Keep flies out of your home with this natural and cheap trick – all you need is a lemon and cloves

Ah, summer. Lighter days, warmer weather and… pesky flies. If you’ve been throwing open windows and doors in an attempt to soak up the sunshine over the last few weeks, then I’m sure the sound of flies buzzing around the home is beginning to get on your nerves. The worst part? Once they’re in, they seem impossible to get rid of.

There are plenty of tricks to try if you’re wondering how to stop flies from coming into your house. But, I’ve always struggled to find a method that actually keeps them at bay. That is, until I tried the new lemon and clove hack that is taking social media by storm.

You heard right – lemons and cloves are the unlikely combo that deters flies. The experts approve, and it’s even become a method that many people on the Ideal Home team swear by. After all, you likely have everything you need already in your kitchen cupboards.

How do lemon and cloves keep flies out of your home?

The hack is simple. Just cut a lemon in half and pierce the flesh with whole cloves. And voila! You have made your very own fly repellent.

I must admit, I was sceptical at first. But this trick really works, all thanks to the way the scents combine. ‘Flies are incredibly sensitive to scent,’ explains interior designer at JD Elite interiors, Keely Smith. ‘Lemons release limonene, which is a strong citrus compound that interferes with the way flies find food. When you stick cloves into the lemon, you’re adding eugenol, which has a sharp, almost spicy scent that flies dislike even more.’

To us, this combination creates a fresh and inviting scent. But, for flies, it has the opposite effect. ‘The combination of lemon and cloves throws off their senses and makes the area smell too intense and confusing for them to stick around,’ Keely adds.

Not only does the act of combining lemons and cloves create an appealing smell for us while warding off these buzzing pests, but it’s also a 100% natural repellent. ‘Design isn’t just about how a space looks, it’s about how it functions, and that includes keeping it comfortable and pest-free without turning your kitchen into some kind of chemistry lab!’ says Keely.

Does it work?

‘Lemon and cloves work as a gentle deterrent to flies, especially if you don’t want to use chemical sprays. It’s safe, easy, and looks a lot better sitting on a counter than other contraptions,’ says Jon Wade, property expert at The Steamboat Group.

‘The best spots to place the lemon halves are anywhere flies like to sneak in – windowsills, near doorways, or close to your fruit bowls,’ he advises. Or, if you’re hosting al fresco this summer, you could even place the clove-filled lemon halves on your outside table to stop flies hovering over your spread. I like to place my lemon halves in egg cups to keep them upright and in place while they do the job.

While this hack might not ward off a whole infestation, it certainly does the trick when it comes to deterring your common house fly. In fact, when Ideal Home’s Editor in Chief, Heather Young, put it to the test, she was shocked by the results.

‘I wasn't expecting this hack to work, but because it was so easy to do I decided I'd give it a try just in case. We have huge sliding doors in our kitchen which I love to have open on warm days, but it does mean that our kitchen is usually full of noisy flies, which drives me crazy!’ says Heather.

‘I popped my clove-hacked lemon out first thing in the morning, and I was pretty gobsmacked when I realised it had actually done the job of deterring flies. A few hours later, we were still enjoying a fly-free kitchen. This trick is definitely a winner, and I'm going to be popping one in every room!'

If you decide to give this trick a go, just remember not to leave your lemon out for too long. ‘You’ll need to refresh the lemon often, once every few days, to keep the scent working,’ says Keely. ‘Once it dries out or starts to rot, you’re not repelling flies anymore – you’re actually inviting them in.’

Keep flies away

Clove-filled lemons work well alongside other common fly repellents, like these.

Will you give this method a try?