Getting rid of flies in a kitchen garbage can, studio apartment edition

July 30, 2023 10:22 AM

Procrastinated slightly too long on taking the garbage out and when I went to take the bag out of the (stainless steel, lidded) can, a swarm of flies began to emerge. I panicked and slammed the lid shut. What do I do next?

To complicate things, I live in a 450 sq ft studio apartment with no balcony and communal trash removal. (Trash bags are placed in a "trash room" on every floor.)

I want to:
* Not traumatize my poor apartment super who handles the trash
* Minimize the risk of living in a cloud of flies (right now there are only a couple flying around freely in the apartment, they seem quite happy to keep Oscar the Grouch company otherwise)
* Not accidentally poison myself along with the flies with bug repellents

I have tried:
* Keeping a bowl out with apple cider vinegar and dish soap in the hopes that might tempt them away from the lure of rot and garbage and into Hades' grasp but so far they've proved smarter than me at staying away from what's bad for them (the bowl is completely free of corpses)
* Nothing else because I am too terrified of accidental poisoning and/or making things worse

I do have:
* Rather large windows that might prove to be part of the solution, but they overlook a street with a decent amount of pedestrian traffic and I don't want to traumatize anyone.

Please help me Metafilter, you're my only hope.

posted by perplexion to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

If you are amenable to technological solutions: I use the Liba bug zapper. The bulbs last between 6 months to a year, but they're easy to replace. Don't touch the grid even when you disconnect the device. let's just say it delivers a good jolt. They give you 2 extra bulbs, and you can easily find more on Amazon. Flies got drawn to the dark light, and SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! They go down as fried crispy critters. Just shake out the bug tray every week into the trash, or dump them outside as fertilizer.
posted by kschang at 10:30 AM on July 30, 2023

I would take the garbage can outside, on the sidewalk. I would double and then triple bag it. I would not worry about "traumatizing" pedestrians. Occasionally seeing other people's gross trash is part of the charm of city life, they'll be fine. You'll then want to do a deep rinse of the trash can, likely with bleach or some other heavy duty chemical. (And brace yourself for maggots)
posted by coffeecat at 10:40 AM on July 30, 2023

Do you have white vinegar? Mix it with water and spray it into the trash liberally. Tie the bag up tight. Put it into another bag and tie that one tightly too. If you're more concerned about spreading flies than using lots of plastic then go ahead and triple bag that mess. That should kill the flies and keep the dying ones trapped. Take that mess out to the trash room and don't stress.

Now: spray your empty trash can with the vinegar spray. Let it sit for fifteen minutes and then wipe thoroughly. Dump some baking soda in the can and let it sit closed overnight. Clean it out really well and you should be les likely to get flies again.

Future fly avoidance method: Smelly trash gets bagged tightly and taken out frequently when fly season is upon you. If your trash starts stinking then flies happen. Baking soda and vinegar spray after any smelly trash should help.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 10:42 AM on July 30, 2023

If you move the can around with the lid closed, do flies escape from openings in the top or bottom? If not, seconding coffeecat.

Here's how I'd handle it: I would stuff some extra garbage bags in my pockets and carry that down to the sidewalk (maybe early in the morning if I were concerned about being judged) in order to decant its contents as quickly and painlessly as possible. I'd double bag the trash inside for disposal in a nearby unlocked dumpster (if available) or the trash room. I'd examine the bottom of the interior for juiciness and tip any liquid into the nearest drain or gutter. I'd carry the can back upstairs and set it in my shower or bathtub, remove any large debris inside with gloves or a paper towel, then rinse it well on hot. I'd spray it down with vinegar and let it sit, then come back, rinse, and wash the whole can well with soap. Rinse again and spray with bleach, then tip it upside down to drain and dry. Any remaining flies will want something to eat and drink, so make sure all fruit/veg is put away and pour a bit of bleach down all drains and toilets after using.
posted by notquitemaryann at 10:45 AM on July 30, 2023

Windex (a USA brand glass cleaner, major component : Ammonia) is a supririsingly effective bug killer, and relative non-toxic as these things go.

I would open the garbage can, spray the hell out of it with Windex, close it up and call it a day.

I live in an area with Argentine Ants and when I find a big trail of them: Windex, let dry, then vacuum.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 3:45 PM on July 30, 2023

I had a swarm of flies in my kitchen recently. So gross and I don't know why they came in; I generally have the door open on summer days. I went after them with the hand vac; they were on the kitchen windows so it was pretty effective, and with a flyswatter. Double bag the garbage, tying the bag tightly closed, putting the bag headfirst into a new bag, typing that tightly. Put a note on it for the maintenance guy.

I left the handvac outside until well after they were expired.
posted by theora55 at 9:03 PM on July 30, 2023

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Ended up dragging the trash up to the roof at 3:30am. A few flies escaped on the way there but not enough to abort the mission. Opened the can, removed the bag, thoroughly wiped down the can with disinfectant while I waited for the bugs to decide if they wanted to leave. Then triple-bagged the trash and took it to the trash room.

Saw a few more lingering flies the next day (including, inexplicably, a couple in my freezer?!) but since then the apartment has been blessedly insect-free. Have definitely learned my lesson about what chores can and cannot be procrastinated on, especially during the summer.
posted by perplexion at 7:53 PM on August 3, 2023