Baking soda is a household ingredient with many uses, including as a natural and nontoxic pesticide option. If you’ve ever wondered if baking soda kills maggots, we spoke with pest control experts to get the truth. 

Read on to learn if baking soda kills maggots and other tips to get rid of them.

Does Baking Soda Kill Maggots?

Baking soda isn’t an effective maggot eliminator, according to Emma Grace Crumbley, entomologist at Mosquito Squad Plus. It may eventually kill maggots if they are placed directly in the baking soda, but other methods are faster and more effective. 

“I recommend reverting to a more traditional approach to pest management before using this technique,” Crumbley says.

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6 Other Ways to Kill Maggots in Your Home

Instead of using baking soda, try these methods to eliminate maggots around your home:

Boiling water

If you see or suspect maggots and flies in your sinks or plumbing, try pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain. Crumbley says this is a quick and effective method.

“Pouring boiling water in these areas can help kill eggs and provide short-term relief from flies,” Crumbley says.

To ensure the insects won’t come back, Crumbley recommends removing any clogs and deep cleaning inside the pipes. 

Vinegar

A combination of vinegar and hot water also works well to kill maggots. Combine one part vinegar with three parts hot water and pour the solution over the maggots.

The hot water will kill them instantly, and the vinegar also flushes out other organic matter and decay that bring maggots back. After disposing of the maggots, rinse the area a second time with the hot water and vinegar mixture. 

Freezing

As long as you can spare the freezer space (and are comfortable using your freezer for pest control), freezing is one of the more humane ways to kill maggots.  

Simply place the maggot-infested object into a bag and then store the bag in the freezer for 48 hours. Crumbley says this method can be handy since it kills the insects before disposing of them, preventing the infestation from spreading in a trash can. 

Salt

Salt can kill maggots if a large amount is used. Sprinkle a cup of table salt over the maggot-infested area and wait for it to dry the insects out, about an hour. Then, rinse the area and sanitize it as needed.  

Borax

Borax is an effective insecticide that can kill maggots by disrupting their digestive systems and dehydrating them. Simply sprinkle a generous amount of borax on the maggots. Wait about an hour or two before rinsing and cleaning the area out.

Old-Fashioned Cleaning

Cumbley says maggot control can be kept simple with removal and deep cleaning. 

“Maggots can be swept up, vacuumed, or gathered in any available way and disposed of in the trash,” she says. “Be sure to tightly seal trash bags to prevent further fly issues.”

Maggots have vulnerable exteriors and move slowly, so are more easily removed compared to other household pests. 

How to Keep Maggots from Returning to Your Home

Crumbley says the best way to keep maggots at bay is regular cleaning.

“Sanitation goes a long way for maggot control,” she says.

Dispose of any waste or food where the maggots are found and clean common breeding sites, such as moist areas under appliances or trash bins. Keep food sealed up and remove waste or other organic matter promptly to prevent flies from creating new breeding grounds. 

When to Call a Pro

If you’ve tried some DIY methods to kill maggots and the problem continues or worsens, Crumbley says it’s time to call a pest control expert.

“Anytime a pest problem is too big to handle by yourself, it’s time to call in a professional,” Crumbley says. 

Experts will assess your situation and treat the source of the maggot infestation using traditional and natural pesticides to clear up your maggot problem quickly.