Putting a glass jar with vinegar and dish soap in your kitchen: What it’s for and how to use it

The presence of fruit flies in the kitchen is a common problem in many homes, especially in late summer and during the fall.

According to the University of Maryland Extension, there is a home trick that can be used to keep this pest under control.

To try it, you only need a glass jar, apple cider vinegar and dish soap.

Why people say you should put a glass jar with vinegar and dish soap in the kitchen

This trick is recommended to keep fruit flies under control, a type of brown or black insect that usually measures about 3 millimeters long and, as the name suggests, is drawn to overripe fruits and vegetables as well as fermenting foods.

Other foods that can attract this type of tiny fly include wine, beer, fruit juice and vinegar.

For that very reason, the institution’s advice is to make a homemade trap by covering the top of a glass jar filled with vinegar and a drop of dish soap. The plastic wrap should be secured with a rubber band around the rim, and then a small hole should be made in the plastic. This will let the flies get into the homemade trap, but not get out.

The vinegar attracts them, while the dish soap makes it harder for the flies to escape once they land on the surface.

Other tips to keep fruit flies under control

In addition to the jar with vinegar and dish soap, the institution recommends:

• Keeping spaces clean
• Eliminating food sources and breeding grounds for larvae
• Rinsing and draining any bottles or cans intended for recycling very well
• Draining and washing rags, since they can retain food residue and moisture.