Nothing is worse than opening a window to let in some fresh air only for a fly to swoop it and begin buzzing about, but there is a very simple way to keep them out of your home. Most commercial fly sprays are convenient, but they contain toxic chemicals which can pollute your home and be poisonous to breathe in so it is better to look for a more natural alternative. 

Andre Kazimierski, a cleaning expert from Sophia’s Cleaning, has shared you can easily keep flies away without spraying chemicals if you have cayenne pepper in your kitchen cupboard. He said: “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 may sound bizarre, but flies rely heavily on their sense of smell to find food to feast on and also navigate an area. 

However, cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which has an incredibly strong smell and is also spicy so will really irritate flies senses. 

Not only do flies find cayenne pepper uncomfortable, but it makes them less interested in lingering about as it will mask the smell of food that attracts them to homes. 

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. 

Wait for the water to completely cool down, then place in a empty spray bottle. You can usually buy spray bottles in the cleaning section of most supermarkets but pounds shops, garden centres and hardware stores will also sell them. 

Spray the solution around windows, doorways, kitchen and anywhere else flies are known buzz about. 

Flies will naturally stay far away from the spicy scent so your home is more likely to stay insect free throughout the summer. 

However, it should be noted that the spices in cayenne pepper can travel in the air after spraying and get into pets eyes so generally should not be used if you have a cat or dog. 

However, do you worry as you can swap cayenne pepper for apple cider vinegar or even use cucumbers as a pet friendly alternative to keep pesky flies out of your home for good.