Spiders Bugging You? Keep Them Away With These Natural Repellants
While some spiders may be completely harmless and can keep other bugs out of the house, like flies, most people don't like them. If you want to keep spiders out of your home, here are a few natural deterrents to consider:
Peppermint Oil and Vinegar
According to Lifehacker.com, spiders can't stand the smell of vinegar or peppermint oil. So you can create a concoction using both of these and spray around entryways, windowsills and the outside of your home to repel spiders. The website suggests using 1 ½ cups of water, ½ cup of white vinegar and about 20 drops of peppermint oil. Make sure to spray regularly, especially after each rain, to ensure that the scent stays fresh and remains effective at deterring spiders.
Chestnuts
Your favorite nut may be a natural spider repellent. Chestnuts reportedly has a natural oil in them that have the ability to deter spiders. You simply need to place fresh chestnuts on your windowsills and near your doors and baseboards, which will keep the spiders from entering the home in these particular areas.
Lemon Spray and Lemon Peels
For some reason, spiders hate the scent of lemon or anything citrusy. For that reason, you may want to consider creating a different type of spray than the one listed above. This one is just one quart of water and one teaspoon of natural lemon essential oil. You could also try using a different citrus oil or a combination of oils for a different scent. You can use it in the same locations—along the windowsills, the exterior of the home, etc. For additional protection, you can even use lemon peels around the outside of your house and even around your garden. Just make sure that you change them out every week or so to avoid the attraction of unwanted pests from the peels rotting.
Keep Your House Clean
Bugs don't like clean homes because they don't have anywhere to hide or anything to feed on. So the cheapest and probably most natural way to eliminate and repel spiders and other bugs is to clean your home. You can eliminate current spiders with a vacuum cleaner and/or a broom, according to Planet Natural. You will also want to ensure that you de-clutter, dispose of trash properly and immediately, and maintain screens and weather-stripping around windows and doors.
When natural remedies fail, you may want to contact a professional spider exterminator to see what other options are available at eliminating your spider problem.