Woman shares 'genius' 35p hack to banish flies and maggots from your wheelie bins

Nov 12, 2023

One woman has shared a simple hack that will banish flies and maggots from your wheelie bins.

Flies are a common sight in wheelie bins, drawn by the enticing mix of rubbish and discarded food.

These tiny winged creatures, often associated with unclean environments, find the warm and damp conditions within bins the perfect place to lay eggs that hatch into maggots.

However, their presence can be bothersome and unsanitary, especially if flies start to breed - potentially spreading bacteria and bad odours. That's why it's important to keep wheelie bins clean to minimise fly infestations, especially in summer.

If this is a problem you've been dealing with lately, then one woman might have a solution for you, The Mirror reports.

A TikTok user, who posts under the name @sisterpledgecleans, has gone viral on the video-sharing platform after posting a hack that has become an "unconscious standard practice" in her day-to-day life. And all you need to try it for yourself is some table salt, which can be bought for as little as 35p in shops like M&S.

In a clip, the cleaning enthusiast can be seen washing out two small waste bins. Once they are all nice and clean, she adds a good amount of table salt to the bottom before use.

She explains: "Here's a great hack for stopping flies in your bins. Sprinkle a generous amount of table salt in the bottom of clean bins. The salt soaks up any leaked fluid and flies and maggots die when they feed on it."

The video has since gone viral, being watched millions of times and garnering hundreds of thousands of likes. Thousands also commented on the life hack, sharing their thoughts and thanking her for letting them know about it.

One person said: "Oh thank you!! Our black bin is full of flies, yet our compost/food bin isn't. Makes no sense." Another replied: "I literally just cleaned my bins yesterday, why did I not see this first?!"

A third approved and suggested: "Add baking powder and it won't smell." Someone else posted: "OMG... this is now my life hack. THANK YOU!!!!"

A different user admitted: "I put a puppy pad at the bottom the bin soaking side up, never had a problem!"

While a sixth TikToker added: "My bins are getting emptied tomorrow. I'm so trying this out!" A seventh branded the hack a "game-changer" while an eighth thought the woman was a "genius."

For more cleaning tips, you can also follow Sister Pledge Cleans on Instagram @sisterpledgecleans.

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