How to get rid of fruit flies, silverfish and moths

Pets are lovely, but they are much cosier if you have chosen to give them a home yourself. The little critters that invite themselves are very rarely welcome. Of course, there are cases where you need to contact professionals to get rid of the pests, but often you can solve the problem yourself with some home remedies and a bit of patience.

Now let's take a look at the most common little pests you can have at home and see what you can do to both prevent and stop an infestation.

Everything you need to know about fruit flies

Fruit flies exist all over the world and have earned their name because they are often found around fruit. But it is not really the fruit itself that is a prerequisite for their presence, as they also like food leftovers and, for example, cut flowers that probably should have been thrown away a few days ago. Fruit flies can also be attracted to houseplants that have been overwatered.

The flies are undeniably annoying, but they actually play an important role in the ecosystem since they eat mould, bacteria, and yeast. They also lay their eggs among rotting fruit, and it takes about a day before they hatch. Then they are larvae for a few days before pupating and take a few days to grow into an adult fruit fly, a stage called an imago. From egg laying to becoming an adult fruit fly takes 11-12 days. How long do these little critters live? About a month, but they can lay up to 100 eggs per day, so it can escalate if you do nothing.

The best thing you can do to get rid of fruit flies is to remove their food source. Throw away old food and rinse the dishes so there are no leftover crumbs to feast on. Also get rid of fruit that looks worse for wear. If you have fresher fruit out that you don’t want to throw away, you can rinse it thoroughly and keep it in the fridge while you get rid of the fruit flies.

Make sure to wipe all kitchen surfaces thoroughly. It can also be good to boil water and pour it down the sink since flies sometimes lay eggs there. Once you have cleaned up the kitchen, it’s time to set a trap to catch the fruit flies. Fill a glass with some water and something sour, either vinegar or acetic acid, and something sweet, like honey. Then, to break the surface tension so that the fruit fly sinks and drowns, drop in a bit of washing-up liquid.

Get rid of fruit flies by:

1. Throwing away fruit and food leftovers.

2. Wiping clean and pouring boiling water down the sink.

3. Making a trap with something sour, something sweet, and washing-up liquid.

If you tend to forget this, we have a tip; you who wish home cleaning in Nacka or any other part of Stockholm can hire us for home cleaning to avoid this!

Everything you need to know about silverfish

You wake up in the middle of the night and need to go to the bathroom. You grope your way and turn on the light in the bathroom and notice something scuttling away right at your foot. Ugh, a silverfish! For many of us, this is the most disgusting insect we have in our homes. But are they dangerous, and how do you get rid of them?

Although silverfish might not be the world’s nicest pets, they are actually completely harmless. Anticimex even describes them as insects that do no harm but can be regarded as a kind of nocturnal sanitation workers.

There are 370 kinds of silverfish, but in Sweden, there are only three types that live indoors: the common silverfish, the long-tailed, and a type called the firebrat. These live for two to four years, so if you want to get rid of silverfish quickly, it might be a good idea to kill those you come across before they scuttle away.

The reason the typical scenario when you encounter silverfish is at night when going to the toilet is that they thrive in darkness and damp spaces. Just because you see a few silverfish in the bathroom occasionally doesn’t necessarily indicate a major problem, but if you find them in other rooms, especially bedrooms and living rooms where it is normally not damp, it could be a sign of moisture damage. So in a way, silverfish can actually help warn you of a problem that needs to be addressed.

Where do the silverfish come from? If you live in an apartment block, it is very possible they have moved between flats. You can also bring silverfish home via food you buy. They soon find their way to the bathroom because they are experts at finding moisture.

What do silverfish eat? The common silverfish mainly eats deposits that have formed under drain vents and similar. They can also eat other insects and dirt such as bread crumbs and similar. They also find starch particularly delicious, which means they can attack wallpaper (because of the glue).

Since they are such omnivores, the best thing you can do to get rid of them is to vacuum and mop thoroughly so there is no dirt on the floor for them to eat. Cleaning properly makes a big difference. But there are of course some other things you can do to speed up the process.

Do this to get rid of silverfish:

1. Clean carefully and often. Keep things tidy.

2. Scrape the bathroom floor well and hang up towels.

3. Don’t leave paper or fabric items on the floor.

4. Seal cracks where silverfish can hide.

5. Spray red cedar oil along the walls. Silverfish hate that smell.

Subscribing to home cleaning can also be an option; another could be hiring us for deep cleaning. Then we will make sure your bathroom and other home surfaces are spotless!

Everything you need to know about moths

There are lots of different types of moths, but in your wardrobe, it’s clothes moths and fur moths that cause trouble. Most people know that moths eat holes in clothes, but many do not know that it is not the adult butterflies that chew on our garments, but their larvae. Therefore, it is not enough just to kill the moths fluttering around now and then; you need to take some measures to get to the root of the problem. The larvae live in cocoons and depending on the type of moth they either leave the cocoon to eat or carry it around.

The moth prefers natural materials, such as fur and wool. It can also attack synthetic garments if they are dirty or there is some natural material woven into the fabric. You can bring moths home when you buy textiles second-hand and the like. Moths can also live in pianos because they eat the felt pieces on the piano hammers.

If you need to get rid of moths, you need both to kill them and prevent them. You do this through heat: either ironing clothes or washing or tumble drying them at 60 degrees Celsius. Clothes that you do not use very often can be stored in sealed plastic bags, such as vacuum bags (which also save space in the wardrobe!)

Empty the wardrobe with moths and clean thoroughly. Vacuum everywhere possible since they also like dead insects and a bit of everything. Wipe down and clean as much as you can. There are traps to buy for moths, and you can also use red cedar oil by applying it where you think moths might thrive. There are also blocks of red cedar that can lie permanently in the wardrobe.

After vacuuming, it is important to freeze the vacuum bag immediately. Leave it in the freezer for three days before throwing it away so that no moths or larvae can return inside the house. When you are ready to fill the wardrobe again, remember not to hang in any unwashed clothes (if these are delicate garments you don’t want to wash unnecessarily, you can store them in a plastic bag). Clean often and take out clothes and air them outside.

Do this to get rid of moths:

1. Wash or tumble dry affected garments at 60 degrees.

2. Clean the wardrobe thoroughly.

3. Set out traps and red cedar blocks/oil.

4. Do not hang in used clothes.

5. Store natural material clothes in sealed bags.

6. Clean often and thoroughly.

If you feel you lack the time or energy for this, we can always help you with the above. We can make sure to wash your clothes and clean thoroughly in shelves and corners that are not normally cleaned.

Whatever kind of little pests you want to get rid of, it is extremely important to clean regularly and thoroughly. If you feel you don’t quite have the time? Contact us for regular cleaning by professionals!