Banish flies from your home this summer by spraying DIY solution using one kitchen ingredient

There's nothing more annoying than opening a window for some fresh air, only to have a fly zoom in and start buzzing around. While commercial fly sprays are handy, they're packed with toxic chemicals that can pollute your home and be harmful to breathe in, so it's worth considering a more natural alternative.

Cleaning expert Andre Kazimierski from Sophia's Cleaning has revealed a simple trick using cayenne pepper from your kitchen cupboard to keep flies at bay without resorting to chemical sprays. He advised: "Mix cayenne pepper with a cup of water to make a simple spray that repels common fruit flies. To be exact, mix one tablespoon of cayenne pepper in two cups of hot water."

It might sound odd, but flies heavily rely on their sense of smell to locate food and navigate an area. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which has a potent smell and is also spicy, causing irritation to flies' senses.

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Not only do flies find cayenne pepper uncomfortable, but it also deters them from hanging around as it masks the smell of food that attracts them to homes, reports the Express.

How to keep flies out of your home this summer

All you need to do is boil 475ml of water in a kettle, then the water into a bowl. Add one or two tablespoons of cayenne pepper to the bowl and give it a good stir.

Once the water has completely cooled down, transfer it into an empty spray bottle. You can typically find spray bottles in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets, but pound shops, garden centres, and hardware stores also stock them.

Spritz the solution around windows, doorways, and the kitchen - basically anywhere flies are known to hover.

The spicy scent naturally repels flies, helping your home stay insect-free throughout the summer.

However, it's worth noting that the spices in cayenne pepper can become airborne after spraying and irritate pets' eyes, so it's generally not recommended if you have a cat or dog.

But don't fret, you can substitute cayenne pepper with apple cider vinegar or even use cucumbers as a pet-friendly alternative to keep those pesky flies at bay for good.

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