Use This Clever Candle Hack To Banish Pesky Gnats

What do your moist houseplants, day-old trash, overly-ripe fruit, and bathroom and kitchen drains all have in common? They all attract pesky gnats into your home. While these pests aren't lethal and will mostly give you an itchy red bite (unless they trigger anaphylaxis), they can be incredibly annoying to deal with. Drawn to the moisture in the pipes, damp soil in your home, and fruits ripened past their prime, these flies have a bad habit of camping and ruthlessly multiplying unless you forcefully chuck them out. Luckily, you can use this clever candle hack to get rid of gnats.

Although prevention is better than cure, you might not always be on top of your cleaning routine, like throwing out overly-ripe fruit or taking out the trash. Under such circumstances, it's best to go on the offensive and weed out the tiny creatures with dark bodies and fine, long wings. To begin, gather the required supplies: A candle, candlestick (although this is optional), bowl (tray, frying pan, or pie pan work, too!), liquid dish soap, and water.

To keep gnats far away from your space, place a tapered candle on a shallow dish in a room riddled with these bothersome flies. Alternatively, place the candle on a candlestick and place the holder in the dish. Next, fill the gathered dish with some water and pour a few drops of liquid dish soap into it. Stir it well to create a sticky, soapy solution. 

The trap is laid. Now, simply wait for the evening to approach and light the candle. After you're done, ensure the candle is the lone source of light in the room. So, turn off the lights, draw the curtains, and wait for the magic to unfold. Since gnats will be attracted to the candle's flame, they'll happily flock to it and get their wings burned or mistake the flame's reflection in the water as another light source and get trapped in the soapy solution. Either way, they'll meet their death and leave your house alone. 

The candle hack works like a charm, is budget-friendly, and doesn't require much effort. However, ensure you don't place it near curtains and keep it out of reach of mischievous children and pets to prevent unwarranted accidents. To keep gnats out, you can even burn some incense sticks in the evening to banish these smoke-hating pests.