I've discovered that I'm good at herding flies.

I start by turning off lights sources including the TV, and closing all the doors and curtains except for one open window which is now the brightest, and therefore most attractive destination for the fly.

Then I just stand so that the fly is between me and the window. I wave my arms out sideways, kind of like semaphore, and it discourages the fly from flying towards my body and my hands, and can only avoid me by flying in the direction of the window.

It doesn't work at night since turning the lights off means I can't see the fly, and with the light on, it just flies to the light, lol.

They also don't like wind, so if there is a breeze outside, I make a stronger breeze inside by swinging a towel like a helicopter blade, and it makes the entire room very undesirable for the fly.

When I was a kid I would just wait until the fly was bouncing itself against the window, and just catch it in my hand, then throw it out and open window.

It also helps if you keep your house free of stale or rotting food smells.

This skill has dramatically reduced the number of flies I've killed by swatting.

You'll catch some flies (and various other insects) with fly paper. The good thing is that it doesn't smell.

Never heard of houseflies going for vinegar, AFAIK that's for fruit flies (and even that is rather tricky IME).

I have a BUG-A-SALT that attached a laser sight on. It can take out a fly from a few feet away. And it makes it fun.

Glass cups work unfailingly for me. As far as I know they don't see very well, so once, I tried slowly lowering one over them, and have been doing it since. Nothing else needed, just wait for it to land near you on a hard and even surface. They so far have not noticed it until the cup was fully down. After catching one, I slide a thin paper/something under the cup, and take the whole thing outside to release it.

Get a used spray bottle, one that you can adjust the spray to be narrow or wide angled by screwing unscrewing the cap. Set it to wide angled. Fill the bottle with some water and cleaning solution. Something you wouldn't mind being sprayed about. Surface cleaner is a good bet because you probably already have that around the house to clean with.

Creep up on a fly with this diluted concoction and let rip. It might try and fly away but the wide angled spray plus the slight stickiness of the solution will hamper it's efforts. Watch as it falls to the floor and writhes about in agony as it desperately tries to breathe (flies breathe through their skin which is now clogged with cleaning solution). It's wings will be useless now too as they'll be weighed down by the solution.

Finally with some tissues mop up and squash the little shit. For the first several flies leave them where you let them die as a warning to other flies in the area. After a couple of days you can clean up the bodies.

You're welcome 🤗.

Invest in venus flytraps. They're very loyal pets.

I've tried Google's suggestion of water/vinegar and a bit of dish soap in a bottle, but they don't seem to go for it at all.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought this method was only geared for fruit flies, not houseflys.

Flypaper strips can be effective depending on the severity and location of the issue and are fairly cheap. It won't be 100% effective, but it might help. Just be very careful about where you place it if you have any pets or children.

We got one of those electric fly swatters, but the thing is too heavy to swing fast enough to pop flies like you'd want. So on a hunch, I checked YouTube for a trick to make them more effective.

Basically take a styrofoam plate with a little food on it and tape it to the fly swatter, and zip tie the switch down and set it wherever the flies are at their worst. For bait, I just put a smear of ketchup and ranch dressing on a paper towel.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tDZb2l2A888

We managed to kill over 30 flies in about 2 days. Heads up though, they're not designed to be left continuously powered on, the batteries will end up dead and leaking after a couple days.

I had to toss the batteries and open up the swatter handle to clean out the battery juice off of the terminals so it won't rot out.

But hey, aside from the inconvenience with the batteries, the trick just freaking works 👍

Toy salt shotgun. Start hunting.

Edit: just saw another comment recommended the one i used to have. Bug-a-salt. It was the only thing that worked when we had something like 200 flies in a tiny 3-bed apt.

Fly paper strips are the way to go

Chopsticks!

Vacuum cleaner with a wand or a powerful portable vac. You just get the nozzle near the fly and they get sucked in.

I roast em with a blow torch

My cats take care of most of them.

I slap them mid air when they are slower and with a towel when they fly more erratic and quick.
Satisfying and I get to feed my fly trap

I've been using these for mossies for years, I know it's not the friendliest of routes but they are not exactly friends either.

Play wildly upbeat frantic fly punk music and when they're all worn out from shaking their little fly asses - nab 'em.

If you want to swat them, you need to move your hand slowly at first. They seem to not notice or care if you move slowly and don't cast a shadow over them as that will frighten them. I use these same techniques for macrophotography, and it works, but you have to be patient.

I could also recommend getting good at snaping towels. Once you get good at it and you can judge distances, you can hit flies mid-flight.

Or if you just want to buy something and have 50ish bucks to spend you can get this

https://www.bugasalt.com/pages/shop-collections#threefive

A clear plastic cup and a paper card large enough to cover the opening.. Wait for the fly to land on a window, and approach slowly with the cup while distracting them with your other hand. When close, cover the fly by pressing the cup on the window and slip the card underneath the opening. It helps if the fly has tired itself out first. Works well for all manner of bugs.

Move your lightly cupped, relaxed hand behind the fly. Then suddenly accelerate and grab the fly that got startled into flying into your hand by the movement.

Get a dish towel wet and use that to swat at the fly. The weight of the water and the extra length of the towel let's you get it going faster than the fly can react.