer sheet. Simply wrap it around your belt loop or put it in your pocket to keep gnats at bay.

Similarly, a dryer sheet is also potent at repelling mosquitoes. For an outfit without a belt loop or pocket, you can pin the dryer sheet to your clothes.

2. Wear a Sunglass and Bandana

Wearing sunglass and bandana can help keep gnats away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. This practice should be done when walking through areas that are heavily infested with gnats. You may remove these items once you’re out of the gnats-infested area.

3. Use Peppermint Cream as Natural Gnat Repellant

Mix 1⁄2 cup of Shea butter with peppermint essential oil in a clean container. Rub it onto your hands, arms, legs, and neck, plus other exposed parts of your body. This would naturally repel gnats away from you.

You can also use any moisturizer in place of Shea butter, but make sure the moisturizer doesn’t have added scent.

Conclusion

Gnats are harmless pests. They don’t bite but can be so annoying. Do well to keep gnats from your dwelling places. And when outdoor, be prepared to protect yourself from gnats, especially if you would be going close to water sources.

Thank you for your time reading this post; if you have questions and or something you want to share, please kindly leave your comment below, and I’ll be happy to write back to you.