Spider Season Is Upon Us: Try This All-Natural DIY Repellent

Autumn comes with cozy sweaters, pumpkin spice ... and spiders deciding your home looks like a great place to crash. This is because fall coincides with spiders' mating season, when the search for a mate brings them out of hiding. They're just looking for a place to hang out, but not everyone is keen on having these little critters as roommates. If you're one of those who prefer to get rid of spiders without resorting to harsh chemicals, you might be looking for a natural, safe, and gentle solution to gently oust them from your walls.

This fun DIY trick just might be the answer — and at the very least, it will leave your home smelling amazing. 

Social media users have been buzzing about a simple, aromatic concoction that uses plants that naturally repel spiders, like mint, rosemary, and lavender. These botanicals are combined with essential oils such as orange, lemon, and peppermint to create a fresh, pleasant scent that could have the added bonus of keeping your space spider-free. It's easy to make, natural, and worth a shot. Note that there are many aromas that spiders don't like, and this is due to their unique ability to smell, and how they use chemical cues to navigate the world around them. Spiders have small hairs on their front legs that detect odor molecules, which is why certain scents can either repel or attract them. So while the remedy on social media certainly isn't scientifically proven to work, there is a logic to it. 

To create this DIY spider repellent, Instagram user @clarekooper ground some rosemary, lavender, and fresh mint in a mortar and pestle. Then, she poured boiling water over the leaves to extract their essential oils. After that, she strained the mixture to remove the solid bits of leaves, leaving a slightly yellow-green concoction. Repeat these steps to make your own, and you can then see if you get the spiders out of your hair (and home)!

Before you use it, though, add a few drops of essential oils to enhance the fragrance. Peppermint oil is one of the most effective and fragrant options for deterring spiders. You can also use lavender oil, which is a great alternative if fresh lavender is hard to find. This combination makes for a potent spider-repellent that smells great. Lastly, spiders are allegedly known to dislike strong, citrusy scents like lemon or orange oil, so adding these oils will make your mix even more effective. Don't hesitate to mix different essential oils before you use the spray at home.

Once your mix is ready, pour it into a spray bottle and target areas where spiders might enter your home, such as windows, doorways, and small cracks. Be sure to spray regularly to maintain the scent. At the very least, your home will smell amazing, and it might even have fewer critters this spider season compared to last.