Spiders are often thought of as lonely and creepy pests hanging from a web.
But with the start of spring, your lonely little spider may happen to bring some even smaller spiders into this world.
As the UK finally starts to get some relief from the cold weather, you can’t be sure that pests are all going back outside.
Of all the different types of spiders, house spiders are the ones most likely to be hanging around the dark corners of your home. They are usually brown or grey in colour and just shy of an inch big.
Many house spiders took refuge in warm homes during autumn where they still had access to insects to eat. So the spiders households are seeing this spring could in fact have been hiding out all winter.
To deter them from homes, Jess Steele of BestHeating has shared a cheap product that is available in supermarkets that does the job.
The product is a simple peppermint oil, which can be bought for just £1.45 in Asda. Alternatively, households can purchase peppermint oil from Amazon for £2.25 or from Dunelm for £5.
Detailing why this works well, Jess said: “Peppermint oil provides a strong smell, and spiders are sensitive to them which makes it an effective yet cheap method of taking away the worry of finding creepy crawlies all over the home, without causing harm to them.”
To help reduce the risk of spiders entering a home, Jess recommends combining the oil with water to make a spray and spritzing it onto the inside of curtains, windowsills and in the corners of carpets, using it as a diffuser to deter spiders from the most used rooms, and soaking items such as cotton buds then placing them in areas where the spiders commonly appear. The same can also be said for ants.
End of Tenancy’s Ivan Ivanov agreed with the use of peppermint oil and claimed that it is a “powerful home remedy” for the job.
He said: “Peppermint oil is the best option to effectively repel spiders permanently. This is because spiders smell through their legs, so as soon as they are hit with that overpowering scent of peppermint, they will flee because the smell is too strong for them.
“We would recommend mixing peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle and then spraying the areas of your home that you have noticed to be susceptible to spiders.
“However, because peppermint oil is toxic to pets, we recommend avoiding this method if you have any furry friends.”
To make the perfect potion, if it’s safe for your household, pest control expert Jordan Foster of Fantastic Pest Control suggests “mixing 20 drops of peppermint essential oil into a spray bottle filled with water”.
He added: “Use the mixture to get rid of spiders without killing them by spraying them into cracks and corners of your house. Alternatively, you can spray it on your duvet to deter them from getting into the bed.”
Alternatively, Ivan claimed that households can use citronella candles to ward off spiders. He said: “Lighting candles can also keep spiders away from your home. This is mainly due to the spiders not liking a lot of different smells such as lemon, cinnamon, and citronella.
“They also dislike the smell of smoke, so blowing these candles out will also help keep them away.”
Households can pick up a citronella candle from Dunelm for £6 or a pack of 25 citronella tea light candles that are highly rated on Amazon and cost £2.60.
