How to Keep Your Kitchen Bug-Free for the Holidays with an Indoor Fly Trap

As I slowly encroach onto the horrors that are modern midlife adulthood, I’ve realized that I probably need to volunteer to cook for my family this holiday season. As you might have guessed, the thought of this is incomprehensibly frightening - partially because I only know how to cook boxed mac & cheese, and partially because cooking big meals always means a huge mess and a bigger cleanup. 

Now, if you’re like me and also deal with chronic laziness, cleaning up your post-food kitchen mess is often procrastinated (or perhaps, simply not done for an embarrassingly long time). So, let’s say you’ve followed in my misguided footsteps, or just don’t have any kitchen cleaner around. But, uh-oh...uninvited guests have arrived for dinner. And I’m not talking about your conspiracy theorist uncle. I’m talking about BUGS. Roaches. Gnats. Ants. Flies. Sink flies. Fruit flies. Other flies. The whole gang. And they’re here to stay. 

Sounds like a nightmare right? Maybe you’re already experiencing it and are at a total loss for what to do. 

Lucky for us, there are steps we can take to prevent these nasty little kitchen bugs from invading our family dinner table. Here’s a little starter quiz: What are the steps we should take to keep bugs out of our business? 

1. Clean the kitchen meticulously. 
2. Get a Katchy indoor insect trap. 
3. All of the above.

The answer is a matter of opinion, but since I’m writing this article, I’m in control. And the correct answer is 3. So there. 

We’re going to go over the basics of kitchen cleaning, pro tips to keep pests at bay, and the ins and outs of Katchy. Let’s get into it!  

Why is it Important to Have a Clean Kitchen When Cooking?

Well, we’ve gone over this a bit, but the first step towards preventing unwanted infestations is, of course, a clean house - particularly a clean kitchen. Leaving any - and I mean any - open food around can attract a whole family of creatures. A tiny spill can lead to a massive spread of flies or gnats. Seriously!

I assume though, if you’re reading (skimming) this article, you’re probably already knee deep in pests. If it’s a mild infestation, simply maintaining an organized living space and wiping down surfaces should be enough. 

Here’s a little more detail:

How Do You Keep Your Kitchen Clean When Cooking?

How do I keep my house clean for the holidays, you ask? What a great question that you asked me just now. In my time cooking big meals for my fam, I’ve learned to follow 3 steps that have helped me with any minor infestations:

What are 3 Tips for Keeping the Kitchen Clean?

1. Keep Your Counterspace Free.

• Any pro kitchen cleaner knows that the benefits of kitchen counter organization are immeasurable. More prep space. Nicer appearance. Most importantly, though, starting your cooking with a clean countertop means less of a possibility to miss stray food or spills. Having a lot of stuff on your countertop can block your vision from hidden messes, leaving you wide open to the entrance of bugs and fruit flies in your house.

2. Start Clean, Then Clean As You Go.

• This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn. Clean before, during, AND after?? It was once an impossible task, but has now become second nature to me. It’s not as hard as you think - you’ll have a lot of idle time waiting for things to bake and cook, and that’s the perfect time to get some deep cleaning out of the way! 

Pro tip: Listen to a murder podcast or something while you clean. Time goes way faster.

3. Have a Compost & Trash Bowl.

• No better way to keep track of trash and food than to stick it in a conveniently placed container. This keeps it off of your counter and means some seriously easy cleanup afterwards. After you’re done, dump your compost in a closed-lid compost can to get rid of any kind of fruit fly infestation. Don’t leave it sitting out!

How Do You Get Rid of Kitchen Bugs When Cleaning Just Won’t Work?

So, let’s say you’ve followed this guide, you’ve become the champion of cleaning and organizing, and now you have the cleanest kitchen known to mankind...but you still can’t seem to get rid of the gnats, bugs, and/or roaches in your kitchen. If you’re about to give up, wait! There are other solutions.

Time to pull out the big guns. 

I’m referring, of course, to Katchy! This incredible bug trap is the answer to even the most intense infestation of little bugs. Even small pantry moths can’t escape its clutches! 

Let me tell you, having one of these in my kitchen is the icing on the cake of cleanliness. While cleaning your kitchen helps, more serious infestations can survive against even the cleanest of counters, and in my opinion this amazing trap is the cure to what ails you!

You might have a lot of Q’s about it - and if you don’t, pretend like you do, because I’m going to answer some common questions anyway. Here we go:

How Does Katchy Work?

The Katchy indoor insect trap is the answer to anyone’s pesky pest problem! 

It’s a portable, non-chemical, electronic flying insect trap that is perfect for any indoor space. By using a UV light, this grade-A solution to get rid of gnats and other pests works by attracting bugs into the fan, pulling anything that comes too close down into the trap. At the bottom of the trap is a sticky fly trap that keeps the insects in place, killing them over time - no chemicals needed!

Katchy has a couple different options (manual and automatic), so make sure you know the differences before you settle on one!

Manual Vs. Automatic Differences:

Similarities: 

• Both include 4 Katchy glue boards

• Both are perfect for taking care of small bugs like flies, gnats, moths, and fruit flies in your house

• Both use chemical-free UV lighting

Where Do You Put Katchy?

The coverage area of our indoor fly traps is about 320 square feet, so I recommend putting it on your kitchen counter (after everything is clean, of course). Honestly, putting it in any room works, so long as it’s somewhere near the infestation. You can even put it by a trash can (not IN a trashcan, though). You can put it anywhere indoors with no issue!

Can Katchy Be Used Outdoors?

No. Our traps are a great way to get rid of gnats and other small bugs in your home, but won’t be effective outdoors. They have a general effective coverage area of about 320 square feet. 

Does Katchy Work During the Day?

Not typically. You can use them during the day if you’d like, but the UV light in our Katchy indoor insect trap works best in the dark with no other competing light source. If you want to use them during the day, try to cover up the windows or turn off the lights in that room. You still may find it doesn’t work quite as well, however. 

Does Katchy Work for Fruit Flies?

Yep! In fact, both the manual and automatic versions of the Katchy indoor insect trap are built to combat fruit fly infestations, tiny flies, larger flies, moths, mosquitos, gnats, and any other small bugs that get near it!

Final Thoughts

The holidays are already stressful enough, don’t make it more stressful with unwanted guests (QAnon uncle or not). Make sure you’re prepared with us! If you’re looking for more tips, tricks, and traps, check out our website! 

Contributing Writer: Aurora Detor