You’re watching TV. Out of the corner of your eye, a dark shape skitters across the baseboard. It’s leggy. It’s fast. Your heart does that weird little skip. Most of us have been there, reaching for a shoe or a rolled-up magazine, but more people are ditching the heavy chemical sprays for something a bit more "DIY." If you’re looking for how to get rid of spiders home remedies, you’ve probably heard about peppermint oil. It’s the internet’s favorite fix. But honestly? It’s not a magic forcefield.
Spiders are fascinating, sure. They eat mosquitoes and flies. But having a Wolf spider lunge from behind your toaster is a different vibe entirely. To actually keep them out without calling in a hazmat team, you have to understand what they hate—and more importantly, why they are in your house in the first place.
The science of scent and why spiders hate your spice rack
It’s not that spiders have "noses" like we do. They smell through their legs. They have these tiny sensory hairs called chemoreceptors that pick up chemical signatures from the surfaces they walk on. This is why certain home remedies actually work. If a spider steps on something that overloads those sensors, it’s going to back off. It’s like us walking into a room filled with thick, choking smoke.
Peppermint oil is the heavy hitter here. A study published in the journal Journal of Economic Entomology actually looked at how peppermint oil and chestnut oil affected spider behavior. The researchers found that peppermint oil was quite effective at repelling certain species, like the European garden spider. You basically mix about 15 to 20 drops of pure peppermint essential oil into a spray bottle with water. Spray it around window sills, door frames, and those creepy dark corners in the basement.
But don’t just stop at mint. Vinegar is another household staple that spiders can't stand. It contains acetic acid. While it won't necessarily kill them on contact unless you drench them, the lingering scent is a massive deterrent. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water. Use it to wipe down your baseboards. It doubles as a cleaner, so you’re kind of killing two birds with one stone. Just be careful on wood finishes; vinegar can be a bit harsh on certain waxes.
Common myths about how to get rid of spiders home remedies
Let’s talk about Hedge Apples (or Osage oranges). You’ll see these lumpy, lime-green fruits in baskets at hardware stores every autumn. People swear by them. They’ll tell you that putting one in the corner of your garage will keep every spider for a five-mile radius away.
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The truth? It’s mostly a myth.
While researchers at Iowa State University found that concentrated extracts from the fruit can repel insects, a whole fruit sitting in your corner doesn’t have enough concentration to do much of anything. Plus, they eventually rot and attract fruit flies. Now you have a rotting fruit problem and a fly problem, which—guess what—gives the spiders a delicious buffet.
Chestnuts fall into a similar category. There is very little peer-reviewed evidence that a handful of conkers on your windowsill does anything other than look "autumnal." If it makes you feel better, go for it, but don't expect it to stop a determined cellar spider from spinning a web in your crown molding.
Why your house is a spider magnet
You can spray all the peppermint in the world, but if your house is a literal grocery store for arachnids, they’re going to find a way in. Spiders follow the food. If you have a lot of spiders, you likely have a lot of other small insects.
Check your lighting. Standard yellow-tinted incandescent bulbs or bright white LEDs attract moths, flies, and midges. These are like neon "Open" signs for spiders. Switching to yellow "bug lights" or sodium vapor lamps outdoors can significantly reduce the number of insects buzzing around your doors, which means fewer spiders hanging out waiting for a snack.
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Then there’s the clutter.
Spiders love "edge space." A pile of cardboard boxes in the garage isn't just trash; it’s a luxury apartment complex for a Brown Recluse or a common House Spider. They want dark, undisturbed places where they can vibrate their webs in peace. De-cluttering is probably the most effective "home remedy" there is, even if it’s the one nobody wants to do on a Saturday morning.
Natural barriers and physical deterrents
- Cedarwood: This isn't just for moths. The natural oils in cedar are toxic to many small bugs. Using cedar blocks in your closets or cedar mulch in the garden beds directly against your foundation can create a "buffer zone."
- Diatomaceous Earth (DE): Make sure you get the food-grade version. It’s a fine powder made from fossilized algae. To us, it feels like flour. To a spider, it’s like walking over broken glass. It cuts through their exoskeleton and dries them out. Sprinkle a thin layer in the back of cabinets or along the garage threshold.
- Citrus Peels: Spiders supposedly hate citrus. Rubbing lemon or orange peels along windowsills is a classic old-wives' remedy. Does it work? Sort of. The effect is very temporary because the oils evaporate quickly. It's better than nothing, and it smells great, but you’ll be rubbing lemons on your house every two days to keep the effect going.
The "Sticky" reality of DIY traps
If you’re dealing with a specific infestation, like the aggressive-looking Wolf spider, you might need more than just a scent. Sticky traps are a staple home remedy. You place them along baseboards where spiders tend to travel.
The trick is placement. Spiders don't usually walk across the middle of the floor; they hug the walls. Put the traps behind the sofa, under the bed, and next to the fridge. It’s a "passive" way to get rid of them. It also helps you identify what kind of spiders you have. If you see a lot of the same type, you might have a nest nearby.
Sealing the Deal: The hardware store remedy
Sometimes the best home remedy is a $5 tube of caulk. Seriously.
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Walk around the outside of your house. Look for where the cables enter the siding. Check the screens on your crawl space vents. If there’s a gap big enough for a pencil to fit through, a spider can get through it with ease. Use silicone caulk to seal those gaps. Replace the weather stripping on your doors if you can see light coming through the bottom. It’s a bit of work upfront, but it’s a permanent solution whereas sprays are always temporary.
A note on the "Dangerous" ones
In the U.S., most spiders are harmless. The Black Widow and the Brown Recluse are the ones everyone worries about. If you suspect you have these, natural sprays might not be enough for your peace of mind. Recluses, in particular, are famously hard to get rid of because they can go months without food and hide in deep wall voids where peppermint spray will never reach. In those cases, home remedies are a great supplement, but you might need to look into professional-grade desiccants.
Step-by-step action plan for a spider-free home
- Vacuum everything. Not just the floors. Use the attachment to suck up webs in the corners of the ceiling and behind furniture. This removes the spider, the web, and any egg sacs. Immediately empty the vacuum canister into an outdoor bin.
- The Spray. Mix 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of dish soap (this helps the oil mix with the water), and 20 drops of peppermint or eucalyptus oil. Spray your entry points every week.
- Manage the perimeter. Move firewood piles at least 20 feet away from the house. Spiders love woodpiles. If the wood is touching your siding, you’ve built them a bridge straight into your living room.
- Dry it out. Many spiders and their prey are attracted to moisture. If your basement is damp, run a dehumidifier.
- Clean the kitchen. Crumbs attract ants. Ants attract spiders. It’s the circle of life, but you don't want it happening on your countertop.
Most people underestimate how much of a difference a clean perimeter makes. If you have bushes touching your windows, trim them back. Creating a "no-man's-land" of gravel or clear space between your plants and your foundation makes it much harder for crawling insects to find their way inside.
Home remedies for spiders are about consistency. You can't just spray once in May and expect a bug-free August. Think of it as a layer of defense. You use the scents to annoy them, the cleaning to starve them, and the sealing to lock them out. It's a holistic approach that keeps your home smelling like a peppermint patty rather than a chemical factory.
Next Steps for Long-Term Control:
- Audit your lighting: Spend one evening walking outside to see which lights are swarmed by moths and replace them with yellow bug bulbs.
- Seal the gaps: Grab a tube of clear silicone caulk and hit the "utility penetrations" where pipes and wires enter your home.
- Refresh the scent: Set a recurring reminder on your phone to spray your peppermint/vinegar solution every Sunday evening to keep the chemical barrier strong.
Focusing on these physical changes ensures the home remedies actually have a chance to work. If you stop the food source and block the doors, the spiders will naturally move on to easier hunting grounds—like your neighbor's yard.