Genevieve Levy’s fruit fly problem became 1.4 million people’s entertainment last week.
The 33-year-old London sales worker filmed herself building a trap from washing-up liquid, sugar, vinegar and a sheet of cling film.
The video took off on TikTok just as Britain’s bank holiday heatwave started pushing the pests back into kitchens nationwide.
The hack, in full
Mix washing-up liquid with sugar or honey in a bowl. Add vinegar. Top with water.
Stretch cling film across the top, then pierce it with a knife.
The holes need to be big enough to let the flies in. Not big enough to let them out.
“It was very effective,” Levy told Creatorzine.
“Nothing is 100% but this dramatically reduced the amount I had.”
She places hers next to whatever’s attracting the flies in the first place.
In her case, that was a row of fruit juices fermenting on the counter. She calls them “concoctions.”
She also recommends pouring boiling water down the sink, where fruit flies tend to lay their eggs.
Why everyone in the comments has a fly story
The post pulled in 65,000 likes and a queue of people sharing their own war stories.
One commenter said she’d been struggling for days after coming back from an emergency hospital visit to find food left in the bin.
Sprays were out. She’s allergic.
Others offered variations. “This trick also works without kitchen film,” wrote one.
“The fairy liquid traps them basically and they’re unable to fly away.”
Another tip: put corks under the fruit bowl. They absorb moisture and stop flies from settling.
Someone simply wrote: “Brb doing this now.”
Why it matters
The household hack is one of TikTok’s most reliable formats. Cheap to make, easy to copy, short enough that the algorithm rewards it.
Levy isn’t a full-time creator, but a 1.4 million-view spike on a single clip is the kind of thing that changes how someone thinks about their account.
The timing helped. Warmer weather is forecast across the bank holiday, which is also when search traffic for “how to get rid of fruit flies” reliably spikes.
Creators who post seasonal utility content tend to win these moments.
Expect a wave of fruit fly videos this weekend. Some will be useful. Some will involve setting bananas on fire.
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