If your home is anything like mine, you will have been inundated with flies, big and small, this summer. And with the heatwave forcing me to keep windows and doors open, the problem is worse than ever.
It's no secret that trying to get rid of flies in your home is a never-ending issue, and one that becomes particularly difficult the second summer starts. Knowing this, I've been making sure my bins smell good and keeping up with my daily cleaning habits to help make them feel as unwelcome as possible. However, despite this, they still find my home all too welcoming, it seems.
So with over a month of heatwave weather, and my reluctance to admit defeat, I was hopeful when I saw several reels on Instagram praising this all-natural coffee-burning technique that is said to help not just flies but mosquitoes too.
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Whether you're tired of flies taking over your home or need a way to get rid of mosquitoes in your garden, you'll know how difficult it can be to find an effective solution.
Not only do I want to keep those pesky fruit flies and bluebottles out of my kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, but also away from my outdoor space too. And since you can't put a screen so easily on a balcony, I took to the internet to find a hack.
The thought behind the trick is that burning new or used coffee grounds emits a constant smoke and strong smell that will deter flies. Some users recommend adding essential oils to supercharge the hack as well as making the burning smell more pleasant for yourself.
As someone who has many a beloved online cleaning hack, I was optimistic about this method. I filled a small ceramic bowl with heaps of leftover used coffee grounds; I think it's far too expensive and wasteful to use fresh grounds.
Taking it outside, I used a long gas lighter to start burning the grounds, waiting for them to begin smoking. I tried this for quite a while and found that the grounds didn't continue smoking independently, nor did they actually ignite. Which was both confusing and frustrating.
Now I may not have dried my grounds out long enough; some users recommend putting them in the oven or leaving them for over two days. But in the end it was clear this was a method that was a lot more hassle than it was worth. Did I really want to sit there holding down a lighter to coffee grounds all night, or would I rather light my trusted citronella candles?
Again, this could've been user error, but I followed the methods suggested to no success. Whilst I wouldn't say it's not worth a try, I would suggest perhaps not getting your hopes up. And certainly don't throw away the bug spray just yet.
Should you be particularly struggling with fruit flies this season, there are many harmless ways you can deter them from your home for good.
