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How To Keep Spiders Out Of The House This Fall – Naturally!

Looking for few tried, true and natural methods to keep spiders out of your house this fall and beyond?

For most of us, there is never a good time to come upon a spider in the home. Although many spiders are beneficial for insect control outside in gardens and flowerbeds, once they come inside the house, the helpfulness they bring when outdoors is quickly forgotten.

But as the weather turns cooler in the fall, the likelihood of the eight-legged creatures finding their way indoors increases with each passing day. Spiders become quite active in pursuing cover in the fall, and not just to get out of the cold.

keep spiders out
You never know where a spider might seek shelter. They like cool, dark and moist conditions, but they will seek shelter anywhere they can inside of the home.

Autumn is the season spiders are most likely to mate. And once they do, they look for warm and protected spaces to overwinter their eggs and themselves. Unfortunately, that means if they can find a way into the interior of a garage, a basement – or anywhere inside the home for that matter, they become a co-inhabitant. And unfortunately, one you can’t claim on your taxes!

Stopping Spiders Without Harsh Sprays – How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House

For many, bringing in exterminators or spraying harsh chemicals simply isn’t an option. Not only can it be expensive, it can also be questionable for the health of children, pets and even adults.

So what is the answer? Is it really possible to keep spiders out of your house with an all-natural approach? Believe it or not, it is! In fact, by using a combination of the methods below that both prevent and repel spiders from coming indoors, you can keep your home safe from a fall spider invasion.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the best tips and tricks when it comes to keeping spiders out of your living space!

How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House – Naturally!

Seal Screens, Doors & Windows

More than anything else, prevention starts with keeping your house sealed at the locations spiders like to enter. That means sealing windows and doors, and making sure any and all screens are secure and hole free.

spiders through screens
Holes in screens, or cracks in door jambs and window trim are all easy entrance points for spiders.

Much as with stink bugs, flies and other small insects, spiders find their way indoors through open cracks and crevices. Keeping windows and doors caulked and trim seals in good order is extremely important. As is caulking and sealing off any pipes or foundation cracks where spiders can slip inside.

If you have windows open, make sure screens are in place and seal all the way around. If you have small holes in your screens, use screen tape to keep insects out. They are a much less expensive and quicker alternative to replacing entire screens. Product Link: Screen Tape

Peppermint Oil – How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House

Once you have your house sealed off, it’s time to keep those spiders away with a little peppermint oil. Spiders simply do not like the scent of peppermint. As it turns out, using all-natural peppermint oil is one of the easiest and most effective ways of all to discourage spiders from taking up residence.

By mixing peppermint oil with water, you can make a simple, safe and potent all-natural spray. To create, add five drops of peppermint oil per cup of warm water that you first heat in a pan. Do not allow the water to boil as it can steam off some of the essence, making it less potent.

Continue to heat the water for five minutes after adding the drops. After five minutes, remove the mix from heat and allow it to cool. You can now place it into a hand help spray bottle and spray the repellent along window sills, doors, and other locations where spiders will attempt entry.

Spiders are known to avoid the smell of peppermint. That is exactly why pure peppermint essential oil is a great first line of defense.

One note of caution, when spraying any mixture on surfaces, even an all-natural one such as peppermint oil, always test out a small area to make sure it is safe for your surface and doesn’t stain or discolor it. To keep it effective, re-spray weekly.

Creating Peppermint Scent Bags – How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House

Another effective way to use peppermint essential oil is by creating scented cloth bags to place strategically around your house. We use them by doors, under cabinets and sinks, and around any cracks and crevices that spiders attempt to enter.

The bags are easy to make using cotton balls, peppermint oil and a small, inexpensive cloth bag. Simply place a few drops of oil on each cotton ball, and then place six to eight cotton balls into the bag.

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As with making the peppermint spray, use only pure peppermint oil and not a diluted mixture. To keep the repellent effective, spray the bags with the peppermint/water mixture once a week. Not only do they help repel spiders, they also make the area smell great!

Cedar Oil – How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House

In the outdoors, cedar oil can be highly effective in battling Japanese Beetles. But those same repelling properties work against spiders to keep them from coming inside too. In fact, with all of the repelling properties that cedar oil has, always keeping a small bottle on hand is never a bad idea!

Pure cedar oil is excellent for repelling a long list of insects, including spiders.

To create a spray mix for repelling spiders, use 1.5 tablespoons of cedar oil for every one half-gallon of water. Since the oil is already in its purest form, there is no need to heat the water. Just mix thoroughly and you are ready to spray doorways, windowsills, cracks and crevices.

In addition to helping with spiders and Japanese beetles, cedar oil can be an effective repellent against fruit flies, cockroaches, mice, ants and mosquitoes too! Product Link : Pure Cedar Oil

Cinnamon – How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House

Cinnamon is another natural ingredient that has a long list of helpful benefits. Ones beyond just adding great flavor to your dishes! And much like peppermint oil and cedar oil, it can be used to help repel spiders.

Sprinkle cinnamon around your home or use a cinnamon spray on pine cones and place them around the inside base of your house. Not only will it keep the spiders away, it makes your house smell amazing! There is even a popular old myth that if you sprinkle it in a line across a spider’s point of entry (door thresholds), they won’t cross it.

cinnamon and repelling spiders
Cinnamon has a lot of wonderful uses in and out of the kitchen – not only can it help repel spiders inside, it can also help with getting rid of insects in the garden too. In fact, the list of things cinnamon can help with is quite impressive!

We are not sure about that one, but cinnamon can be a good deterrent for sure. For more on cinnamon’s use outdoors in your gardens and flowerbeds, check out our article: How To Use Cinnamon In Gardens & Flowerbeds To Help Your Plants & Soil!

Vinegar – How To Keep Spiders Out Of Your House

Vinegar has so many natural uses around the home, from pickling cucumbers to controlling weeds and yes, even deterring spiders as well.

To make, mix equal parts of store bought (5% acidity) vinegar and water in a spray bottle and shake well to combine. Spray it directly on the spiders, their cobwebs and any place you usually find them. Be sure to get those cracks and crevices in the floor, especially by the doors, and repeat once a week.

Hedge Apples (Hedge Balls)

So what about hedge apples? Do they really work to repel spiders from coming indoors.

As the legend goes, placing hedge apples around the doors and perimeter of your house will help to keep spiders far, far away. Does it work? Is it just a myth? Most experts will tell you the hedge apple trick is more myth than science.

As it turns out, there is no scientific proof at all that spiders are offended by hedge apples in the least. But hey, as with anything, if you think it works, and it lets you sleep better at night – then put those hedge apples out! Here is to keeping spiders out of your house this fall, winter and beyond – naturally!

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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