With Autumn just around the corner and as the weather cools, spiders will look for a warm place where they can make a cosy home. That place could well be your house! If you’re scared of spiders, now’s the time to take some preventative measures to ensure your home is spider free. Here’s our top 10 tips to help you get rid of spiders the natural way.
1. Make your house minty fresh
Now I’m not saying spiders have bad breath, but what I can tell you is that for some reason they hate mint, peppermint to be precise. That’s why you’ll never find one near your toothbrush! Most insects also hate peppermint so it’s a great way of keeping creepy crawlies out of your house.
Get your hands on some peppermint essential oil, mix it in a spray bottle with some water and spray it all around your home, especially around any little nooks and crannies in the walls. You could also grow some mint plants in indoor pots. Your home will be smelling fresh and spider free in no time.
Other essential oils are also effective, including tea tree, rose, cinnamon, citrus, citronella, lavender and eucalyptus.
2. Keep your home spotless
Spiders, in fact all insects, love a dirty and cluttered home. Dust, dirt and grime are the perfect place for bacteria to grow, creating the ideal environment for bugs to thrive. Clutter around the house not only makes it more difficult to clean but makes it much easier for spiders to make webs too. Keep it tidy and clean and spiders will find your house far from homely.
3. Get a cat
Take advantage of your cat’s natural hunting instinct. They will soon put an end to any eight-legged invader scuttling across the floor.
4. Seal your home
If there is no way for spiders to get in, you won’t have any spiders in your home to start with. What we said about keeping the indoor space of your home clean and tidy also applies to the outside. Make sure the surround of your home is clear of anything that attracts spiders including grass, old leaves and general outdoor rubbish. Then go around your property and make sure any nooks and crannies are sealed with caulk. Be sure to check door seals, letter boxes, windows and window frames for gaps that a spider could sneak through and seal it up!
5. Spiders hate Cedar
For some reason the wood variety, Cedar, is a natural deterrent to spiders. Ensuring your draws, wardrobes and hangers are made from cedar will certainly keep them out of hiding in amongst your clothes. You can even buy a Cedar mulch that you could spread around the perimeter of your home.
6. Keep your outside lights off
Light, as we all, know attracts all sorts of flies, moths and other bugs. By keeping outside light to a minimum you will stop attracting the insects that the spiders feed on which in turn will reduce the number of spiders in and near your home.
7. Get the vacuum out
Suck up any spiders and webs in the vacuum and then dispose of it. The vacuum cleaner is the perfect tool for sucking up spider’s webs and any spider’s eggs, to help stop them spreading.
8. Try horse chestnuts
With Autumn comes conkers, (horse chestnuts). Inside the spiky shell is the nut which is a great spider deterrent, as well as a brilliant traditional game, if you’ve got strong knuckles! Cut the nut in half to release its scent and place around areas of the house that are notorious for spiders.
9. Try citronella
Usually associated with repelling mosquitos, citronella is also a great natural spider repellent. Mix it with lemon peel (another spider repellent) in a spray bottle with water and spray around your home. Like the peppermint solution it will also leave your home smelling great. You could also burn citronella candles around the house, particularly where you usually see spiders.
10. Electric spider repellent
These are great little gadgets that you simply plug in around your home. They use ultrasonic and electromagnetic waves that spiders absolutely hate. They are safe for humans and pets but are like kryptonite to spiders.
