I Put This Fly Trap on Every Window in My Living Room

The day when curbside trash pickup happens on my block is probably my most hated day of the week. Where I live, refuse (trash) is collected once a week, so homeowners are expected to bring out their large gray trash bins on pickup day, which translates to a lot of flies hanging around. Once trash is collected, the flies still linger, which means I often see an influx of flies invading my house. 

They act fast, so whenever a door opens, they swoop in and I spend days trying to capture and kill them. I’ve tried many different fly traps, all with varying degrees of success. But the best trap I’ve used is the one that hides in plain sight: the Catchmaster Window Fly Trap. It’s so effective that I put one on almost every single window in my open-concept kitchen and living room. Here’s why it’s the best fly trap I swear by.

The Catchmaster fly traps are clear glue traps that are waterproof and disposable, come in two sizes — regular, which measures 8.5 inches wide and 2.875 inches tall, and extra-large, which measures 14 inches wide and 3 inches tall — and are available in 12-, 48-, or 96-pack options on Amazon. They’re completely pesticide-free and perfect for indoor and outdoor use. 

To apply, just peel off the thin white lining and stick the trap directly on a window, windowsill, door, or anywhere else. When the trap is full, you simply peel it off and throw it away, with no mess involved. It works for capturing house flies, fruit flies, gnats, and even fleas. 

I actually hate how good the Catchmaster Window Fly Traps work. For starters, they are so low-effort. It’s easy to apply and discard the traps, but the best part is that once you put it up, it really is out of sight and out of mind. You just let the trap work its magic. Then, there’s the part I hate the most: seeing just how much bugs accumulate on each trap. 

I put a fly trap on nearly every main window in my open-concept kitchen and living room, which means there’s one on the kitchen window, one on a smaller window closest to the living room sliding door, and four on each corner of the two large living room windows. The one that has the most bugs? The window by the sliding door, which makes sense, since they’re coming in the most on the day after trash pickup. 

One thing to note is that an unfortunate consequence of having these up is that it can sometimes attract other pests, like lizards, although I find that rarely happens. Additionally, since these traps affix to your windows they will be on display inside or outside of your house when your curtains are open. So it’s best to change them out as soon as they’re full; otherwise, just be aware that they can be an eyesore when they’re filling up.

I don’t mind having them on display since I place them on the corners of the windows, so that even if I open up my curtains, they’re hidden. I also make sure to regularly change the traps. All in all, these are the best fly traps since they require minimal effort. I love an easy solution! 

Buy: Catchmaster Window Fly Traps (96 count), $39.99