How to Keep Spiders Out of Your House with Essential Oils
Spiders have their place in the world, and we can certainly appreciate them for keeping away pests like flies or mosquitos, but that doesn’t mean you want them setting up camp in your bedroom or hiding out in your closet. For a lot of people, the sight of an 8 legged critter scuttling down the wall is enough to send them into an all-out spider hunt until they can relax-or perhaps they just don’t find them pleasant company. Either way, there’s no need to turn to insecticides or pesticides, there’s plenty of natural deternets you can use to keep spiders away from your home. Trust us, there’s more to shudder at in a bottle of chemical pest control spray than at the spider you’re trying to get rid of.
Ingredients: Pure essential oil-either peppermint, tea tree, citrus, or neem,-warm water, and dish soap (eco-friendly, please.)
Why essential oil: It’s all about the oil here. EO’s like peppermint, tea tree, and citrus have intense smells that spiders, as much as we find them pleasant, find them unpleasant and overwhelming. This is just speculation on my part, but spiders use their two tiny front legs (called pedipalps) for a few reasons, one of which is to assist in feeding-really, they’re more like arms. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to dunk my fingers in essential oil and then stick food in my mouth, which is what would happen if a spider marched all over essential oil. Whether or not that plays a part I don’t know, but spiders just don’t like them. This is one of our favorite brands of essential oils, and it’s affordable!
Why dish soap: The soap breaks apart the oil molecules in the water, making for a more consistant solution
Recipe for All Natural Spider-Stay-Away-Spray
You will need…
-5 to 7 drops of peppermint, tea tree, citrus, lavender, or neem essential oil
-a reusable spray bottle
-liquid dish soap
-warm water
-a dash of white vinegar* (optional)
Directions
Put 5-7 drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle (about 16 ounces is good), and fill mostly to the top with warm water. Add a squirt of dish soap, place the top on, and give the mixture a good shake. Before using, use the hose attachment of your vacuum to suck up any egg sacs or old webs. Test on an inconspicuous area, and then spray in the corners of window frames, along door cracks, or in dark dingy places spiders may be hiding out. You can also add a dash of white vinegar to the mixture, but keep in mind this could affect some fabrics and surfaces.
Rest easy: You don’t swallow spiders when you sleep
It probably won’t change your mind about having them in your house, but you can sleep soundly knowing that the idea behind “swallowing spiders” in your sleep is nothing but a complete and utter urban myth that has been besting us for decades. That’s not to say there haven’t been isolated cases of an unfortunate person who woke up with an insect in their ear, and at some point in time someone probably has swallowed a spider while asleep, but really. The poor little buggers aren’t on a suicide mission to get eaten (I mean first we call them ugly, and then we insult their intelligence? C’mon. jumping into the mouth of a giant isn’t on their agenda. ) If they do end up in an ear or mouth, the dude was just confused.
P.S. Make sure to take a look at the Everyday Roots Book with 350+ pages of the best home remedies, natural beauty recipes, homemade cleaners and diy household products. View Remedies
By Claire Goodall
Claire is a lover of life, the natural world, and wild blueberries. On the weekend you can find her fiddling in the garden, playing with her dogs, and enjoying the great outdoors with her horse. Claire is very open-minded, ask her anything 🙂 Meet ClaireWe Want to Hear from You! Let us know which remedies work and do not work for you, ask a question or leave a comment:
Do you have a remedy for silverfish and other household pests?
Hi Judy,
We sure do! I’ve been experiencing an invasion of silverfish myself recently… Keep an eye out, we’ll be posting the recipie within the next week or so.
-Claire
How about that info on getting rid of silverfish? Did I miss it? Help?!
hi i was just wondering do you spray the peppermint all around your home everyday or just once and can you get peppermint candles and would they work too keep away mouse and spiders
Mice and spiders don’t like peppermint, so candles might help, but I’ve found the spray to be very effective. Spray once a week. It sounds a lot, but just a few drops will make a whole spray bottle, so the essential oils will last a long time and are cheap to buy. If you think of commercial peppermint repellents, the savings are ginormous, well worth making it yourself.
I also spray outside windows. Once a week is enough there too, except if there is heavy rain, in which case you might need to spray again. The spiders tell me when. I simply spray if I’ve seen one 🙂
Another thing I do is mix a couple or even three different essential oils together in the bottle, e.g. peppermint, lavender, and a squeeze of orange. Only takes a few drops of each. Hope this helps.
Since moving to Or. I’ve been bitten over 10 times by possibly a couple different spiders. And on my face 🙁
would mixing these oils into my skin products help maybe?
I’m so tired of these creeps. 🙁
Claire and Kat,
Silverfish are not bad!! They kill harmful spiders. Silverfish are your spider repellant!
Once I knew how beneficial silverfish were I actually started naming them when I saw them around the house.
Also fun fact, they can run up to two feet in one second 🙂 Neat-o, don’t kill them 🙂
No no, that is not correct at all. Silverfish would be on heck of feast for any spider large enough.
If you have silverfish you can be assured spiders will follow at some point when one spider on the hunt for new grounds plant a flag in your home.
Silverfish hike out in places where moisture is plentiful; often it means something is up with the moister situation if you see increasing numbers of silverfish.
Food chain established. Bug problem out of control comes free of charge.
Thank you for this info. I was seeing silverfish and was killing them as I saw them.. now I have a spider infestation I have to fight. Much rather have the SF!! lol
Claire We had a huge invasion of silverfish years ago. We finally found a forgotten box of milkbone biscuits in an upper cupboard. They had been eating tunnels through them the whole time. Once the food supply was removed & we cleaned up they were gone. The 2nd time we had them was harder to handle. They were always near an outside wall in one room & we were stumped. Chipmunks had gone into the attic & dropped dogfood pellets into the insulation of an outer wall. We had to remove the siding to discover the cause & clean up & seal the attic. Never had them again. Find the food source & you’ll win! Good luck! Arlene
What if they are eating plant leaves? How do you get rid of them then?
My mom always put a foil-wrapped piece of peppermint gum (the kind that is flat and like 3 inches long) along the baseboard to keep silverfish away. Same theory, I guess, but a lot easier!
Hi Claire. How often do I need to spray the oils for spiders?
Lavender is great for silverfish. Buy a bar of lavender soap and put it in your closet between your clothes etc. gets rid of them it worked for me
How about centipedes? I have them in my home even this past winter and my basement is dry as a bone. They are in my living room and office!
Thank you
Michael…
I have them also and found information about natural remedies for centipedes…they said to remove all weeds and leaves around foundation. Then using DAWN and water spray around foundation and cracks. Since using this method, I have only seen one this year…and I think that one came because I didn’t redo this in time…so now I am doing this bi-weekly. I don’t have a sprayer or hose…so I just fill a big bucket with the solution and pour it around. It does help with the centipede and the stink bugs too!
I started in April…BTW!
Hope this helps!
Isharra
Do you have a remedy for scorpions?
I need a remedy for scorpions and those big flying cockroaches.. any one?
scorpions are members of the arachnid family (aka: spider) treat them the same as spiders. Plus fill the weep holes around your home (if brick) with steel wool
long broom and just broom scorpions out of affected area. The were hanging out in my garage in TN and I just basically whisked them all out. Nobody returned, no muss, no fuss
How about a safe natural way to get rid of mice. I have pets so can’t use anything poisonous.
I put peppermint on cotton balls all over garage I have never seen a mouse again. good luck
Kitties! Get a couple cats – at least two, to keep each other company. You’ll have no more problem with mice, snakes, and other chase-able bugs! Your local shelter will welcome you in, and you can save 4 lives (the two you adopt, and the two spaces left free for other rescues!) and end your mouse problem all at once!
Ha ha until your cat gets old and lazy like mine!
Sounds like a great idea 😉 especially since I did rescue 2 cats, but what about the mouse/rat poop on the front porch. How do indoor cats keep them away? I will try the peppermint/lavender spray out there and see what happens.
I have used dryer sheets the really strong scented ones or a few moth balls. It worked for me to keep them away. Good luck!!!!
A friend of mine told me that you can use oil of peppermint to get rid of mice. You soak cotton balls in the oil and place them where you have seen evidence of mice.
We had a HUGE mouse problem. They were coming in our kitchen and got into the pantry. I was so frazzled with how to kindly get rid of them that I was ready to use the kill traps. Well, almost. We were using tip traps. So what worked for us? Clean every place they ever were thoroughly. Plug up any hole with steel wool. I used some Brillo pads someone bought for us. And the best part… rubber snakes. Lay those babies wherever you had mice coming in. Just remember to tell people you have them there. We have not seen mice in months. We know they got in the attic again, but they never got in our kitchen or other rooms where I used steel wool and have my slithering decoy. It has been since December. And this is May. Good luck!!
I’m quite amazed that your mice were ‘well-traveled’ enough to actually know what a snake was!! LOL
where do you get essential oils?
health food stores…amazon.com..etc…or just google essential oils
GNC has the brand pictured
GNC Nutrition stores carry essential oils. You can also get them on Amazon.
DoTerra oils are top of the line , therapudic grade…most can be taken internally,
DoTerra oils are the way to go.
Where do I buy essential oils
how often should you put them out( the balls for the mice)!! I live on a farm and they are taking over
the place!
I was just speaking with a guy who used to be a natural pest exterminator. He used vitamin D3 which increases the heart rate of the mouse/rat causing them to want to breathe thus taking them outside for fresh air reducing the problem of death indoors. He specialized working in stables. I comment with this as you apparently have a rather large problem. The cotton ball idea may be a remedy thereafter.
will this work on snakes?
The only thing I found works on a snake is a bullet or hoe!
To get rid of snakes, get rid of their food — rodents and insects. They will leave and look elsewhere for food.
I clicked on this site looking for a way to keep away my worst fear only to have a giant picture of one in front of my face. I hope you’ll consider replacing the picture of the spider with something less terrifying!
Liz I thought the same thing, clicked on this site and there it was. Felt I’ll as I had just seen a spider scurry across the carpet and was in a state of panic. September, spider month they always appear. Hate them.
actually it is a picture of a tarantula and they are not spiders. Going to try this since they seem to be coming out in full force.
Indeed, but a tarantula photographs much better than a little bitty house spider 😉 those critters move fast!
OK here is a sure fire killer of anything. Mix equal parts Alum powder and sugar. Get a picnic type ketchup bottle and cut the toip off where is a not giant hole. Go around the baseboards in the house and foundation outside the house or building. NOTE: VERY IMPORTANT – DO NOT LET PETS AND/ OR CHILDREN AROUND THIS STUFF!!!! Leave preferable overnight – critters are out more then and be prepared to clean!! You’ll see creatures you didn’t know you had! I would leave the house overnight and start with a Vacuum Cleaner, gloves, and a garbage bags. This has never ever failed.
Alum is NOT dangerous to humans. Look it up. It’s used in, among other things, pickles. Don’t know about pets but humans have nothing to fear from alum. Seems to me that all that sugar (1 to 1 mixture) is going to make a hell of a mess at the first sign of moister. (You think you have an ant problem now!)
Alum contains aluminum sulfate. A form of aluminum. Aluminum is linkd to Alzheimer disease. Perhaps it is wise NOT to us in your food?
What is a natural remedy to get rid of fleas when you have an infant in the house?
You can use baking soda mixed with borax(20 20) mule team. Dust house,pets and yard! Kills fleas a,nod eggs! Repeat in seven day then seven more! Safe and natural this is all I use on my pets and have no problem with fleas! Safe for kids to!
I’ve used 2 Mule Team Borax for years and it does work. I was infested with them and just threw it all over, on top and under my furniture, rugs and even under my mattress pads. I no longer have an issue with fleas and it’s been about 15 years since I last saw one.
How much baking soda to how much borax??
Borax no longers recommeds this use as it can hurt children. I had excellent luck when I used popcorn salt and spread it into the fabric s, carpets, etc.
@Aimee Arthurr… I have heard that using food-grade diatomaceous earth powder directly on animals, their bedding as well as in pet’s food is a natural way to rid the pets of pests in your home. Make sure it is from a reliable source and has to be food grade. Although it is a great, natural product make sure that when you put it on animal, on bedding or in their food that you don’t (and they don’t) inhale a big cloud the DE into lungs. I purchased some online from a company called morethanalive.com (company located in TN) and they have a big write-up on DE. I found a tick yesterday (and I never go bare-footed) between my big toe and the 2nd toe (we have 2 mastiffs and 2 cats). We put a little DE on it to slow it down and seemed to be easier to pluck off with a special “tick spoon” we have on hand. Hope this helps you. Double check on if this is safe to have around infants but I know it isn’t poisonous like some products (again, just don’t inhale into the lungs).
A lot of feed stores have food grade DE, too, because a lot of people use it on their livestock. (Dusting chickens and putting it in their feed, etc.) There are websites that give instructions on humans consuming it, too, and how helpful it can be to our health.
I have used Diatamatious Earth for all kinds of Bugs, anything with an exoskeleton. Food grade is what I read and have used. They use it on farms for livestock so its safe around pets and kids.
It drys out the bugs by dehydration.
I have used it on ant hills and found great results. I haven’t had fleas or anyother creepy crawly bugs in the house in awhile.
Do you have solutions for ants?
Inside the house, a mixture of powdered sugar and borax works for the ants that like sweets. Planting mint around the house helps with keeping mice away, as well as ants and other unwanted critters.
Any chance you have a solution for millipedes, I am plagued by them 🙁
Yikes, using the 2 pictures with GIANT spiders to illustrate a post about keeping spiders away? ::shudder::
Thanks for the tips, though!
LOL. Found spider hanging out among my essential oils. Must be one touch arachnid.
Any ideas for stinkbugs? They are horrible, nasty, and have invaded Southwest Virginia! And if you disturb them, they let off a stink as protection. So far, we grab them quickly and toss in a can with a plastic lid. The key is to do it fast, so you don’t get sprayed or whatever they do. With the warmer weather, they are all over the windowscreens, sills, and coming out in full force!
We are plagued with rabbits! Any suggestion that won’t affect my sweet poochie?
Eat them… ask a local hunter to come get them if you dont want to do it yourself
How long will the “potion” stay good in my spray bottle? I’d like to keep it and reapply when necessary. Also, how often would you recommend reapplying? We have spiders lately. Big ones. In the shower. Unacceptable. lol
Any solutions for rolly polly’s…I’ve been invaded by them. I have puppies too, don’t want t hurt them in the process.
I just use a glass, with a piece of cardboard and take them out the the great outdoors.
Good article! I just want to add that pennyroyal essential oil would be good to add, too. It is in the mint family and spiders seem especially adverse to it. It has a funny smell, though, and too much gives me a headache, so I don’t put more than three or four drops of it in the spray bottle solution–a little goes a long way! It also repels ants; I spray the pennyroyal solution where I see ants in the house. Pennyroyal can also be planted outside where ants are a problem. As mentioned above, Borax works to deter a lot of insects, including ants.
If you live on a farm plant mint around your barns rodents do not like the smell on their fir so wont go in the barn,also you can use the mint for lots of things
Know how to get rid of earwig. My yard in infested with them
How do you get rid of raccoons?
You can rid of spiders with mixing coconut oil & vinegar.
For killing earwigs fill a bottle with water and some dish soap. Not a lot of soap just enough to make the bottle soap up.
I want to make this mixture 2 gallons at a time. I have 7, 4 story buildings and we are located near a lake. Spider webs are our worst enemy! I’m hoping this will cut down the time we spend sweeping away spider webs.
I’ll try anything. I bought a two gallon commercial sprayer. I’m ready to spray!!! I just need the recipe proportions! Thanks!
Rachael An old southern trick for spiders on porch ceilings is to paint them a light blue. The spiders think it’s the sky & don’t go there. It works! Arlene
Being a christian witch the natural order of things is important to me. And so it getting spiders out of my house!! LOL I will try what you suggest with the oils and let you know the outcome, thanks,
jesse
Does this work to deter tarantulas too??
What can get rid of mosquitos? and Rolly pollys?
Thanks for all the great tips. I love the smell of lavender and peppermint. I also suggest adding a drop or two of cedar oil. It works wonders in the apartment complex I help maintain. The place was crawling with spiders, and when I spray all the corners and lights, and other hiding places those spiders like to be, I see a lot less the following week. This has been a noticeably intense spider year…
I would not believe it if it didn’t happen to me, but while i was sleeping i felt something crawling along my cheek but i was way too tired to do anything about it till it went into my mouth. I woke up really quick at that point, spit out a slightly soggy spider and hurled it against a wall where it made a slight smacking noise on impact. it bothered me that a spider would even do that, what the heck was it thinking??
Also, a very long time ago i woke up with a massive ear ache, i thought it was the onset of an ear infection but found it strange that if i slept with my ear facing upward, the pain would go away. throughout the next few days, the ear ache would come and go and i didn’t have any insurance to see a doctor. While i was running to my college class, something that felt like liquid was leaking out my ear so i put my finger to it and a big silverfish crawled on my finger!! WTF!!!! I ran straight to the school’s medical office and had a nurse check out my ear just in case i had eggs of something in my head.
so yeah… it’s not a myth lol.
OMG! John!!! Your story just creeped me out BIG TIME!! Worse than the tarantula picture!! I’ll be lucky if I’m ever able to go to sleep again!!! I’ve been through the experience of having a bug fly into my ear without realizing it….until… I started feeling something walking around in my ear canal…I just kept running to the mirror..not sure what i was expecting except maybe to see the bug crawl across the front of my eyeballs like something you’d see in a cartoon…A friend told us to pore a little peroxide in my ear if anything was in there..it would get rid of it..OMG, I came a foot off of my husbands lap when he pored it in my ear! I got out of the shower one day and I felt the same thing John did..a liquid coming out of my ear..and found a leg of a bug..then another part the next day and the 3rd day..a yellow jacket body came out!!! I tell you nothing takes away a favorite spot to be kissed like having a critter running around in there for almost 3 MONTHS will. I can’t even stand to touch my own ears, much less let someone get close enough to kiss my neck anywhere near my ear!!!
If you think about it, it makes sense that they would do it, as unpleasant as that sounds. It’s nasty, but they don’t reason like we do. We’re generally not moving a lot while sleeping, and our mouths are dark and moist. They like that. :/ Definitely not a myth, no!
For roaches, equal parts sugar and baking soda sprinkled around the baseboards. BUT it IS toxic to cats, not sure about any other animals. I used this last year and it worked great, especially on those big flying ones…GROSS!
I just used EO peppermint mixed with water in a spray bottle, I think I used around 20 drops, this past Sat around my steps where the spiders congregate and there are none tonight still.
I forgot to add…ALL EO’s are toxic to cats, so be careful.
Thank you Vicki, this is absolutely true, but because most are safe around dogs, people don’t think they are a problem around cats!
I need something for cockroaches. I have kids and small pets so it must be pet and kid friendly. Anyone have any suggestions? I know there was that show on TV about the exterminator who use a natural oil and it worked. Just don’t know the name and if it really works. Thanks
My name is star. If my husband and I use peppermint oil for spiders would it attract bees and ants?
haven’t seen that so far. Not as effective as I would have like it to be either for the spiders. But it had been viciously rainy here in Florida and everything is looking for high ground. I’m dealing with the teen frogs. I just throw a glass on them and piece of cardboard slides under glass and I walk them out to some likely looking plant and drop them there.
Hi. The past week, I have been spotting a spider almost every day. I am trying this natural remedy and I hope it helps. I am still a little worried. Now that I have sprayed all the places spiders like to hide, does this mean they are going to come out of their hiding spots into my house instead of going outside?
HELP 🙂 I want to make sure I keep insects out of my home this Spring —what all can I use as far as Oils ect ??
How often do you respray the peppermint oil to keep spiders away?
Centipedes don’t like Borax. Sprinkle Borax along the area between the wall and carpet. Also, have your house gutters cleaned out. That’s where they congregate.
Is peppermint really effective? ? I had tried it but I still saw a spider in the cr. I sprayed it directly to it but it didnt even budged or moved a bit. Please help :'(
Only two kinds of spiders that I can think of that the spray might not work on. brown recluse & black widow. Those are much harder to find sprays for.
A tarantula? Really? Did you want me to die? I’m on your page because I’m terrified of them! lol I’m really really hoping this works.
Fleas don’t like cedar.
We once inherited an albino rabbit and I noticed fleas in its fur when we first got it. I had purchased cedar chips for its cage and they simply disappeared.
You could stuff your pet’s pillow with cedar chips to keep them away as well.
i see you said citrus oil, does that mean orange oil?
grapefruit oil? thanks
I typically stick to orange, lime, or lemon in this case.
IDK about the rest of you, but, I did have a spider in my mouth when I was 12, woke up to the sensation of something crawling but out of my mouth, didn’t connect it, decided I needed to go to the bathroom and did, looked at the mirror as I passed and a nickel sized spider was setting on my forehead. Scared me and that spider half to death. Hate spiders!! Gonna try this!!!
I just saw a daddy long legs or a huge spider black and it looked like it had a tail or weird looking end how do I get rid of it or home remedies to kill it or where do I buy something that will kill it?
In an effort to save money and cancel my spider control company, I made this spider solution in a larger garden sprayer so I could spray around the outside of the house, around the windows, the dock and boat, and the kids’ play slide. It stormed and rained last night. Do you think this washed right away? Perhaps it is like the company and stays for a while? Thanks for any related answers!
To be totally honest, I haven’t been in this situation, as I haven’t needed to apply it to a large area outside of the home (or if it was used outside, there simply has been a storm right afterwards.) Essential oil, being literally an oil, doesn’t get rinsed away by water, so I would think that you should still be in the clear. Keep an eye on it and see if you notice any difference-let me know how it turns out!
It should be known, peppermint oil can be toxic to cats, so tread carefully.
Yes, and it did NOT kill that black widow spider that I was sharing a chair with on the back porch. That’s when I went to plan “B” and used RAID. Would prefer not to use toxic stuff but can’t share my space with black widows.
I have alot medipedes when it rains in my carport and i also noticed them coming inside.what can i use to get rid of them.i have tried raid fly spray which has a picture of medipedes on the can i have used it and it does not work
I just moved in a basement apartment. To my dismay, mice poops and spiders were found in several places. I cleaned them up using a brand new Miele vacuum (later I learned I shouldn’t use vacuum but too late.) I told my landlord my concerns. He said he can use a mouse trap. To me, I don’t want it and prefer to use natural way. So I found information this morning about peppermint oil with cotton balls. I zoomed to buy one from health food store and came back home to do it right away. I dropped 6 or 7 times peppermint oil on each cotton ball and place it on several areas. The smell is nice. I wonder how long I should leave cotton balls. I read all this dialogues but questions like mine haven’t been answered. We would appreciate it very much if you can let us know how long should we leave cotton balls with peppermint oil and how often should we replace it? Thanks!!!
how often do you need to spray the house with the peppermint oil to keep the spiders away?
This sounds really weird but it 100% works. I prefer to repel spiders or catch-and-release, but if you find one huge nasty spider and you just want to kill it, get a bottle of hot sauce. Tapatio is good. Pour a single drop right onto the spider. It will die INSTANTLY. I’m serious! (obviously works best if the spider is on or near the ground and not on the ceiling…)
I read some recipes similar to this one using chili pepper or cinnamon, spiders apparently don’t like the spices either.
How often should you spray your house with the peppermint??
I live in suburbia. In the last year we have been bombarded with spiderwebs in our house. Lots of them. But…I have not seen a single spider. The pest control people come to the door and say that folks are having trouble with spiders but I have refused to let them spray our house, even outside. I just don’t want the toxins, but I am sick of all these spiderwebs. Solutions? Why, spiderwebs but no spiders?
Thanks for this… woke up with 5 of them in my room in one night! Oh my.. now I need to get the vacuum and it’s not going to be fun. I’m also going to use this recipe around my room/house. 🙂
Hi all! So, say I have spiders. I spray the peppermint concoction around baseboards, door frames, etc… Am I not just trapping them INSIDE my oh-so-blissful abode? Would I need to like, start in the center of my house, and gradually work the little creeps out?
One little spider doesn’t bother me THAT much. But, these are around the size of a daddy long legged guy, but way fatter. (They may prefer to be called ‘thicker’, but at this point, I don’t care. I prefer to not to cohabitate)
Thanks!
Guess what? I found web inside my kettle spout! I also need to know how often we should spray windows with peppermint oil following the Recipe for All Natural Spider-Stay-Away-Spray? Also, how long should we leave cotton balls with peppermint oil and how often should we replace it?
I tried this recipe to get rid of spiders around windows to no success.
7 drops of peppermint essential oil
-a reusable spray bottle
-liquid dish soap
-warm water
I recently sprayed around windows inside and a spider stubbornly gets in! Yikes! What else can I get rid of spiders?
So… I got me a spray bottle. I checked many websites. I created a concoction of vinegar, tea tree oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, citrus, and lemon. I have sprayed it DIRECTLY on the spider web and surrounding it… with the spiders in it. They then proceeded to build their webs bigger. They hang out around my front door, where I like to sit and smoke. THANKFULLY, they build their webs in such a way that it does not interfere with the door at all, but I have one on either side of the door. And I get that they are there for the bugs that are attracted to my plant. I would just like them to stop building webs near where I like to sit and smoke and have DOWSED the area with the above-described concoction. They… seem unimpressed. I cannot even tell what kind of spiders they are… I thought they were black widows at first, but they are lighter and striped with the hourglass symbol, so I believe them to be brown widows. They do not come after me… I can sit and just chill out near them and they never bother me. I dont mind them being near the door. I just want them away from my smoking section. Just because they do not seem aggressive doesnt mean I want to take the risk. But the strong-scented mixture I described? It seems to make them build bigger webs. Any OTHER suggestions?
Also… in regards to the questions of frequency for the oil spray… my research seems to indicate that about once a week seems sufficient, though as my previous post indicates, I’m still unsure if it’s even effective.
I wanted to know how effective coconut oil & vinegar is at getting rid of spiders. What the formula is and how often do I have to spray? Please respond ASAP!!!
I love essential oils they work.well I use peppermint for spiders
Can I use Lavender essential oil? It’s in the picture, but not on the list of ingredients. Thanks!
For roaches: you first have to keep them from coming in. plug all holes, i.e.: around windows, the crack between the screen and the glass section of your windows, holes around pipes and electrical outlets that are big enough, make sure your door closes well with no cracks, cover floor drains when not in use (like at night–roaches are most active late at night after you turn off your lights). Especially check your sink areas. Keep your house clean, especially regarding kitchen waste. Thanks for the spider info, i’ll try it.
Here is an update. While waiting for a reply from this correspondence, I had to add Citronella essential oil to this recipe and spray it around windows to no success again!
7 drops of peppermint essential oil
-a reusable spray bottle
-liquid dish soap
-warm water
I talked to my landlord. He gave me a spray “Raid, Spider Blaster”. I really don’t like to use it but I have no choice because of too many spiders! It seems it is working. I am disappointed because I was hoping essential oils would be better than the Raid Spider Blaster.
The same for a mouse, I tried to use this same recipe to no success. I even tried shredded Irish Spring soap on top and bottom shelves, they were emptied! After long several talks, my landlord told me it is pointless to get a pest control because it is natural of mice and spiders coming into a house, they would go to the basement first and then up. He gave me 2 mouse traps with a small amount of peanut butter. Put it inside my pantry cabinet. Next 2 or 3 days, a mouse was trapped. Oh I was so upset and cried. I couldn’t even look at it. My adult son took care of it. My landlord got me a carpenter to come tonight and fix the pantry cabinet as to close top and side wall. So will see… I wish there is a better way to prevent a mouse like trap it into a ball so that we can roll it away to woods/forest/park to free it. Unfortunately, there is none… a mouse moves reallllyyyy fast!!!! :-S
This is a deterrent to keep them from hanging out comfortably in your home. I’ve found the natural methods work well, but not once they have already moved in to your home. I start out the season spraying Home Defense OUTSIDE along the foundation and around doors & windows. I do this weekly for generally about 4 weeks. Then I do the DE barrier OUTSIDE around the foundation, same thing, weekly for a few weeks. First make sure all holes/cracks/entry to the house are sealed. Then you can use these natural remedies inside. I find if I don’t start early enough in the season, then I have a bit of a battle to get them under control, which is why I have to start with the big guns of toxic spray. If I see just one in the house, more come.
Will the peppermint mixture work on spiders outside? I live in southern California and get black widows on my patio a lot.
It’s worth a shot! Even though it’s oil, it would probably be best to reapply after heavy rain.
Oh my!!! I love you!!! Miracle spider repellant and killer!!! You saved my night!! The other day, spider in the basement. Ok. Last night spider in the living room… Oh no. Not cool. Cannot sleep. Checking all the rooms. Heebee geebees!! Today spider in basement, DEAD. This evening, spider in loving room. SO NOT COOL. I’m done! Googling natural spider repellant. I find you and 27 dead spiders later, I can relax a little to share my thoughts! You are awesome. I emptied an almost empty bottle of spray cleaner. Added tea tree oil, lemon oil, salt, dawn and warm water. Sprayed all thresholds, sprayed around front door, including broom used to knock down webs. Sprayed sprayed sprayed. That spray set them on the move Big Time and slowed them down for me to clobber them with my flip flop! Wow I thought, that was easy! So I went to the garage and sprayed. Three more dead. I sprayed the kitchen baseboards, basement doorway, deck threshold… And after two empty bottles, I made up another to have ready!!! Thank you so much!!
So glad it worked out for you!! It’s no fun losing sleep over spiders 😉
how often should this be reapplied? I just found a very large spider and I’m terrified. I also have a 10 month old I’d rather not be bitten.
Thank you!
Guys, why is it that when I have a mixture of my essential oils, it does not spray effectively. More so squirts out the bottle. How do I get it to spray better??
I thoroughly appreciate your approach to safely repelling spiders, rather than just killing them for the sake of convenience. Will be trying this tonight.
Can this spray attract other bugs because of peppermint? Or will it send other bugs away?
Hi, I have a grass (straw) roof and a lot of spiders. We are staying in the bush. I can stand everthing here and love the nature but the spiders and scorpions are driving me crazy. I do not sleep well because one night I found a spider on my neck and from there I can not sleep. Can I spray the roof from the inside of must I spray from the outside. It is rather big!
How often do you respray?
What purpose does the dish soap serve?
Dear Claire, Thank you for all the natural remedies to control spiders. I’ve been using the natural oils the inside my home to control the spiders as you have suggested. They work beautifully. My one question is whether or not you could suggest any natural repellants to prevent the pocket gophers from burrowing underneath my lawn and squirrels from eating the potted flowers on the patios. I’ve tried hiring the best pest control company to rid the lawn of the gophers and the squirrels, but nothing seems to work. Perhaps this area is covered in your book on Natural Remedies, and if so, I’ll purchase a copy. Any advise you could provide would be greatly, Thank you.
This calls for peppermint oil. Is this a safe mixture to use around infants or kids younger than 30 months?
Just curious, is this safe for babies and pets? I have a 11 month old who loves to crawl and put his mouth on everything!
Thanks for the recipe…I kind of wished you didn’t have that tarantula in your article because it made me super anxious reading through it (arachnophobia). But anyways, thanks much!