The beginning of autumn brings with it the risk of arachnids and creepy crawlies nationwide.
UK households told to ‘seal entrances’ as epidemic starts to sweep England
UK households are being told to make homemade solutions to deter spiders as spider season officially begins. The beginning of autumn brings with it the risk of arachnids and creepy crawlies nationwide.
James Higgins from Online Carpets stated: “While it’s been commonly said that placing conkers around your home is the best way to get rid of spiders, sadly, scattering chestnuts around your home seems to just be an old wives’ tale with no scientific backing.”
Mr Higgins said: “The first step when looking at how to get rid of spiders in the house is to seal their entryways. Block any gaps in walls and pipes, and seal any cracks you have around your windows and doors to stop them from making their way in.
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“There are a few scents that spiders dislike: cinnamon, mint, lavender and lemon, to name a few,” he said.
He added: “If you’re looking for a particularly quick fix, you can easily make your own spider repellent.”
These are easily created by mixing approximately 20 drops of essential oil (choose from lemon, peppermint, or lavender) with water in a spray bottle. With this concoction, target corners and crevices where spiders typically hide.
“You can also create your own cleaning solution by mixing a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and warm water, and then add a few drops of your chosen essential oil,” the expert recommended.
Speaking to the Guardian last year, Nell Frizzell admitted: “As a child, I was as terrified of spiders as I am today by droughts and unfiled tax returns. I would watch in amazed horror as my country-born mother picked up arachnids the size and heft of dogs and calmly threw them out the window.
“There were whole cupboards I refused to open for fear of spiders. Once, after accidentally walking into a web during a game of hide and seek, I actually vomited at the thought of a spider being close to my skin (they found me quite quickly after that).
“But then, in my 20s, I lived on my own for the first time. During my year of renting a converted bakery in Leeds (where the storage heaters never worked and I did the washing-up under the electric shower), there were two spiders that lived in the corners of those high, heat-sucking ceilings.
“I didn’t have a ladder tall enough to reach them – and I wouldn’t have wanted to touch them even if I could. So I came to accept that as long as they stuck to their domain, ate their fill and never came anywhere near my bed, we could coexist in mutually assured potential terror.”