The Fragrant Spice That'll Keep Your Home Spider-Free
You think spiders are a nuisance and want to get rid of even the slightest trace of them in your home. Meanwhile, your live-and-let-live housemate is trying to sell you on the creepy crawlers' role in creating a healthy ecosystem by controlling other insect populations, including flies, ants, and beetles. So, maybe you shouldn't kill spiders in your home, but it's perfectly understandable if you don't want the mostly-innocuous, multi-limbed pests to make your house their breeding ground. In this case, you can pack away the chemical insecticides and opt for a fragrant spice that will keep your home spider-free: cinnamon.
When was the last time you cruised through a mall's food court without the intoxicating scent of Cinnabon eliciting a Pavlovian response? While the warm, spicy smell is enticing and comforting to many two-legged shoppers, eight-legged pests find the aroma repulsive. According to the National Library of Medicine, the primary compound in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde, has been used to deter a variety of insects. But it's not just the pungent smell that the creepy crawlers find offensive; cinnamaldehyde also contains irritant properties that can cause discomfort to spiders when they come in contact with it.
In the end, the goal of cinnamon is to evict spiders from your home, not to conduct a full-blown eradication. Think of the spice as a deterrent that can be used in conjunction with other common household staples to get rid of spiders, such as citrus peels, lemon juice, and walnut shells.
How to use cinnamon as spider deterrent
Cinnamon comes in a variety of forms — sticks, powder, and oil — all of which can be used to send spiders packing. If you've noticed increased spider activity in small gaps of door and window frames, liberally sprinkle ground cinnamon to cover the areas. However, keep in mind that cinnamon powder can stain carpets, so it's best to avoid applying it in spaces where it can accidentally scatter or spread.
If you are treating a larger area and are concerned about staining, consider mixing together a spider repellent using cinnamon oil as the base. Start by filling a spray bottle with 1 ½ cups of water. Then, add 15 to 20 drops of cinnamon essential oil and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Vigorously shake the bottle to combine all of the ingredients. From there, spritz the solution on window sills and floors as well as in sinks and tubs where you have observed spider traffic. For more isolated spots, you can saturate cotton balls with the mixture and use them to wipe down spider-prone areas, including dusty light fixtures and wall decorations.
Finally, strategically placing cinnamon sticks in spider hiding spots throughout your home is another way to drive out the wiry-legged insects. Simply place whole cinnamon sticks in remote locations, such as behind bookshelves and underneath stairs. You can also tuck them in cluttered areas in attics and garages. The scent should last up to two months.