Often the garbage can mutates into a breeding ground for maggots in summer - but it doesn't have to get that far. With these home remedies you can prevent and fight the pests.
Not only do flies find food for their larvae in the garbage can - in summer it is also pleasantly warm and humid. The perfect conditions for the maggots to reproduce. If you then take a look in the bin, you first have to fight a rebellious stomach. Once the first shock is over, you can use home remedies to fight the maggots.
Fighting maggots in the garbage can: How helpful is quicklime?
In many places quicklime is advised against maggots in the organic waste bin. The larvae are supposed to dry out and die off as a result of the agent. Quicklime is also an aggressive agent that has a caustic effect - especially in connection with water. Therefore, for safety reasons, you should refrain from using it to combat maggots, as recommended by Klaus Storch, Managing Director of the Storch Garbage Container Cleaning Service based in Rosenheim.
Find out more : Cleaning: A disgusting mistake prevents everything from getting clean.
Maggots in the garbage can: salt as an effective means
According to Storch, anyone looking for a remedy for maggots in the garbage can will find at least a short-term relief when using salt . According to the expert, it should ideally be placed in the organic waste in large quantities. All known tips are still the most environmentally conscious way of putting a stop to the maggots.
Also interesting : did you know? Almost everyone dispose of receipts incorrectly.
Preventing maggots in the garbage can: try these tips
- Keep the garbage can dry : Maggots feel particularly comfortable in damp areas - so you should keep them as dry as possible in the garbage can. You can do this if you line the floor with newspaper, for example. This soaks up liquids and spoils the maggots' fun.
- Avoid raw meat and fish : Many municipalities and disposal companies allow meat leftovers to be disposed of in organic waste. Nevertheless, meat and fish - especially in raw form - are practically a magnet for flies that lay their eggs there, as Klaus Storch warns. Instead, you should wrap it in newspaper and dispose of it with your general trash.
- Closing and opening garbage lids properly : With a tightly closed lid, flies don't get the opportunity to put their eggs in the garbage as often. An additional rubber seal can help here. If the maggot plague is already present, however, you should leave the lid open - after all, they flee from sunlight.
- Clean regularly : After every waste disposal, you should spray the bin with the garden hose or wash it out with vinegar water. Then let it air dry.
- Packing leftover meat : In general, flies and their larvae are happy about leftover food in the bin. Therefore, they should not just lie around openly in it, but should be specially packed again.
- Setting up the fly trap : Simply lure the flies away from the garbage can with a small trap. To do this, mix a little washing-up liquid in a bowl full of vinegar and place it nearby. The flies whiz there and drown in the liquid.
- Smell trap : Maggots cannot stand smells like vinegar, lavender or tea tree oil at all. Drip a little on a cloth and hang it in the bin.
- Emptying often : Even if the bin is not full, you should have the garbage disposal empty it at every opportunity.
Suitable for this : This is how you avoid smelly garbage cans in summer.