Life Hack: Five ways to stop spiders from coming into your home this autumn
Sick of seeing spiders in your home? Here are a few things you can try to stop them coming indoors
Certain scents repel spiders and among these is peppermint. Fill a spray bottle with water and add between 15 and 20 drops of peppermint oil. A potentially less appealing scent to humans that would also work is vinegar, so this could be a useful option in a pinch. Make a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water and add to a spray bottle. Spritz either mixture around the house to deter spiders, paying particular attention to any entryway they could be using to get inside as well as any cracks and crevices.
Again, this is based on spiders’ distaste for certain scents. Cinnamon is another fragrance they avoid so lighting a cinnamon candle will keep spiders at bay while adding a warm, wintery scent to your home. Citrus scents are also effective — you can rub orange or lemon peels along skirting boards, window sills and bookshelves or burn citronella candles inside and outside of your home.
Spiders love having somewhere to hide within your home, so the fewer nooks and crannies there are, the less likely they’ll be found in your home. Prevent mess from building up and make use of sealable plastic containers for storage, as spiders cannot get easily inside. Regular vacuuming will prevent webs from building up. Keep an eye on your fruit bowl too. Gone-off food can attract fruit flies which in turn will attract spiders. As flies are also often found near outside bins, make sure these are stored far from windows and doors to prevent the spiders those flies attract from entering your home.
If spiders have some comfortable spots to shelter in outside your home, they could easily move from there to indoors. Clear away items like leaves, grass clippings, vegetation, compost or woodpiles from the exterior of your home so they don’t have anywhere nearby to linger. You should also check the outside of your home for cracks or gaps through which spiders could gain access to your home. Seal these with caulk and cover vents and chimneys with a fine mesh.
This works in a similar way to the scent mixture as it works using fragrances spiders hate but in plant form. Mint or lavender plants help to drive spiders away when placed near windows — they also work well in balconies and windowboxes if you are limited on outside space, such as in an apartment. If you have the luxury of more outdoor space, a eucalyptus tree is a low-maintenance option as its leaves’ scent will repel spiders.
