A TikToker has shared an easy trick to stop flies gathering in your bin - and all you'll need is one simple store cupboard item, which you're guaranteed to have at home. See it in action in the clip below:
While there are countless reasons why we all love summer, the influx of flies and insects certainly isn't one of them.
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As soon as temperatures begin to creep up, out come the wasps, mosquitos, fruit flies and more, ready to wreak havoc as we try to chill out in the heat.
But TikTok user @sisterpledgecleans reckons they have the answer, and you won't need to rush out to the shops to grab lots of expensive cleaning products.
Posting a video showing their impressive hack in action, @sisterpledgecleans explains that you simply have to clean your bin out before sprinkling lots of table salt in there.
In the video, they use their food waste bins as an example in the footage, liberally tossing the salt onto the bottom of each container.
They explain: "Here's a great hack for stopping flies in your bins.
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"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 proven popular after it was posted recently, having gone viral with more than four million views and more than 400,000 likes.
One person commented: "Oh thank you!! Our black bin is full of flies, yet our compost/food bin isn't. Makes no sense."
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Someone else said: "I literally just cleaned my bins yesterday why did I not see this first."
A third wrote: "I consistently have maggots and have to deal with them. Like a lot. I need to try this."
The TikToker also posted the trick on their Instagram page, where they explained it can also be used for various other cleaning methods.
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They said: "I knew that table salt is an amazing solution for a few things. One for a natural, non toxic way to kill slugs (sprinkle on them they shrivel and die), also it's a good natural way to kill fleas in the carpet! Sprinkle on and leave to shrivel up fleas and eggs then vacuum up after a few hours. (Do this daily for a month).
"Also - vacuum up some salt if you have fleas or bugs - as it kills them in the vacuum bag. It also kills weeds, sprinkle it on the weed and then pour over boiling water. The sodium kills weeds at the root!
"But this latest hack is brilliant too - a good dose of cheap table salt at the bottom of a clean bin will absorb any leaking bags (aka bin juice) and flies that land on it or hatching maggots that feed on it will die. It's the simple hacks that work the best!!"
They added: "Please be careful that pets or wildlife can't access food waste - salt is toxic in large quantities."
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@sisterpledgecleansTopics: Hack, World News, News, TikTok