Nothing is quite as irritating as a fly that won’t leave your Home. Swatting them might help for a moment, but it rarely solves the problem. The real solution is to make your Home a place flies don’t want to be.

To do this, it helps to know what brings flies in and what keeps them away. This guide explains which smells flies dislike and how you can use them to keep your Home fly-free. You’ll also find other simple tips to help keep your Home peaceful and pest-free.

First, What Smells Attract Flies?

Before learning about the smells that repel flies, it’s useful to know what attracts them. Flies are always searching for Food, and their strong sense of smell helps them find it. Associate Certified Entomologist Shannon Harlow-Ellis says flies are attracted to scents that suggest Food is nearby. (Why Flies are Drawn to Our Meals, n.d.)

Here are some of the aromas that flies find irresistible:

• Garbage and food scraps: Flies love decaying organic matter. Open trash cans, full compost bins, and leftover Food in the sink all attract them.
• Sugary foods and drinks: Flies are drawn to anything sweet. Fruit left out, spilled soda, or open juice containers can bring them in fast.
• Fermented Liquids: The smell of fermentation signals a feast for flies. Open bottles of beer, wine, vinegar, and even kombucha can draw them in.
• Pet Waste: If you have pets, you know that flies are often uninvited waste. If you have pets, you’ve probably noticed flies show up when your dog goes outside. Cleaning up pet waste right away is important. It can cause a breeding ground and a food source for flies.

Getting rid of these attractants is your first step. A clean Home with Food stored properly and trash secured is much less inviting to flies.

Scents That Flies Can’t Stand

Now, let’s look at a proactive approach. To keep flies away, try using scents they dislike. Many of these natural scents smell good to people but are unpleasant for flies.

Here are some of the best scents for repelling flies. You can use them as essential oils, candles, sprays, or by planting them around your Home.

Lavender

Lavender is widely known for its calming properties, but flies find its sweet, floral scent overwhelming. (5 scents to deter flies and make your Home smell gorgeous in the process, 2025) You can plant lavender in your garden or in pots near doorways and windows. Indoors, use lavender essential oil in a diffuser or create a simple spray by mixing a few drops with water.

Peppermint

Peppermint’s crisp scent is another strong fly repellent. People find it refreshing, but flies do not. (5 scents to deter flies and make your Home smell gorgeous in the process, 2025) Plant peppermint in your garden or put peppermint oil on cotton balls where flies gather. You can also use a peppermint spray on surfaces and near doors or windows.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus has a strong scent that keeps many insects, including flies, away. Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a diffuser or mix it into a cleaning solution for wiping down surfaces. Culinary herbs aren’t just for pesto. Basil’s pungent aroma is highly effective at keeping flies at bay. (Which Essential Oils Repel Flies, 2025) A pot of basil on your kitchen windowsill not only provides fresh herbs for cooking but also acts as a natural fly repellent right where you need it most.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon’s warm, spicy scent is another smell that flies dislike. Use cinnamon sticks as a natural air freshener or diffuse cinnamon oil. A cinnamon-scented candle can also help keep flies away.

Catnip

Catnip is well known for attracting cats, but it also contains nepetalactone, a strong insect repellent. While it’s famous for keeping mosquitoes away, it works on flies too. (Melo et al., 2021) Plant catnip around your Home or use catnip oil to help keep flies out.

Other Effective Scents

A few other natural scents are also known to repel flies:

• Lemongrass and Citronella: These are classic insect repellents with a fresh, citrusy aroma. (9 fly-repellent plants which will keep your Home bug-free, 2025) Citronella candles are a popular choice for outdoor spaces.
• Rosemary: This woody herb’s scent is great for cooking and for keeping flies away.
• Cloves: Their strong, spicy scent can repel flies. (This lemon and clove hack will keep flies out of your Home, 2023) Try sticking whole cloves into an orange or lemon and placing it in a dish.

Other Proven Ways to Keep Flies Away

Using these scents along with other simple steps will work best. Here are more tips to help keep your Home free of flies:

• Cover Food Promptly: Don’t leave leftovers sitting out, especially during outdoor meals—store food in airtight containers. Cover Food right away: Don’t leave leftovers out, especially outside. Put Food in airtight containers as soon as you finish eating. Poor cans are frequently used to avoid odors.
• Use fly traps: Sticky traps or other types placed near windows and doors can catch flies that get inside, even if they aren’t the most attractive option.
• Seal Entry Points: Ensure your window and door scSeal entry points: Check that your window and door screens are in good shape. Even a small tear can let flies in.e to flies. Wipe up spills immediately, keep surfaces clean, and don’t let dishes pile up in the sink.

Frequently Asked Questions

What scent can keep flies away from a porch?

Essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus work well to keep flies away from porches. Use a diffuser if you have an outlet, or put a few drops of oil on cotton balls and place them around. Citronella candles and torches are also great for outdoor spaces. You can also plant herbs like lavender, basil, and rosemary in pots on your porch to help keep flies out.

Does Irish Spring soap keep flies away?

You might have seen people online claim that Irish Spring soap keeps flies away because of its strong scent. However, there’s no scientific proof for this, and experts don’t recommend it. The manufacturer, Colgate-Palmolive, also says the soap hasn’t been tested for this use. (Evon & Dan, 2021) It’s cheap to try, but it’s better to stick with proven methods like the scents listed above.

Create Your Fly-Free Haven

You don’t have to fight flies all the time. If you know what attracts them and use scents they dislike, you can make your Home more comfortable and pest-free. Start by getting rid of things like open garbage and uncovered Food, then add natural repellents like lavender, peppermint, and basil.

By using these scent tips and keeping your Home clean, you can get rid of flies and enjoy a peaceful, fly-free Home.