Giant house spider season is officially upon us, and I’d be lying if I said they didn’t scare the life out of me every time I saw one. It’s a horrible feeling when you walk into a room and see one just sat there, or if you’re sat watching tv and one runs across the floor or even worse, you’re lying in bed wondering if here’s one crawling across your pillow.
I’ve been researching a few ways to repel these beasts and thought I’d share a few of my findings in case anyone else is looking to get rid of them! A lot of the tips I found talked about stopping spiders from coming into the house. But did you know, most house spiders don’t actually live outside! It’s a common myth that they come inside for the colder months, as – although it’s distressing to know – they live inside our houses all year round! The reason we see them at this time of year is because it’s mating season so the males are out looking for a girlfriend.
Here’s a few things you can do to give them the hint to move on:
Ensure your home is clean and tidy
Spiders love to hide out in piles of clutter, so make sure you have a big clean and sort out to avoid the mess piling up! Also, cleaning regularly will prevent other types of bugs being around which is what the spiders will feed on. No food source = bye bye spiders. Another thing about cleaning is that it can disturb their nests, which might make them want to move out!
Conkers/Chestnuts
Something that is plentiful this time of year are conkers! Spiders really don’t like the smell of these, and you can make cute little Autumn displays with them too!
Essential oils and fragrances
There are quite a few fragrances that spiders really don’t like. They have a very sensitive sense of smell and so placing a few bits around your home can massively help to keep them away! A few scents to try are peppermint, citrus or eucalyptus oil, vinegar, cinnamon and tea tree. They’re also not a fan of rose or lavender scents. You could also put a few citrus peels around the house and rub them on surfaces.
Natural Spider Repellent Spray
You could try your hand at making your own spider repellent spray. Add these ingredients into a spray bottle, mix well and get spritzing!
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 cup pepper
- 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap
Get a pet cat!
This last one is a bit of a joke – I saw it whilst I was researching and thought I had to include it! It’s not for everyone, and it’s not quite as ‘quick fix’ as some of the other methods, but it certainly would work! The majority of cats – younger ones especially – will try and catch just about anything they can get their paws on. So if they see a giant spider running across the floor you know they’ll be straight over to catch it. A lot of the time (after playing with it for a bit) they’ll eat it too, so less mess to clean up!
Until next time
XOX
