Most people aren’t big fans of spiders. I, for one, am one of those cliché people who screams and calls for my husband to come and kill the spider before it surely eats me alive. While not everyone has an extreme phobia or extreme dislike of spiders, I think we can all agree they aren’t the most welcome houseguest.
Now, there are several ways to eliminate spiders from your home. A lot of the traditional methods use chemical sprays or toxic traps. This can be a real problem if you have kids or pets running around. Plus, not to mention the impact these sorts of sprays and traps have on the environment. If you’re looking for some ideas on how to get rid of spiders without the store-bought chemical repellants, I’ve got you covered!
Ladybugs
Hear me out, here. Obviously, you don’t want a houseful of ladybugs any more than you want a houseful of spiders. Well, in my case I’d take ladybugs over spiders any day, but a bug-free home is preferable. However, if you happen to have a garden that bumps up against your house, consider introducing ladybugs to it!
Introducing ladybugs into your environment keeps spiders away from the perimeter of your home, since they eat all the same insects spiders do. This effectively eliminates the spiders’ sustenance, forcing them to look elsewhere. Ladybugs are also good for your garden. They eat crop-damaging aphids, mealybugs, and other destructive pests.
Peppermint Oil
Think about how strong of a smell peppermint is to us humans. Now, imagine that smell magnified by a thousand. I love the smell of peppermint, but that strong of a scent is going to send me scrambling away as quickly as possible! The same is true for spiders and other unwanted insects around the house.
There are a few ways to use peppermint oil to rid your house of bugs. First, dilute ten or so drops into a small bottle of water, and spray it around the problem areas of the house. The diluted mixture will effectively drive bugs away without harming curious kiddos or pets. The second way is to dip cotton balls in peppermint oil and place them around the house where you think the spiders are getting in.
DIY All-Natural Repellant Spray
Need to up your spider elimination game? I’ve got a recipe from tipsbulletin.com for an all-natural, “aggressive” bug repellant spray.
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup pepper
- 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap
Shake everything together in a spray bottle and use on the problem areas in your home – mud room, bathroom, basement, windows, etc. You can also use this spray around the perimeter of your home and on the outside of windowsills.
Cedar Mulch
Spiders and other critters are not big fans of the smell of cedar. An easy way to keep spiders out of your home is to use cedar mulch in your gardens, especially if they are up against your house. If you don’t have a garden to put mulch in, or you don’t want to spring for cedar mulch, you can also use cedar essential oil the same way you would peppermint oil.
Another alternative to using mulch in the garden is to place cedar chips around your home. The great thing about this is that you can incorporate cedar into your decor, so people won’t even know you’re using it to ward off spiders! Put cedar chips in your potpourri or add them to a decorative bowl along with a few other fillers. Get creative!
Citrus Peels
Like mint and cedar, spiders hate the smell of anything citrus. It has an acidic element that is overwhelming to the eight-legged monsters. The first way to use citrus is to dilute a few drops of orange, tangerine, or lemon (or a mix of all three) into a spray bottle and use around the house.
Alternatively, you can save your oils and go straight to the source – citrus peels! Save your discarded orange, lemon, and other citrus fruit peels and then rub the outside over window seals, doorways, baseboards, etc.