Gnats or Small Flies

Indoor gnats are usually one of 3 types, fungus gnats, fruit flies, or moth flies.  For all three, control is achieved by removing the larval food source.  

For fungus gnats, that is almost always potted plants.  Potted plants can be placed outside for about a week to control the problem.  Plants can be moved back in after a week or so, make sure to reduce how much they are being watered. Usually they get started after over watering. Outside dries them more quickly and reduces fungus and, therefore, fungus gnats.

Fruit flies can develop on decaying food anywhere in the house: forgotten trash cans, stored potatoes, kid-hidden food, etc.  They can develop some in drains, but not typically.  Also, during wet years, there are a fair number of them outside that sneak in and hang around drains.  We offer traps that can help reduce adults once the source has been identified and removed.  

Moth flies almost always indicate the presence of a sewage leak. 

Capturing the flies on a piece of scotch tape will let us identify them.  If you have a good enough camera on your phone, you can email us a picture of the captured gnat.

Additional info:

Moth flies are flies not moths and don't do any damage.

Damage to clothes would be from clothes moths and should be able to see adults, larvae, pupae, or cast skins. They wouldn't just appear and damage something so quickly. It would take a few weeks to go from egg to larvae big enough to cause noticeable damage. The larvae damage, not the moths. You could have indian meal moths as far as seeing adults around, but they don't cause damage to clothes. 

A quick way to tell fruit flies from fungus gnats is their behavior. Fruit flies will take off and fly if disturbed, while fungus gnats will skip before flying. Fruit flies are also more round in body shape, while fungus gnats are more slender.

Other than potted plants some common sources of both fruit flies or fungus gnats include forgotten food items in trash, cabinets, lunch boxes or ice chests such as potatoes, opened food containers or fruit.

(We'd have to go investigate unless you can collect and photograph an adult.)