All Natural Spider Control

Some time ago, I wrote about natural spider control in my blog:  All Natural Spider Control Don’t worry. No photos!  Well, the best information I found back then was about natural predators of  hobo spiders. *shudders* I can’t believe I’m talking about spiders again.

Anyway….

I don’t like having spiders in my stuff, and I’m going to be storing my holiday decorations in the garage, so I thought I’d share some information I found about helping control spiders.  These are all natural remedies, safe to use around the house.

1. Spiders don’t like lemon, so dusting furniture with lemon scented pledge helps.
2. Lavender is a natural repellent to many critters, including some spiders.
3. Spiders eat termites, ants, and other bugs. Get rid of the other critters, and it leaves nothing for the spiders to munch on.
4. Keep trash cans away from the house, as trash cans tend to draw bugs… spider food.
5. Keep clutter picked up so spiders don’t have a place to hide.
6. Put a few drops of lemon essential oil on your broom (I use a clean old pillow case over my broom - put the drops on the pillowcase) before you go around dusting down cobwebs both inside and outside your home.
7. Use a few drops of lemon or lavender oil on your dusting cloth.

Here are a few ‘recipes’  super easy to prepare. Use a new spray bottle and label it, so you don’t accidentally mix bleach and acidic mixtures in the same bottle. Test all of these in hidden areas as they may stain fabrics, carpet, or walls.

1. Vinegar 5% acidic distilled white vinegar- use straight or mix 50 / 50 with water. Add in a few drops of lemon essential oil and lavender essential oil. Spray everywhere spiders hang out. (around your doors, windows, the base of your house, porches, around your porch furniture, in closets, etc…
2. One teaspoon of coconut oil mixed with warm vinegar in a pump bottle. Spray under eaves, and all around your garage, trash can area, etc.. Coconut oil is solid so you will warm it up slightly and mix with warm vinegar (not hot) so it will work in the spray bottle.
3. 1 quart of water,  5 tablespoons of Dr Bronner’s natural lavender scented liquid soap, 1 oz of Neem oil, and a few drops of lemon oil. Mix well. Spray around baseboards, windows, doors, under sinks, around pipes, aywhere you have spider problems.
4. 1 cup of vegetable oil, 1/4 cup of dawn liquid soap, 1 tsp of vanilla extract - mix up. Use 1/4 cup of this mixture in a quart of water. Spray everywhere spiders hang out.
5. Make a sachet of lavender and cedar shavings. Use dry lavender. Hang in your closets, use where you don’t want to take a chance of oily stains.

I haven’t tried any of these remedies. I’m going to mix up a batch of vinegar, lavender, and lemon essential oil today and spray all over my garage. I really don’t want to be bringing any spiders into my house this next Thanksgiving weekend… so these remedies with a lot of prayer and hopefully we’ll be spider free.

Tags: eco-living, money saving, spider control