Saturday, August 25

A Homemaking Query...

This week has been wonderful for me in the homemaking department! I learned from Jess that a bit of vinegar in with the whites makes them dazzle. Mrs. B. sent me over to Mrs. U's blog for two lessons: the first on how to get my microwave clean with very little elbow grease and the second on the importance of airing our our beds each morning. Finally, a lovely lady at the Nurtured Family website suggested that I stop our cloth diapers from stinking by washing them two to three times with a cup of baking soda in each load... worked like a charm!

Now, on to my question: How do I rid our home of fruit flies? I thought that I they were gone when I washed out our emptied produce basket and fruit bowl before shopping day. However, this morning, I noticed them buzzing around all the fruit in our fruit bowl! Any hints?

7 comments:

Courtney said...

Thanks for the tip about the diapers. I was going to ask you if you had found a solution because now ours are getting smelly!

Mrs. Cote said...

You may for a time(a few weeks) need to keep all fresh fruit in the fridge. I love a bowl full of fruit out too especially for ripening but when the fruit flies get tenacious this is the only way I know to get they them gone and not attract new ones. If fruit needs ripening put them into a large ziplock or paper bag with an apple for a few days. Just be sure the bag is well closed. Apple emit a gas that causes other fruits to ripen quickly. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

My Mother just had this problem after picking peaches.her house was filled with them .A friend told her to use vinegar,I think it was apple cider by the looks of it, with a couple of drops of dish soap mixed in it.Leave a bowl of it out on the counter and the fruit flies will be attracted to it.The soap makes them slippery and they cannot climb out so therefore sink to the bottom.Hope this helps!BTW love your blog.

Anonymous said...

I too have heard that vinegar works well. I was told though to put it in a glass jar and cover the top of the jar with plastic wrap, poking a hole in the wrap. The flies will (or are supposed to) find their way in but can't get back out again.

theups said...

I agree with the other ladies. Vinegar. We specifically used apple cider vinegar. We put about 1/4 of a cup in a bowl and just let it sit out. It DID smell for a day or two, but then we got used to it. By the time we didn't notice the scent so much, the icky flies were gone, too!!

His,
Mrs. U

Jen said...

Hi Em---

I've never had good luck with vinegar. I cover the bowls of fruit with dish towels to make it harder for them to find the fruit (after making sure to wave them all away!) and then I take a produce sack and put it near the bowl, with some melon rind, peach pits, banana peels, etc. in it. Leave it for a few hours, the flies will be all over it. QUICKLY gather the top of the bag and tie it--throw it in the outdoor trash. You may have to do it two or three times, but they will get trapped eventually.

You can also buy fruit fly traps in soapstone dishes with holes, but I've never tried it....

love, Jen

Anonymous said...

Emma,

I am a "de-lurking" fan of your blog, and I just wanted to point you to the following post regarding your gnat problem:

http://www.home-ec101.com/?p=427

You may have already seen it, but just in case...

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