Do you have a spider problem in your home? If yes, you might’ve heard of using peppermint oil to eliminate them. Peppermint essential oil is a practical remedy for health problems such as nausea, muscle pain, and acne. As a common household item, it’d be great to use this for your spider issue.
After all, this would be a great substitute for harsh chemicals. However, does peppermint oil repel spiders, or is this simply a myth? Will it repel those spiders making your home their home uninvited and certainly unwelcome?
Does peppermint oil repel spiders?
Well, in short, the answer is yes. Peppermint oil is highly effective at repelling spiders.
In this article, we will explore how to use peppermint oil as a repellent, the benefits of using peppermint oil, and the possible side effects.
- Does peppermint oil repel spiders?
- How Does Peppermint Oil Repel Spiders?
- How to Use Peppermint Oil Against Spiders?
- How to Mix Peppermint Oil for Spiders
- Risks and Possible Side Effects
- How to Keep Spiders From Coming Back
- Benefits of Peppermint Oil As a Repellent
- Peppermint Essential Oil Spider Repellent
- How Often to use Peppermint Oil for Spiders?
- Will Peppermint Oil in a Diffuser Keep Spiders Away?
- Other Natural Repellents for Spiders
- Conclusion
How Does Peppermint Oil Repel Spiders?
Most people recommend peppermint oil based on anecdotal evidence. People say it is a good repellent because spiders do not like strong smells. This is because spiders smell with their legs and avoid crawling through strong-smelling surfaces.
But for the intelligent person we’re sure you are, what your neighbour or grandmother tells you is not enough evidence to waste your time spreading peppermint oil around like your house is a candy factory.
However, a study conducted in 2010 proved that peppermint oil is a natural repellent. The researcher managed to repel ants for more than seven days in their experiment. The study recommended essential oils as effective natural repellents for most pests, including spiders.
Additionally, another study theorized that essential oils like peppermint oil are effective against all types of home invaders. This is because essential oils contain a chemical called monoterpenoids. Monoterpenoids are natural fumigants against various pests, including spiders.
How to Use Peppermint Oil Against Spiders?
First and foremost, you need to identify the problem areas in your house. Where do you usually find the spiders lurking around? Once you know this, you have to make a peppermint bug repellent. It’s an easy process that only requires home ingredients.
How to Mix Peppermint Oil for Spiders
There are a couple of mixtures on how to make peppermint oil spray for spiders:
Mixture 1
For this first mixture, add two to three spoons of dish soap to a bottle of water. Then, add five to six drops of peppermint oil and shake well.
Mixture 2
Add a half cup of vinegar to one and a half cups of water. Then, add 20 to 25 drops of peppermint oil to this mixture. Shake well inside a spray bottle.
As you can probably guess, the first mixture is less concentrated than the second. You can choose to use either one, depending on how bad your spider problem is. Spray the mixture around your house, particularly on loose surfaces such as doors and windows.
Additionally, you can use cotton balls. Soak them in the mixture and leave them around your house. Do this, particularly in corners, cracks, and open gaps from where spiders can enter.
You might need to re-spray the mixture at weekly or bi-weekly intervals. This depends on the magnitude of your pest problem. If the spiders return after just a few days, you must do it more often. Keep spraying until the problem is completely eradicated.
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Risks and Possible Side Effects
Peppermint oil is generally safe to use. However, it has concentrations of menthol that can cause skin irritation. Do not use peppermint oil as a repellent if you have a cat or dog. According to the ASPCA, even inhaling mint is highly toxic to cats and dogs.
In addition, inhaling peppermint oil in large quantities can cause:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Double vision
- Nausea
Furthermore, be mindful of skin contact. Make sure you are not allergic to essential oils. Allergic reactions include skin inflammation and topical irritation.
How to Keep Spiders From Coming Back
Know that your job is not done even if the spiders are gone. Spiders are pesky creatures, after all. If your house is an attractive habitat to them, they will most likely keep returning.
To prevent this from happening, there is a list of things you can do:
- Remove all visible cobwebs around your house
- Discard any piles of leaves, compost, or debris near your home
- Ensure all windows and doors are properly sealed
- Secure any cracks around your house
- Vacuum daily, particularly around open surfaces like gaps and windows
- Store firewood far away from your home
In addition, you can keep using peppermint oil as an air freshener. Simply infuse a few drops in your diffuser. Furthermore, you can keep peppermint plants around the perimeter of your house to help deter spiders.
Benefits of Peppermint Oil As a Repellent
Using peppermint oil is a simple and practical solution for pest control problems. These are some of the reasons why:
- Cost-Effective
Peppermint oil is cheaper than chemical-based insecticides. You can make the spider-repellent mixture at home. You need to store it in a cool, dry place.
Moreover, you only need to buy the ingredients once. After that, you can make and remake it as you wish. One batch of the mixture will last you a surprisingly long time.
- Easily Available
You can find peppermint oil at your nearest convenience stores. You can also find cheap, reliable options online or in herbal remedy stores.
- Natural and Clean
Peppermint oil is an all-natural product. You can be sure that it is pure and unprocessed. Unlike over-the-counter insecticides, it is devoid of any harmful chemical components.
- Health Benefits
Peppermint oil has multiple other uses. Spraying it around your house will allow it to double as an air freshener. Inhaling peppermint oil can alleviate sinus symptoms and is great for respiratory problems. Also it is a good aromatherapy oil as well. It helps you relax and may give you relief from headaches. Do some more research about the other incredible properties and uses!
- Fewer Side Effects
Peppermint oil has fewer side effects than other insect repellents, particularly bug sprays. Side effects of chemical-based insecticides and pesticides include headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, and blurred vision.
Using peppermint oil as a natural remedy for spider infestations will reduce the risks of experiencing these side effects.
Peppermint Essential Oil Spider Repellent
From our research, you have two options. One is to buy a premixed formula in a spray bottle. To save money, you can instead buy pure peppermint oil and use one of the recipes we gave you above. Both will work great, so it’s up to you to go with the little science experiment or the pre-made solution. Here are our two recommendations:
Mighty Mint – 16oz Insect and Pest Control Peppermint Oil
Killer & Repellent for Spiders,
Ants, Flies, and More
- Our rating: 4.5/5
How Often to use Peppermint Oil for Spiders?
It depends on the severity of the spider problem and the size of the area that needs to be treated. However, as a general guide, peppermint oil once a week should be sufficient to deter spiders from entering your home. Increasing the frequency to twice or even three times a week may be necessary if the problem is more severe.
Will Peppermint Oil in a Diffuser Keep Spiders Away?
The efficacy of peppermint oil in keeping spiders away is not backed by scientific evidence. Some people believe that the strong scent of peppermint oil may act as a deterrent for spiders, but there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. If you are looking for a natural way to keep spiders away, using peppermint oil in a diffuser may be worth a try.
Other Natural Repellents for Spiders
In addition to peppermint oil, you can try peppermint tea bags or leaves. Simply place some around your house, and you will find that it can quickly get rid of spiders. Try other essential oils and natural herbs if you do not have peppermint oil.
For instance, you can use the following:
- Eucalyptus
- Lavender
- Tea Tree
- Cinnamon
- Citrus
- Cedar
- Citronella
Conclusion
Peppermint essential oil can repel spiders. Peppermint oil is a convenient everyday item, so if you don’t already keep it on hand, you certainly should. We recommend buying a bottle as it is quite a valuable tool in your household arsenal.
