While spiders play a vital role in the ecosystem by controlling pests, their presence in our homes can be unwelcome. Fortunately, there are some simple hacks to keep spiders at bay, ensuring your home remains a comfortable and spider-free zone.
The key to preventing spiders from taking up residence in your home lies in understanding their behaviour and habitat preferences. Spiders are attracted to areas that provide them with shelter, food, and moisture. By eliminating these attractions, you can reduce the likelihood of Incy Wincy’s family and friends moving in.
It’s worth noting that before you add organic material to your home (conkers, oils, cinnamon etc as you’ll read below) you should check with your vet if you have household pets as some may be poisonous to animals.
Let’s find out how to keep spiders away from your room with these easy cleaning hacks.
Conkers, Peppermint, Lavender & Cinnamon
It’s understood that spiders really don’t like the smell of cinnamon. (Credit: Alexandr Kolesnikov via Getty Images)
No, this isn’t Heston’s latest soup recipe, it’s one of the simple hacks to keep spiders at bay. It has long been believed that spiders are turned off by a noxious chemical in conkers. For years, people have been piercing holes in horse chestnuts and putting them on window sills and door frames, under furniture and in the corners of rooms to deter the eight-legged critters, but scientists suggest it’s a myth and they’re unsure where it came from.
It is, however, often believed that spiders may be deterred by strong scents. Fill a spray bottle – the kind you use to water your indoor plants – with water and a dozen or so drops of peppermint oil, lavender oil or even malt vinegar you put on your chips, and spray around your house in the places where spiders tend to hide.
If you want to know how to keep spiders away, you can also add a couple of drops of the oils or vinegar to cotton wool balls and put them in wardrobes, dark corners and under furniture. Citrus and eucalyptus oils are said to have the same effect.
It’s also believed they don’t like the smell of cinnamon so strategically-placed cinnamon sticks hung around the house may deter spiders as well as making for interesting home-made decorations!
Entry Points
A spider making an entrance onto the skirting boards. (Credit: Difydave via Getty Images)
Spiders don’t wait for you to come home from work or the school pick-up and then stroll through the front door, hoping you won’t see them. They’re a little more ambitious. They’ll come through open windows, trickle vents (the narrow plastic openings above windows used to control air flow) and exterior air bricks. They may even come down the chimney if you have one.
If you’re wondering how to keep spiders away from your house, you can cover these entry points with a fine, breathable mesh so they’re still effective but the holes are too small for spiders to get through. It’s also worth checking for small holes in window sills or screens and filling them.
Spiders will also hide close to exterior walls with a view to busting in at the earliest opportunity, so move things like flower pots or piles of wood away from the walls so it’s less tempting for them.
Clean & Tidy
Vacuuming, a top tip to keep spiders at bay! (Credit: Morsa Images via Getty Images)
One of the most simple hacks to keep spiders at bay is to keep everything nice and clean. A tidy, decluttered space discourages spiders from establishing webs and this is particularly important in two main areas. Under furniture and in the kitchen.
It’s dark and warm under furniture and a perfect location for webs so regularly vacuuming under your sideboards and sofas will stop them settling in.
The kitchen is a hotbed of spider snacks, especially fruit flies and discarded crumbs, so ensure your surfaces are cleaned regularly with disinfectant spray and wash your fruit as soon as you get it home.
It’s also worthwhile emptying your recycling and food bin regularly for the same reason.
Pump Up The Volume
Turn it up! (Credit: esp_imaging via Getty Images)
How do you keep spiders out your house? Elvis. Or Mozart. Or Ed Sheeran. Maybe even Stormzy. Spiders don’t have particularly good eyesight and rely on vibrations to source their food or mates, so playing music while you clean could interfere with their ability to find what they’re looking for and may encourage them to move elsewhere. If you play your music too loud, you may not attract spiders but you may attract angry neighbours, so be careful!
How to Keep Spiders Away
A common house spider (Credit: CBCK-Christine via Getty Images)
Keeping spiders out of your home doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By implementing these simple hacks to keep spiders at bay, you can create a less appealing environment.
Regular cleaning, decluttering, and the use of natural deterrents are key strategies that can make a significant difference. Remember, a clean and well-maintained home is not just inviting to you and your family, but it’s also a strong line of defence against unwanted eight-legged guests.
With these tips, you can enjoy a cleaner, more comfortable living space, hopefully free from the worry of spiders lurking in corners.
