How To Get Rid Of Gnats With Dawn Dish Soap

Many refer to any small, pesky, flying insects as gnats or fruit flies. Often, these pests are gnats and sometimes flies. Either way, they are burdensome to have in the home.

Luckily, there is a straightforward household solution when it comes to getting rid of gnats. Follow these simple steps on how to get rid of gnats with Dawn dish soap.

What Are Gnats?
What Damage Do Gnats Cause?
What Are Gnats Attracted To?
- Gnats Are Attracted to Humans and Animals
- Gnats Are Attracted to Your Garden
- Gnats Are Attracted To Your Household Items
How To Get Rid Of Flying Gnats With Dawn Dish Soap
- Lure Method For Killing Gnats With A Vinegar Trap
- Individual Approach
Dawn Dish Soap Saves the Day

What Are Gnats?

Gnats refer to a group of small flies that can bite and are always a nuisance to humans. Interestingly enough, there is not anyone scientific conclusion on what defines a gnat. There are some relatively common characteristics of gnats that include:

Swarming in "clouds"
Hovering around the eyes of humans and/or animals
Can be biting or non-biting

Whatever it may be. It is small, and flying around your house is sure to be a pest. And for a good reason, you want to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Recommended Reading:

Learn Tips On How To Get Rid of Flies in Potted Plants
Killing Fungus Gnats With Cinnamon
Controlling Fungus Gnats with Hydrogen Peroxide

What Damage Do Gnats Cause?

Gnats can cause serious damage to plants, especially indoors. Outdoors, typically, natural predators keep gnats under control. But indoors, they have less to worry about and, therefore, can thrive if not controlled quickly.

The larvae of gnats can feed on the roots of your indoor plants. They can ultimately stunt your plant's growth and/or cause yellowing in the foliage.

Eventually, the leaves will drop. This can be especially harmful to young plants which do not yet have a strong, developed root system.

What Are Gnats Attracted To?

Before discovering ways to get rid of gnats, it is vital first to understand the things that attract them in the first place.

What is it precisely that is drawing gnats to your home?

Gnats Are Attracted to Humans and Animals

These pesky little insects are attracted primarily by scent. Typically, you will see gnats attracted to fruit and sweet scents.

If you find gnats gravitating more towards you, take a look at some of your hygiene products, including soaps, moisturizers, and even laundry detergents. You will likely find that they have sweeter scents in them.

Gnats can also be attracted to body heat and/or moisture from the body due to sweat. They can also be drawn to the mucous from your eyes and nose as a water source.

Related: Controlling Fungus Gnats With Diatomaceous Earth?

Gnats Are Attracted to Your Garden

Outside of the home, you will find gardens attracting gnats that provide both a food and moisture source for them.

In addition to your flower beds, lights also attract them. Anyone who has spent time outdoors in the summertime has seen swarms of gnats surrounding outdoor lighting.

Gnats Are Attracted To Your Household Items

It's not just fruits and veggies that have been sitting out on the counter for too long that bring gnats inside your home. Yes, they are the obvious answer, but some less familiar attractants include:

Fresh cut flowers
Houseplants
Food spillage
Garbage cans
Dirty sink drains
Vinegar
Honey

Now that you are familiar with all the things that gnats are attracted to, let's move on to understanding how to get rid of them. One of the simplest tricks on getting get rid of gnats uses Dawn dish soap.

How To Get Rid Of Flying Gnats With Dawn Dish Soap

There are many household tips and tricks to getting rid of gnats.

Some include creating traps with vinegar and honey as those are known attractants. Others involve using certain types of scented candles or essential oils. But above all, the most significant is with Dawn dish soap.

There are a few methods using Dawn dish soap to get rid of gnats.

Lure Method For Killing Gnats With A Vinegar Trap

Create a feast for the gnats they can't resist. Combine a mixture of apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and dish soap into a bowl or jars. Here is the recipe for this one:

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 liter of water
1 tablespoon of sugar
2-3 drops of Dawn dish soap

Cover the solution in the bowl or jars with plastic wrap and poke holes in the plastic wrap.

The scents produced from the vinegar and sugar will lure the gnats, but when they make contact with the solution, the Dawn dish soap will cause them to get stuck, and they will inevitably drown.

You can also substitute the vinegar and sugar solution with a simple glass of red wine and add 2-3 drops of Dawn dish soap.

The wine will act as the attractant, and the soap will keep them stuck in the wine.

Individual Approach

Attack individual fungus gnats that you find around the house using a simple spray made up of water, vinegar, and Dawn dish soap. Here is that recipe:

1 cup of water
1 tablespoon vinegar
2-3 drops of dish soap (Dawn)

The spray bottle method is a quick and easy solution to keep handy for any stragglers around the house you might find. A good thing to note is that you don't have to worry about this concoction hurting any of your indoor plants.

Dawn Dish Soap Saves the Day

Even if you do your best to prevent gnats from entering your home, you may still see that they somehow find a way into your home. But, when all else fails, try to get rid of gnats with Dawn dish soap!