Use This Rotting Kitchen Ingredient As An Easy DIY Gnat Trap

Gnats may be an annoyingly common household pest, but there are plenty of clever ways to get rid of them. One such option is a DIY gnat trap that uses what these insects love so dearly: rotting fruit. Gnats love the smell of fermented food (this is why vinegar is such an effective gnat trap), and that decaying apple in your garbage is actually undergoing the fermentation process. So, rather than tossing it, let your rotting fruit help solve your gnat problem.

Before trying out this helpful hack, make sure you have all the right supplies on hand. You'll need about a ½ to 1 cup's worth of rotting fruit, apple cider vinegar, a medium-sized bowl, plastic wrap, a toothpick, and a spoon. Rubber bands can also come in handy, but they're optional. Once you're ready to go, place your rotting fruit inside of a soup- or salad-sized bowl. Then, mash it up with the back of a spoon and add a little bit of apple cider vinegar. While the sour liquid isn't strictly necessary, it boosts the fermented smell of your rotting fruit, making it all the more enticing to those pesky insects.

To trap the gnats, tightly cover the top of your bowl in a few layers of plastic wrap. Make sure there aren't any gaps or holes around the edges where the insects could escape. If your bowl is small enough and your rubber bands large enough, consider securing the wrap further with a few of the elastic loops. Now, use a toothpick to poke small holes throughout the plastic layer — this will let the scent out and draw the gnats in with no way to get back out.

Your trap will be good for two to three days — after this, it may really start to stink, so you'll want to discard it. To do this, dump it down a sink drain with a garbage disposal. Run the device, then flush it with hot water. If you don't have a garbage disposal, pour the trap contents into a plastic bag, then dispose of it in your trash can.