An online cleaning guru revealed the surprising reason why fruit flies keep returning to your home. Despite setting numerous traps, if the root cause isn’t addressed, they will persistently return.

Fruit flies can be a nuisance throughout the year, but they are particularly prevalent in summer as they thrive in warm weather and are attracted to ripening fruits and vegetables. So, what should you do if you’re dealing with an infestation that keeps recurring despite your best efforts?

Online cleaning expert Ann Russell has come to the rescue after a TikTok content creator sought help due to persistent fruit flies, regardless of her attempts to eradicate them.

Liz Olive had tried white vinegar, a sugar and washing up liquid trap, and even a light designed to attract them – but they kept returning. Ann, who recently penned the book How to Clean Everything: A Practical, Down to Earth Guide for Anyone Who Doesn’t Know Where to Start, explained fruit flies can smell food “a kilometre away”.

She said: “Every time you put out a trap you are attracting more fruit flies from elsewhere.

“Once they get to your house, they will have a brief snack of either the vinegar/sugar solution or a little bit of spilt juice, or a miniscule drop of something oozy… and then they will tropt off and they will lay their eggs, and they will lay up to 100 a day, every single one of them. Those eggs will hatch.”

The cleaning guru known as the ‘TikTok auntie’ warns that unless the source of attraction is eliminated, a permanent cycle of fruit fly infestation will ensue, stating this becomes a “consistent problem”.

Ann advises against fruit fly traps, claiming they “don’t work” as they merely attract an influx of the pests. The solution?

Her method involves filling your sink with piping hot, soapy water to “clean everything thoroughly until you find what’s attracting them” whether it’s a rogue droplet of fruit juice behind the bin or your in-house compost bin.

To ensure these pesky invaders are eradicated, she suggests dousing your drains and overflows with boiling water daily. Persevere for about two weeks, insists Ann, and those unwanted guests should vanish for good.

And to cap off her advice, Ann stresses: “Wash your bins. Empty them regularly. Home compost outside. Absolutely scrupulous cleanliness. And that will do it.”