I have absolutely loved watching my house plants burst into life over the last few weeks, as the sunshine has been taking over every room in my house.

The warm temperatures (which I have found a little insufferable) have encouraged so much new growth on my big leafy monstera and pothos, I can’t quite believe it.

But what I noticed after I did a bit of repotting, was a huge influx of tiny black flies (also known as fungus gnats) had invaded my house.

I’m not one for harming any bugs or insects, no matter how small or intimidating they can look, but after weeks of tips, tricks and pricey sprays, I had to do something to get rid.

@becksveggiepatch No More Houseplant Flies!! This quick and cheap hack will mean no more houseplant flies. We've done this for the last 3 or 4 years and haven't had an issue with them since - no matter how dry or wet the soil is. You can also use normal sand but fish tank looks nicer - we think! #houseplanthacks #plantinginpots #plantinghacks #fyp #newgardenersoftiktok #gardeningtipsforbeginner #beginnergardeninghacks #letsgrowagarden #greenthumbwannabe #plantingathome #indoorplantstruggle #gardenhackstictok #gardenhacksandtips #quickgardening #plantrevival #growingplantsathome #plantsoftikok #plantingtipsandtricks #plantingtip ♬ Creative - Vin Music

In all honesty, it began to feel like there was something rotting or had died somewhere, so I decided to use a simple method I had seen family and friends use over the years.

How do you get rid of tiny black flies (fungus gnats) in your home?

To combat the tiny black flies living in my house plants and crawling over every windowsill, all it took was vinegar, soap and sugar.

I was very apprehensive about doing this as I didn’t believe for a single second this could be the cure for my infestation.

I did use what I had in the kitchen cupboard but one of the cheapest supermarket selections could be some of Tesco’s own products, which include their eucalyptus antibacterial hand soap (90p for 500ml), malt vinegar (29p for 568ml) and Silver Spoon granulated sugar (£1.05 for 1kg).

The National: I rounded up the versions of vinegar, soap and sugar I had in my kitchen to make the solutionI rounded up the versions of vinegar, soap and sugar I had in my kitchen to make the solution (Image: Newsquest)

To make the solution, I used a few tablespoons of vinegar, a few pumps of soap and a tablespoon of sugar before mixing together in a spare small bowl (would recommend not using one of your favourites).

I then left it by my bathroom window as that’s where the flies seemed to gather the most.

After just one day, there were around 14 of the bugs inside it, so I remade the mix which again did the job.

As this was my first time trying the cost-effective hack, next time wrapping cling film over the top with small holes poked in it could work even better.

This apparently stops the bugs from escaping if they wanted to try to drink the liquid and fly away again.