Summer is almost here and with it comes an army of spiders invading homes.
This year’s crop of eight-legged arachnids is thought to be even more numerous than normal thanks to a warm, wet spring driving them inside our houses.
And with house spiders on the move, people across the UK have been frantically searching for ways to get rid of spiders – or stop them coming into your house entirely.
Fortunately, the solution is cheap and easy.
Jess Steele, heating technology expert at designer radiator specialists BestHeating, has revealed the cheap product that is available in supermarkets, as well as what else should be done to keep spiders away from your home during summer.
The product is a simple peppermint oil or peppermint extract, which can be bought from just £1.40 in Asda, or a couple of pounds from Amazon.
Why does peppermint oil stop spiders?
Jess reveals why this works well: “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.
She added: “Spiders smell with their legs so that’s why powerful scents work well. For those with persistent issues try a mixture of smells such as citrus peels, herbs and spices like mint and cinnamon, and even using vinegar in a spray, as these are fantastic and natural ways to keep your home free of arachnids without spending much.”
It’s true, and spiders also taste with their feet – meaning they won’t cross powerful and sharp flavours like citrus or mint.
Even growing a mint plant on a windowsill or sprinkling leaves across window frames will help to deter spiders from coming in.
