Flies can be a real nuisance in the summer, but a simple natural remedy of just two natural ingredients combined could help keep them away from your home without chemical repellents.
Why Flies Are a Problem
Flies are drawn to the scent of food, rubbish bins and other pungent odours commonly found around the home. Having flies buzzing about isn't merely irritating; they can also carry bacteria and spread disease. While it's always sensible to remove the food sources and spills that attract flies through regular cleaning, there are occasions when you'll need a bit of extra help. Once a handful of flies have made their way into your kitchen, they can prove remarkably stubborn to get rid of. They appear unable to navigate back out through the very window they entered, and will instead zip around your entire home searching for an exit.
The Natural Remedy: Lemon and Cloves
To assist others, one woman named Sharan has revealed a straightforward trick for preventing flies from entering your home in the first place, and it requires just two natural and inexpensive ingredients. "It's summertime in the UK, and houseflies are coming in from all sorts of directions. So I want to give you a hack on how to keep them away," Sharan said at the start of her TikTok video. "And all you need is a lemon and some cloves," she revealed. In the clip, Sharan proceeds to slice the lemon in half before pressing the cloves into the flesh, taking care to distribute them evenly.
How to Use the Hack
Sharan then encourages viewers to position these lemon halves near windows and tables, as they will help to "keep all flies away". They can also be placed in fruit bowls, on kitchen worktops or anywhere else you tend to spot flies. The pairing of lemon and cloves is a highly effective, natural method for deterring both common house flies and fruit flies. Flies possess an extraordinarily sensitive sense of smell, and the fusion of citrus and spice overwhelms and disorientates them.
Why It Works
This technique works by harnessing the powerful, volatile oils produced by both plants. Lemons contain Limonene, found in the peel, which disrupts a fly's ability to locate food. Cloves, meanwhile, contain Eugenol, which produces a sharp, spicy aroma that insects find utterly repellent. This straightforward and budget-friendly hack is brilliant for keeping pests away from indoor meals, as well as outdoor summer dining occasions.
Maintenance and Viewer Reactions
However, you'll need to keep on top of it and swap out the clove-studded lemons every few days. Once the lemon dries out or begins to rot, it will stop repelling flies and actually start drawing them in. Viewers were quick to head to the comments section to heap praise on Sharan for sharing the nifty hack, with one person saying: "Thank you dear sister." Another wrote: "Omg needed this today."
