Get Rid of Fruit Flies With This Kitchen Hack

Those pesky bugs that flit about your kitchen, the ones that come from heaven knows where? The American Chemical Society is here to help you get rid of the irritating insects once and for all.

Here’s what to do: Pour some apple cider vinegar and a few drops of dish soap into a small dish, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Poke a few small holes, then wait for those troublesome gnats to meet their maker.

"Those little guys are very much attracted to the scent of vinegar," explains the video’s narrator. "This is because their larvae feed on bacteria that grow in fermenting environments." The addition of dish soap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar. "So in other words, when a fly steps into the trap and checks out the vinegar, it falls right in, rather than being propped up by the surface tension of the vinegar."

But the helpful chemistry-inspired kitchen hacks don’t end there. The ACS also explains how to cool down a mess of room-temperature beers in less than 20 minutes, grill a burger to an ideal (and safe) medium-rare, and how to avoid stinky kitchen sponges.

(Spoiler alert: Everything is science! Science is everything! But you knew that already.)