Spiders typically start looking for warmer places to spend cold winter months in the early autumn. That is why you can notice them in your home. Even though most species are harmless, some people don’t like them and crave efficient natural repellents to eliminate them from homes.
Luckily, it is an easy job once you discover what smell do spiders hate. Then, spray your home with a fragrant essential oil or plant adequate trees or herbs in your backyard. These strong scents repel arachnids when properly applied. Let’s take a look.
Smells spiders hate |
| Cedar and tobacco essential oil mix |
| Peppermint essential oil |
| Cinnamon essential oil |
| Lavender essential oil |
| Tea tree essential oil |
| Clove essential oil |
| Mint essential oil |
| Citrus essential oil |
| Marigold essential oil |
| Citronella essential oil |
| Mint |
| White vinegar |
| Cinnamon |
| Cayenne pepper |
| Garlic |
| Conkers |
| Eucalyptus tree |
| Diatomaceous Earth |
| Chemicals |
Reasons to Repel Spiders
Taxonomists record that there are 132 spider families with over 50,000 different species existing worldwide except in Antarctica. Most of these arachnids are harmless to people, but some are highly poisonous, like:
- Australian funnel-web spider
- Redback spider
- Red widow spider
- Brown widow spider
- Black widow spider
- Wolf spider
- Yellow sac spider
- Brazilian wandering spider
- Brown recluse spider
Luckily, spiders living in your home are mostly harmless, although their bites can be painful. If you hate seeing them indoors, you should find a way to eliminate them. However, there is something you need to understand.
House spiders don’t live outside but make their colonies indoors. The only reason you can’t see them everywhere is that they hate coming in contact with humans and their pets. The only moment you can see your unwanted guests is when they move from one crack to another while looking for food.
On the other hand, some spiders live outdoors and come inside when you have an invasion of insects they consider food, including:
Besides, these arachnids invade abandoned, unkempt, dirty houses and leave their cobwebs in corners. Additionally, you can face a horrifying infestation because of the following:
- Extreme weather conditions because they hate cold and excessive heat
- Spiders want to spend a mating season in summer and early fall and build their nests in a comfy and protected place
What Smells Do Spiders Hate?
Organic repellents are the best and healthiest options to eliminate spiders in your home. It is enough to grow plants or apply essential oils that smell the way these arachnids hate to solve the problem. Let’s do it!
1. Cedar and tobacco essential oil mix
A cedar and tobacco combination can be expensive but is a top-grade spider repellent. Drip five drops of tobacco oil and ten drops of cedarwood oil into a spray bottle and sprinkle a mixture throughout your home. Pay particular attention to skirting boards and windowsills.
You can also combine mint and tobacco juice made of chewing tobacco package and 1 gallon (3.8 l) of water. Strain one cup of juice and add 1 pound (455 g) of mint before spraying your yard.
Be careful with concentration and use frequency because this mix may kill beneficial insects like beetles and ladybugs. The better option is to add flour to this solution and make a thick dough, make small balls, and arrange them in corners.
There is also one costly option that works perfectly against these arachnids indoors. Buy antique cedar wood furniture if your budget allows such luxury. Otherwise, you can reach a goal by spreading cedar chips around the house.
2. Peppermint essential oil
Peppermint oil is considered the most effective type for repelling spiders since they hate its minty aroma. Drip 15 to 20 drops in water, fill a spray bottle, and spritz a solution inside the house and outdoors.
3. Lavender essential oil
Lavender essential oil is versatile with a soft floral aroma that is pleasant to people but repulsive to arachnids. You can use it to make a water solution for spraying or drip a few drops on cotton balls and strategically arrange them in the house.
4. Tea tree essential oil
Tea tree essential oil smells fresh and herbaceous with a slightly earthy and woody underlined scent. You can use it to repel spiders or combine it with lavender and lemon essential oils for a better effect.
5. Clove essential oil (eugenol)
This essential oil has a characteristic pungent fragrance most spider types can’t stand. Even though eugenol can kill smaller insects, it is not the case with spiders. Therefore, you can use it only as a repellent and combine it with a peppermint essential oil for a better result.
6. Citrus essential oils
You can use essential oils made of lemon, lime, green mandarin, orange, grapefruit, bergamot, or tangerine as spider repellents since these eight-legged arachnids hate their acidic smell. Drip 10 to 15 oil drops into water and make a spray you can sprinkle inside your home.
Another option is to rub lemon or orange peel along window sills, bookshelves, door frames, and skirting boards. Besides making the house fragrant, these methods deter most spiders. For additional effect, you can start using lemon-scented candles and cleaners.
7. Marigold essential oil
Unlike fragrant marigold, which has no repellent properties, the essential oil produced from this flower deters air-breathing arthropods. Everything you need is a spray bottle full of water and 10 to 15 drops of marigold oil. Apply the mixture directly on flat surfaces in your house to allow direct contact with spiders.
8. Citronella essential oil
Citronella is a well-known mosquito repellent but is also effective against spiders because they hate its intense citrus aroma. Besides oil, you can also use candles rich in this specific lemon and grassy flavors for this purpose.
9. Mint
Crush a few dried mint leaves, put them into small cotton bags, and hang them on kitchen cupboards and shelves. Mint tea bags can be an alternative, but the best way is to plant it and use leaves whenever needed.
10. White vinegar
White vinegar is an unusual liquid that attracts insects like fruit flies but repels spiders. Always dilute it before spraying with the same amount of water and pour the mix into a spray bottle. Apply the solution around openings at least once a week but avoid using it indoors because of the strong scent.
11. Cinnamon
Unlike people, spiders hate cinnamon aromas, so lighting a candle made of this spice or baking cinnamon quills can make a miracle in a spider-invaded house. Finally, you can sprinkle ground cinnamon near window and door frames and prevent these arachnids from entering.
12. Cayenne and chili peppers
This spice irritates spider senses, while chili peppers containing capsaicin trigger pain receptors, repelling spiders. Sprinkle them over areas where noticing these arachnids and add new amounts occasionally.
13. Garlic
This vegetable is known for its pungent smell, and you can successfully use it to repel spiders. Put cut or crushed garlic cloves into a bowl with water, let it sit for a while, and then use liquid to spray your patio and balcony. If you can stand this scent, you can also use this water solution indoors.
14. Conkers
Our ancestors used conkers to get rid of spiders in their houses. Contemporary science proved that inedible horse chestnut fruit is a highly effective spider repellent, thanks to the toxin aesculin it contains. Place these small brown nuts in the corners of your home without fear of stains, and enjoy a spider-free space.
15. Eucalyptus tree
Planting this fragrant tree requires low effort and maintenance, but you get an inexhaustible source of foliage with a smell that spiders can’t stand. If you don’t have a yard, you can get a similar effect by dripping eucalyptus essential oil on cotton balls and arranging them at strategic places.
16. Diatomaceous Earth
These fossilized diatom remains are dust-like substance that dehydrates and eventually kills spiders. Spread it evenly by a large area to let spiders move through DE as long as possible. There is also an option to dissolve one tablespoon of DE in water and apply the solution at endangered places with a spray bottle.
17. Chemicals
If you need to deal with heavy spider infestation or have a fear of spiders (arachnophobia), your best solution is professional help. Be aware that specialized companies use chemicals to finish their job. In most cases, products they apply contain:
Carbaryl (l-naphthyl methylcarbamate) – This pesticide kills spiders by destroying their nervous system. You can choose between traps, wettable powder, and products in the form of liquid, dust, or granule.
Pyrethrins – These natural insecticides are based on compounds extracted from chrysanthemum flowers.
Pyrethroids – Pyrethrins were prototypes to create pyrethroids, longer-lasting chemical insecticides available as bug bombs or in liquid, dust, and fogger form. They stimulate the spiders’ nervous system, leading to paralysis and final death.
Summary
Spiders are beneficial since they keep mosquitos, bed bugs, and roaches under control. However, many people don’t want to see them inside their homes. The most elegant and pleasurable way to get rid of these arachnids is to apply essential oils inside the house or plant trees and herbs that deter them.