Why Fruit Flies Are Buzzing Around In Your Bathroom (And How To Get Rid Of Them)

If you've ever had a piece of fruit left on the counter for too long, you know that fruit flies tend to show up out of nowhere and can be nearly impossible to get rid of. That same problem can happen in various areas of your home, including your bathroom. Though it may not seem like the ideal environment for them, these pests are attracted to organic matter and moisture, which are very common in the bathroom.

Fruit flies are small gnats or flies that hover near areas where they can find a food source and breed rapidly. Typical fruit flies have a body that's half tan and half black. They can be very persistent and hard to get rid of because of how rapidly they breed. They lay their eggs right on the surface of the materials they plan to consume, and just one banana left out can have as many as 500 eggs on it in just a few days. The bad news is these pests tend to be hard to kill, but if you target the entire lifecycle and focus heavily on removing what's causing their presence, it's possible to get rid of fruit flies.

Before you can get rid of fruit flies, you must consider why they are there. Take a look around your bathroom. Is there any type of organic material on the walls, floor, behind the toilet, or even behind a shower curtain? Perhaps someone dropped a piece of food, and it managed to make its way under the vanity.

This is only one common problem. The second is the drains in your bathroom. It's not uncommon for bathroom drains to attract these pests, especially if they have organic matter building up within them. Any drain, including the sink, toilet, or shower, can be a culprit. They will find a location where there's organic material and simply congregate near it. As a result, if you simply hold still for a few minutes and watch where the fruit flies are congregating in your bathroom, chances are good you'll find the problem area. Even pools of standing water on the bathroom floor in a humid environment can create the ideal place for fruit flies to thrive. Note, too, that those fruit flies could be drain flies; they tend to be smaller than fruit flies, with gray bodies and a fuzzy appearance. These flies just want to be in the drains and are not necessarily attracted to food.

No matter if they are fruit flies or drain flies, getting rid of them is a priority. The first step is to remove any food source that's obvious. Wipe down all surfaces to remove even microscopic amounts of organic material. Be sure to get under vanities, too. Then, pour boiling water down the drain. This works in two ways. It will eradicate any pests living in the drain and help remove the organic material built up on the inner lining, which could be their food source. You can also clean the drain a bit more effectively by adding about ½ cup of baking soda to 2 cups of white vinegar directly to the drain. That's going to create a chemical reaction you'll notice as fizzing. This helps to break up more of that material as well. Other options include homemade fruit fly traps and the use of a plastic bag over the drain to capture the pests.

Because they will come back as long as there's food present, you must eradicate whatever their attractant is. This often means having the drains professionally cleaned. Jetting the lines in your bathroom (and perhaps throughout the home) will help to remove the buildup of grease, organic material, and blockages where fruit flies exist. Though an aggressive measure, it's often best if you have fruit flies in more than one area of the home or if other methods haven't worked to get rid of them.