Stop spiders from coming into your home with £1.45 'powerful remedy'

Spiders might just be the creepy crawlies you love to hate, lurking in webs or scuttling across your floor. But as spring blooms, those solitary spiders could be gearing up to welcome a brood of tiny arachnids into your home.

Despite the UK shaking off the chill of winter, don't expect all pests to head outdoors. House spiders, typically found in the gloomy corners of your abode, are the usual suspects. These critters are often brown or grey and nearly an inch in size.

Many of these spiders sought refuge in cosy homes during the autumn, feasting on insects throughout the colder months. This means the spiders you're spotting this spring might have been your hidden houseguests all winter long, reports the Express.

To keep these unwanted visitors at bay, Jess Steele from BestHeating has a top tip involving an affordable supermarket find. For just £1.45, you can snag some peppermint oil from Asda.

If you prefer shopping online, Amazon offers it for £2.25, or you can pick it up for £5 at Dunelm. Jess explains why this is a smart move: "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."

For those struggling with an influx of spiders at home, Jess suggests making a peppermint spray solution and spraying it onto windowsills, curtain interiors, and carpet corners. It can also be used as a diffuser in frequently visited rooms, or applied to items like cotton buds and placed in the spider's usual spots.

Ants can also be deterred by this method. Echoing Jesss sentiments, Ivan Ivanov from End of Tenancy labelled peppermint oil a "powerful home remedy".

Ivan shared: "Peppermint oil is the best option to effectively repel spiders permanently. This is because spiders smell through their legs, so as soon as they are hit with that overpowering scent of peppermint, they will flee because the smell is too strong for them."

"We would recommend mixing peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle and then spraying the areas of your home that you have noticed to be susceptible to spiders." He also added a word of caution, saying: "However, because peppermint oil is toxic to pets, we recommend avoiding this method if you have any furry friends."

Lastly, Jordan Foster from Fantastic Pest Control offers a recipe for the perfect arachnid-repelling potion. According to him, just "mix 20 drops of peppermint essential oil into a spray bottle filled with water", but only if it's safe for all members of your household.

He added: "Use the mixture to get rid of spiders without killing them by spraying them into cracks and corners of your house. Alternatively, you can spray it on your duvet to deter them from getting into the bed."

Alternatively, Ivan claimed that households can use citronella candles to ward off spiders. He said: "Lighting candles can also keep spiders away from your home. This is mainly due to the spiders not liking a lot of different smells such as lemon, cinnamon, and citronella."

"They also dislike the smell of smoke, so blowing these candles out will also help keep them away." Households can pick up a citronella candle from Dunelm for £6 or a pack of 25 citronella tea light candles that are highly rated on Amazon and cost £2.60.