A simple trick using a lemon and cloves can keep flies out of your home this summer, according to cleaning expert Chantel Mila. In a TikTok video, she demonstrated cutting a lemon in half and inserting dried cloves into the flesh, then placing it on a windowsill near open windows. The citrus and clove aromas are intolerable to flies, deterring them from entering.
Mila also suggested boiling a pot of water with cloves, lemon slices, and vanilla extract to make the home smell pleasant while repelling flies. Interior designer Keely Smith explained that lemons release limonene, a citrus compound that interferes with flies' ability to find food, while cloves contain eugenol, a sharp scent flies dislike.
Smith noted that flies are highly sensitive to scent, and the combination of lemon and cloves overwhelms their senses, making the area too intense for them to linger. This method offers a natural alternative to netting or chemical repellents.
