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"Help me! Help me!"

I think that the only time anyone has ever felt sympathy for flies was from the classic Vincent Price film, "The Fly". The rest of the time, everyone wants to see the lousy pests dead or at least out of their house. But, how does one get rid of an annoying insect that seems to be able to breed at an incredible rate and will never seem to go away? The answers are first you have to deal with the problem at hand, and then take the preventative measures to keep them away.

Getting rid of flies is rather easy if you're willing to take the time to do so.

First things first is you want to take away their sources of food. This means keeping your house as clean as possible. Keep your surfaces clean of all food stuffs. If you spill something, use an antiseptic cleaner to get rid of the mess immediately! Don't wait until later, because the little buggers will swarm all over the mess and if it's large enough, they'll lay eggs and soon it will be covered in maggots. Disgusted yet?

Next, you'll want to keep your sink clean of any dirty dishes. Rinse them off when you're done with them and if you have a dishwasher, put them inside so that they're sealed away from the outside world. If you don't have a dishwasher, go ahead and wash the dishes. It saves time and keeps your kitchen clean in the process.

Speaking of washing dishes, if you have a garbage disposal, you have a breeding ground for all kinds of nastiness beyond flies: the drain. Every now and then pour some bleach down the drain in large quantities to kill whatever's down there. Even if there is some loose food in the disposal you'll make it completely unappetizing for flies and their ilk.

Do you have carpets and upholstery? You'll want to clean those as well. A simple stain on your rug or couch can leave lots of yumminess for all manner of household pests especially flies. Steam clean them as soon as you can and try to set up a regular cleaning whenever you can.

Now, that you've taken care of their breeding grounds, you want to get rid of the flies that you have buzzing around. There are lots of fly traps that you can buy ranging from fancy traps that are aesthetically pleasing, to ugly fly strips that dangle from the ceiling. Both work, but you want to change them often as the look of dead/dying flies on these things will definitely weaken a few stomachs at your next dinner party.

If you want to kill them the old fashioned way, nothing beats a good old flyswatter. Get the kids involved as well! It helps their hand-eye coordination, and can be a lot of fun. Just, remember to clean up the mess of the dead insects as even their corpses can be food to other pests.

Now, that the files are gone, it's time to think about how to keep them gone for good. Good housekeeping is a must. Keep your home as unappealing as possible so that they'll try and find somewhere else to live. Keep the inside of your house clean, but don't forget the outside. Keep your outdoor garbage cans clean. Use disposable liners, and wash out your cans regularly. Once a week should suffice. If you have pets that regularly like to make "surprises" on your front lawn, pick up after them immediately so as to keep away the fly's favorite food source.

Finally, one thing you want to do to keep the files from entering your house is keep the doors and windows closed. This might mean an increase in your cooling/heating bill, but if you look at the overall savings you'll have versus all of the diseases you might contract and the massive hospital bills that go with them.

Flies can be one of the nastiest problems your house can face, but with a little preventative medicine and good housekeeping you keep from finding yourself going "Help me!" whenever you see them.

Learn more about this author, David Furritus.
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