Discover 6 Smells That Spiders Absolutely Hate

Not many people desire to have spiders lurking around their homes. If you’ve found one (or more) of these eight-legged critters crawling around your house, you’ve probably wondered how you can get rid of them. 

Thankfully we’ve found natural scents that deter spiders and keep them from returning. But first, let’s talk about why you might have spiders in your house in the first place! 

Why Do I Have Spiders in My House?

The problem with spiders is that they won’t turn your house into a home if they don’t have a good cause to do so. Knowing these causes will enable you to take out some of the potential infestation-causing elements. 

Extreme Weather

Dark, cozy areas are preferred by spiders. The likelihood is that spiders will enter if it is cold outdoors so they can stay warm and cozy. If it’s too hot outside, they’ll look for a way to cool off indoors as well. Spiders vary in their preference for moist or dry environments.

Mating Season

Late summer and early autumn are the beginning of spider mating season when a lot of spiders will depart their webs in quest of a mate. Some of them might go inside, where they’ll mate and build nests in cozy places. 

Spiders really prefer the less severe, more humid conditions of the autumn and early winter, despite the fact that you may notice more of them in your home at this time of year.

There is Food Inside

Spiders consume bugs. Spiders will have a consistent supply of food if there are bugs inside a house. One approach for rendering your home less tempting to bugs is to keep it tidy by picking up crumbs and washing down the kitchen after each usage. 

Check your residence for water sources, hiding spots like stacks of discarded newspapers or cardboard packages, and open pet food containers. If you take away their food source, you’ll likely rid your home of spiders! 

Damage to Window Screens

Spiders can also enter through broken window screens. Look for any tears or ill-fitting areas in the property’s window and door screens. Weatherstripping can be used to seal any gaps or repair broken screens. 

Use caulk to patch up any gaps or cracks in the foundation or walls. It will be considerably more challenging for spiders to enter your home if you seal up any possible entryways.

Keep a Tidy Home

Spiders enjoy hiding in dim, unclean, or dusty places. Spiders can be repelled by routinely cleaning your house, particularly behind chairs, sofas, and mattresses. In the highest and lowest corners where spiders build their webs, vacuum, and dust regularly. 

The number of bugs in your house that spiders devour will go down if the kitchen is kept clean. The likelihood that you’ll notice spiders decreases with more cleanliness.

Scents That Repel Spiders

Here are the best scents that will make eight-legged critters run for the hills! 

Vinegar

There are numerous household uses for white vinegar. Since white vinegar is generally often kept in storage, we chose this choice first. Let’s face it, most people find it difficult to endure vinegar’s stench.

This liquid’s acidity draws some insects, like fruit flies, while repelling others, like spiders. Create a 1:1 solution by using one cup each of water and one cup of vinegar. Fill an empty spray bottle with the mixture to use as a container and for dispensing.

Plastic spray bottles can be replaced with glass ones since glass is less permeable. As a result, there will be less residue in the container when you wish to use it again.

Spray the solution you’ve created in any areas where you’ve spotted spiders or where you wish to keep them out. Pay close attention to any openings, including windows, doors, and others.

Spiders can detect the acidic scent through their legs and are bound to be deterred from the area when they travel over the sour-smelling solution. To ensure that the aroma of the vinegar spray stays potent and continues to deter spiders, reapply it frequently, at least once every week.

Mint

Spiders are vehemently opposed to the taste and scent of mint, despite the fact that many people do. For a variety of pests, like deer, raccoons, rabbits, and insects, mint works well as a repellant. This also applies to catnip and peppermint. Most animals avoid mint because they perceive it to be unpleasant.

Mints can be combined to deter spiders. Think about putting catnip in your yard. To deter spiders, mix peppermint and mint essential oils into a spray bottle and spread it all about the house. Like other essential oils, you can create a spray by mixing 10 to 15 drops of essential oil in water.

Cayenne Pepper

The major component in cayenne peppers is capsaicin. When we eat spicy sauce, it’s what causes our mouths to feel tingling hot. Consuming cayenne peppers physically stimulates pain receptors. While most mammals avoid cayenne because of its strong flavor, we humans tend to enjoy its heat.

Despite the fact that spiders have a poor sense of taste, cayenne pepper nevertheless aggravates them. Their eyes and sense of smell may get irritated. They will be repelled and kept away by this.

Sprinkle cayenne pepper over locations where you don’t want spiders to congregate if you want to apply it as a spider repellent. Reapply frequently because the flakes may get loose or fade away as time passes. 

Citrus

Essential oils serve as highly intensified versions of common scents like orange, lemon, peppermint, and jasmine. Citrus is acidic, which is probably why it keeps spiders away. The eight-legged arachnids dislike acidic tastes, odors, and scents.

Mix 10 to 15 drops of citrus essential oil with water in a glass spray container. Spray your concoction over any spots you want to keep spiders away from, including windows and doorways.

The fact that citrus is a fantastic cleaner and keeps your home feeling fresh is an added plus! The McPherson College Department of Natural Science conducted a study in May 2020 to ascertain whether citrus essential oils are efficient at keeping spiders away.

They tested whether citrus essential oils from steam distillation were effective at repelling spiders using fumigation methods and a maze. The investigation verify that citrus essential oils exhibited potential for additional research in spider insect repellents as they came into close proximity with the spiders, even if the study did not demonstrate any substantial deterrent by fumigation.

Cinnamon

Speaking of your home smelling good, spiders hate the scent of cinnamon! Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean you can light a few cinnamon-scented candles and hope for the best! What is required are authentic, real cinnamon quills that are used for baking.

Place the quills carefully in areas where the creepy crawlers have been spotted. If you aren’t a fan of spiders, this might be uncomfortable, but you’ll need to keep an eye on the spiders in your home to determine where they’re entering from. 

You can use ground cinnamon, which you should sparingly sprinkle into the cracks if spiders have been making their homes in your door or window frames. Cinnamon might stain white window frames, so you do need to be cautious not to get any on the exterior of the window where it will become wet from the precipitation. 

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

The fossilized remains of diatoms, an algae, make up diatomaceous Earth, a dust-like substance. Because it dries them out and doesn’t feel good on their skin, it effectively kills spiders.

To get the most out of it, spread it out as evenly as you would a thin layer of dust. Marine phytoplankton remains are in use by some homeowners. Diatomaceous Earth really kills bugs, yet it won’t stop them immediately. 

Spiders have to be exposed and travel through Diatomaceous Earth in order for them to work. Because they live in a dry environment and can rapidly dehydrate in Diatomaceous Earth, house spiders are ideal DE targets.

Summary of the 6 Smells That Spiders Absolutely Hate

Here are the 6 Smells That Spiders Absolutely Hate:

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Marat Musabirov