Expert reveals key £1 trick to keep spiders out of your home this summer
AN EXPERT has revealed the cheap trick that will keep spiders from invading your home.
Brits are starting to look for ways to prevent the creepy crawlies from coming into their homes as spider season gets under way.
Spiders will be looking for a safe, dry space to spend the next few months and homes are a tempting location.
However, Jess Steele, a heating technology expert at radiator specialists BestHeating, has revealed the inexpensive product that is widely available from supermarkets that will deter spiders from entering your home.
Peppermint oil can be bought from Asda for just £1.45 or from online retail sites like Amazon for a couple of pounds.
Jess said: “Peppermint oil provides a strong smell and spiders are sensitive to them which makes it an effective yet cheap method of taking away the worry of finding creepy crawlies all over the home, without causing harm to them.”
To help reduce the risk of spiders entering a home, Jess recommends combining the oil with water to make a spray and spritzing it onto the inside of curtains, windowsills and in the corners of carpets.
It can also be used as a diffuser to deter spiders from entering rooms, and soaking items like cotton buds in the peppermint solution, then placing them in areas where the spiders often appear.
You can also spray the oil on yourself to fend off ticks, spiders, ants and mosquitoes.
Natural bug sprays use peppermint oil as one of their active ingredients, along with other oils, such as lemongrass, citronella and geranium.
And if you do get bitten, applying peppermint oil can help reduce any itchiness.
Jess also dispelled the myth that spiders come indoors for the warmth and said they actually don’t like to be too warm.
Jess said: “A major myth with spiders is there are more inside during the colder months due to the temperature.
“They don’t like to be too warm as they are cold-blooded, so there is no need to think they would be located near radiators, fires or other home heat sources.
“For those with extreme fears, underfloor heating is a great solution to make your home spider-free as the air close to the ground makes it uncomfortable for them.”
Spiders usually start appearing regularly in early September with their presence in homes continuing until around mid-October, and tend to be seen less often after this.
Female spiders tend to remain in once place while the males will go searching for a mate, with the females often found in homes, which is why it appears that there are more of them.
In the UK, there are more than 650 different species of spider and while all of them can bite, only 12 can cause harm to humans.
In the coming weeks, it is most likely money, cellar and lace web spider will be seen crawling about your home, along with house spiders.
House spiders are among the biggest variety found in the UK and can grow up to 10cm across the leg span although their size often depends on how much they have eaten.