A viral tip suggests that adding a 35p ingredient to your wheelie bin can banish smells and keep flies and maggots away during summer. The hack, shared by a woman on social media, involves pouring distilled vinegar into the bottom of an empty bin.
The Problem with Summer Bins
Summer heat can quickly turn wheelie bins into an unpleasant mess, with smells that linger for days. Food scraps, warmer temperatures, and trapped moisture create ideal conditions for foul odours, leaking residue, and swarms of flies, which can lead to maggots. House flies and fruit flies are commonly found feasting on food waste, drawn to decomposing material and yeast cells on sweet substances and rotting fruit. Maggots thrive in hot, enclosed spaces with plenty of food, making rubbish bins a perfect home.
The 35p Solution
One woman shared how adding cheap distilled vinegar — costing around 35p — can keep creepy crawlies away. "Food bins getting gross in summer? Ants (and worse) creeping in?" she wrote in her video, showing a maggot-infested bin. "Just pour in some distilled vinegar. I promise you, they won't return," she said, pouring vinegar directly into the bottom of an empty household bin. "No harsh chemicals. No bugs. No smell. Easy, cheap, and actually works!" she added in the caption.
Why Vinegar Works
Distilled vinegar acts as a natural repellent to flies, maggots, and other pests. Its potent, acidic smell repels flies, and the natural chemical dehydrates maggots upon contact. Maggots need a specific pH range to survive; vinegar's acidic characteristics disrupt this balance. When maggots encounter vinegar, the pH level in their surroundings drops dramatically, making it uninhabitable and lethal. The acidic quality functions as a pesticide, and within hours, maggot and fly numbers decrease substantially.
Additional Cleaning Tips
While the vinegar trick works, keeping the bin clean is essential. Start by emptying the bin and removing loose debris. Pour boiling water inside to loosen grime, then add warm water mixed with dish soap and a splash of white vinegar. Scrub thoroughly with a long-handled brush or broom. Rinse and tip the bin to drain completely. After cleaning, sprinkle a cup of baking soda on the bottom and leave it overnight to neutralise lingering food odours.
