Home Help: Four easy ways to get rid of gnats

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The Petoskey News-Review


Though they can't harm you or your home, the presence of gnats is annoying and can make your home feel dirty. Here are four quick tips from BobVila.com to help rid your home of gnats:

1. Dish soap in wine or vinegar. This method is ideal for removing gnats hovering around your kitchen area or fruit basket. Combine two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and one liter of water in a container. Then add a tablespoon of sugar and a few drops of dish soap, and stir. Place the container near the fruit. Gants, attracted to the scent, get stuck in the solution when they make contact with it. This technique can also be accomplished by setting out a small glass of red wine combined with a little liquid dish soap.

2. Use a bleach solution for drains. If gnats are hanging around the drains in your bathroom, this method is for you. "Dilute some bleach with water, and then pour it down the drain. One-half cup of bleach to one gallon of water should be enough. (Be sure to wear protective gloves and a mask so you don't inhale the fumes.) Repeat as needed until you don't see any gnats."

3. Use fruit against them. If you have an overripe banana, masj it into a bowl, jar or other container. Stretch plastic wrap over the opening and poke a few holes. Attracted by the smell of fruit, they will be able to squeeze their way inside, but won't be able to fly out.

4. Spray individual gnats. If you have just a few bothersome gnats hovering in your living room, this technique might work best. Fill a spray bottle with a combination of one cup of water, one tablespoon of vinegar and a few drops of dish soap. If you see a gnat, simply spitz the air and it should kill the insect. The solution is harmless to indoor plants.


Plant tomatoes at proper time, don't over fertilize to avoid 'puffiness'

Tomato puffiness is a tomato plant problem where there fruit appears normal from the outside, but has little or no fruit gel or seeds inside. According to BobVila.com, excess nitrogen in the soil can contribute to the condition.

Puffiness is caused "when fruits develop in either excessively hot or cool temperatures that interfere with normal seed formation. Wet weather, humidity and cloudiness are secondary contributors to puffiness since these conditions interfere with insect pollination. Plant at the proper time and avoid excessive fertilization to prevent tomato puffiness."


For a happier home, ditch harsh lighting

Harsh, overhead lighting can give off bleak and impersonal illumination. Opt instead for lamps and accent lighting, suggests HGTV. "The obvious solution," says Chelsea Faulkner, design editor for HGTV.com, "is lamps, but I've found that sometimes they don't give off the amount of light I like. So, I tuck small lamps in unusual places like behind the TV, on the kitchen counter and on the bookshelf to add soft pools of light all around, which makes me oh-so happy."


Are you dusting correctly?

Dusting will make your furniture look cleaner, but if you're doing it incorrectly, and just moving the dust around instead of removing it, your home can remain dusty. Keep these tips in mind:

• Use a microfiber cloth or duster, which will trap more dust.

• If using a rag, dampen it before dusting (this will also trap dust).

• Dust higher surfaces first.

• Wipe down your walls once a month (since dust can cling to vertical surfaces), going from top to bottom.