Call a local drain cleaning company to banish drain flies for good
If you’re struggling with drain flies, consider hiring a drain cleaning company to do the dirty work. These pros have the tools, know-how, and skills to clean the built-up drain gunk that lures drain bugs. Here’s where they come from, who to call, and how to get rid of drain flies once and for all.
Drain flies, sink flies, sewer flies, moth flies, and filter flies are the same thing—tiny, fuzzy, winged insects that seem to come out of nowhere and can be nearly impossible to get rid of. Like other kitchen bugs, they’re not harmful but are frustrating and can make homes feel less clean.
Adult drain flies lay eggs in stagnant water and decaying organic material, making drainpipes a perfect location for them to start families. Hatched larvae feed on drain sludge, and when they mature, you’ll see an unending parade of tiny invaders bumbling around your kitchen, close to the sinks they emerged from.
Maybe you’ve tried pouring boiling water down your drains, using specialty cleansers, or putting out bowls of soapy water to catch itty-bitty drain flies. But when that fails, call a local drain cleaning service to take care of the root of the problem—the goo and grime that coats the insides of pipes and creates a fertile breeding ground for these annoying pests.
The good news is that hiring a professional drain cleaning service is relatively wallet-friendly and has more than one upside. Drain cleaning costs about $250, depending on your needs and location. Along with getting rid of the gunk that attracts and nourishes sink flies, drain cleaning also helps prevent clogs and keeps your pipes running smoothly.
If you hope to make drain fly removal a DIY project, prepare for a long and frustrating fight. Drain flies reproduce quickly, so eliminating the adults will barely make a dent in the population. Plus, they’re known to disappear and reappear in waves, so it’s not uncommon to think you’ve solved the problem only to find more sewer flies days or weeks later.
Still keen to DIY it? Here are a few methods you can try if you’re wondering how to get rid of drain flies yourself:
Scrub the insides of your drains with a pipe brush. Get in as deep as you can to remove grime and organic matter.
Pour boiling water down the sink to flush out the gunk you scrubbed loose. (Avoid this method if your sink or drain lines are susceptible to damage from boiling water. Repeatedly pouring boiling water down pipes can soften joint glue and cause leaks over time. Never pour boiling water down PVC pipes, which can melt.)
Try a biological drain cleaner. These enzyme- or bacteria-based cleansers break down organic matter, leaving less material for drain flies to breed in.
Create a DIY drain-fly trap using a mixture of equal parts vinegar, sugar, and dish soap. Fill shallow dishes with the mixture and place them near your drains. The sweet smell will attract adults, and they’ll get caught in the traps.
Be careful what you put down your drains. Food waste turns into drain buildup that gives flies a place to procreate. The less gunk that goes down your drain, the less buildup. So, use a sink strainer to keep drains cleaner.
Pest control companies can sometimes get rid of drain flies, at least temporarily, by applying targeted treatments to infested areas and neutralizing adult sink flies, eggs, and larvae.
However, it’s almost impossible for pest control technicians to kill every egg and larvae. Even if they do, sewer flies thrive on the muck that accumulates inside drainpipes, so there’s a chance they’ll keep coming back as long as those conditions still exist. Most exterminators can’t address that problem, so hiring a drain cleaner is the best long-term solution.
Drain cleaners have their own methods, but most use similar strategies to eliminate drain flies and the conditions that encourage them to thrive. Your drain cleaning company will suggest and perform the following steps:
Pipe inspections to determine the location of the infestation
Deep cleaning and scrubbing drainpipes where drain flies collect and lay their eggs
Treating pipes with insecticides or antimicrobial cleansers to prevent reinfestation or continued microbe growth that encourages drain flies
Repairing any leaks or cracks in plumbing lines that can attract insects
Preventative maintenance, such as regular drain cleaning
