While most spider species are harmless to us, there are still many people who do not want them around the house. However, we don’t always want to use pesticides and have that chemical smell around the house. Well, the good news is that we have natural methods at our disposal and they are quite effective. Here are some of them:
Essential oils
Essential oils have a strong scent and they are natural spider repellent. Even better – they actually smell nice. Peppermint oil is a particularly popular option here. All you have to do is add about 20 drops of it to a spray bottle that has some water in it and then you can start spraying it around the house. If you cannot find peppermint, you can use cinnamon, lavender or tea-tree oils. If the solution is starting to lose its effectiveness, just add some extra oil.
Vinegar
Vinegar is another good option, but it does not smell as nice. Still, if you have no essential oils and you need to get rid of spiders right away, you can make a mixture that is 50% white vinegar, 50% water, and then spray it in areas infested by spiders. However, you have to be careful around varnished surfaces since the vinegar may leave a mark.
Citrus
Citrus scents are also spider repellents, so you can use citrus peels in a variety of ways to get rid of spiders. You can either rub the peel on problem surfaces, squeeze the zest and make a solution, or even use lemon-scented cleaners for your household chores to great effect.
Garlic
Believe it or not, garlic can be effective at keeping spiders out of areas you don’t want them in. It’s not just vampires that hate the scent of this vegetable. If you enjoy the smell of garlic and don’t mind it around the home, you can crush some cloves and mix them with water in a spray bottle, or you can simply put whole cloves in areas that are infested with spiders.
Still have a spider issue?
If these home remedies do not work, it might be time to give the exterminator a call. This is where we come in. Some spider infestations are too resilient or too large to be handled DIY, and if you find yourself in this situation, give us a call right away.
