Typically spiders prefer to leave humans alone. However, if a few of these eight-legged creepers are making their home inside of yours, they might need a little encouragement to go back outside.
To avoid having to keep crushing these creepy crawlers with your shoe (or calling someone else to do it for you),
you can start using DIY spider repellent for your home.
If spiders have already found their way inside your house, you can check out our article about spider sprays. These sprays will work to kill the spiders already in or around your home. This article will be focused on preventing more spiders from entering your home and ridding you of having to deal with spiders in the future.
DIY Spider Repellent Sprays
Vinegar has been shown to repel spiders due to its pungent smell and taste. Although this mixture won’t kill spiders, it will deter spiders from entering the places you spray it. Mix vinegar and water and spread along the areas from which you want to repel spiders.
As a bonus, this DIY vinegar spray also repels ants. Although this spray will have a reasonably strong smell when sprayed, after drying, the scent should not be noticeable to humans. We recommend reapplying this spray each day to achieve the best results.
- Essential Oils
Due to their intense scents, certain essential oils repel spiders, specifically peppermint and citrus. Although spiders find the smell of these crucial oils repulsive, most people love the fresh scent of their home after spraying this mixture.
To make this DIY spider-repellent spray, mix 10 to 15 drops of peppermint or citrus oil with two cups of water and a teaspoon of dish soap. The dish soap helps to break up the fat, allowing it to combine better with the water. Spray your mixture along windows, corners, and wherever you want to repel spiders.
If you use citrus essential oils such as lemon, lime, or wild orange, pour your mixture into a glass spray bottle. Citrus oils can damage or “eat through” the plastic containers they are stored in.
- Plants
Certain plants also repel spiders, preventing spiders from staying in or entering your home. Having these plants inside or planted close to your home will significantly reduce the number of spiders you have to deal with.
- Eucalyptus
- Lemongrass
- Mint Catnip
- Lavender
- Lemon Balm
- Basil
- Rosemary
These plants work to repel spiders through a similar method as the essential oils mentioned above. The scent of these plants repulses spiders, so they instead live in areas not containing the smell of these plants.
Natural DIY Spider Repellent vs Chemical Spider Sprays
These natural DIY spider-repellent sprays in this article are helpful for repelling spiders. The vinegar and essential oil mixtures mentioned above don’t kill spiders, even if sprayed directly on them. Instead, the smells from these products will cause spiders to want to make their homes elsewhere and leave their cobwebs somewhere other than your home.
On the other hand, chemical spider sprays, like the ones reviewed in this article, can kill spiders when sprayed on them.
Results from these sprays may not be instantaneous, but they are lethal to spiders, even the most challenging kinds. Sometimes, a combination of these sprays is ideal for eradicating the spiders in your home. However, some people feel more comfortable only using more natural options around their children or pets.
You may need to kill the spiders in your home and then use these DIY sprays to prevent more spiders from entering.
When to Leave Spiders Alone
Although you probably don’t want spiders roaming your home, they can be beneficial creatures around your house (ideally on the outside). Spiders tend to eat other insects, which often bothers us. For example, spiders love to snack on fleas, flies, and mosquitos.
Spiders even eat insects that could transmit dangerous diseases to us. So, if you have a few spiders in your garden, consider letting them stay. However, if you notice dangerous spiders lurking near your house, specifically black widow, brown recluse, or hobo spiders, you should get rid of these creepy crawlers. These DIY spider-repellent sprays will work to prevent even the scariest spiders from entering your home.
Other Ways to Prevent Spiders
Areas that contain a lot of insects as a food source and peaceful places to live attract spiders. Eliminating clutter that spiders can live in and regularly cleaning your home can help keep these pests out. If you stop the presence of what attracts spiders, such as insects, the spiders will find other places to inhabit.
Additionally, seal up cracks or holes in your home that spiders and other insects can enter. Practising these tips with DIY spider repellent will ensure your home stays as spider-free as possible!
