Houseplants are a lovely addition to the home, adding colour and fresh air to any room.
But one less appealing thing that comes with owning indoor plants is the pesky black flies that can infest the shrubs. Also known as fungus gnats, the critters burrow into a houseplant's soil and can quickly grow in numbers.
They can often be mistaken for fruit flies and both bugs can be banished in similar ways. Now, a group of knowledgeable cleaning enthusiasts have shared a hack they say permanently rids houseplants of gnats - all you need is some cinnamon.
Fans of cleaning guru Mrs Hinch are known for sharing a wealth of tips and hacks for various DIY and scrubbing tasks. With summer in full swing, they are now offering seasonal gardening advice - and the latest tackles pesky fungus gnats.
The tip was shared on a Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook page, after one group member went online to seek advice. Posting a picture of a house plant with a trap covered in gnats, she asked: "Not cleaning but super gross and I can’t seem to get rid of them. All my house plants have them. Even after reporting with new soil! Help?"
The post has since received hundreds of comments, with the majority suggesting to sprinkle some cinnamon on the soil to send the gnats flying.
One comment read "Cinnamon sprinkled on soil," while a second penned: "I've just had these. Water from bottom and sprinkle cinnamon on soil they have gone. Some flew off straight away when I put the cinnamon on."
Others shared their preferred methods on how to use the spice, as one member explained: "Let all of the plants completely dry out (to the point the soil is almost solid), then sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top of soil. I had over 150 houseplants with all of them infested. This saved every plant! Good luck x."
"Mix, cup of milk, with a spoon of cinnamon and a cup of water. Put in a spray bottle. Best insect repellent for your plants and cinnamon and milk is a brilliant source of 'food' for your plants."
The kitchen spice is a known bug repellent, as they can't stand its potent smell. A standard bottle of Sweet Ground Cinnamon costs 80p at Asda for 40. Alternatively, shoppers can get ahold of cinnamon for just 90p at Tesco.
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