Stop massive spiders from crawling into your home with £1 natural ingredient

11 September 2023 , 12:59

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Spiders are invading UK homes (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

If you're noticed a lot more massive, eight-legged creatures lurking around your house lately, you might first off wonder why, as well as wondering how to get rid of them. Arachnophobes will be living their worst nightmares as millions of spiders will be leaping at the chance to leave their webs in favour of nice, dry homes as autumn arrives.

It's officially spider mating season, which means they search for a nice, dry place to copulate - and your home is the perfect spot. Spiders usually start their home invasions from September through October each year, which means you're much more likely to spot them inside.

The good news is, if you're not a fan of creepy crawlies, there are ways of deterring them from your home - and it doesn't have to be expensive. Experts have shared a cheap, eco-friendly £1 hack for keeping the long-legged bugs out of our homes - and you might already have it in your kitchen.

Instead of splashing out on bug sprays and repellents, which may be harmful to pets and not always be as effective as you want them to be, try sprinkling some cinnamon in certain areas of your home. Many people will have cinnamon, a staple autumn flavour, in their cupboards already, but if not you can pick it up from as little as £1 in Tesco.

Try sprinkling it in nooks, corners and any areas where there are lots of spiders webs. Pest control expert Jordan Foster said: "Ground cinnamon is a natural repellent to carpenter ants and other bugs that may roam the kitchen." The reason they don't like it is the smell and powdered texture. She added: "You can use cinnamon on any indoor or outdoor space as protection against pest infestations."

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If you don't want to sprinkle the spice in your home, you can try using cinnamon essential oils or scented-candles to create the smell to repel them. Not only will it make your home smell amazing, but will also keep those pesky critters at bay.

There are also other strong smells that spiders don't enjoy, and could be useful to try out. According to experts, they can't stand the smell of lavender, so you could try to spread the aroma in your home. Lavender is understood to contain compounds such as linalool and linalyl acetate, which are said to have repellent properties. If you're not too keen on the scent yourself, there are also a number of other ingredients that will stop spiders getting too comfy in your living room, including mint and peppermint oil.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz