Use This Herbal Scent To Prevent Spiders From Invading Your Room
Some people are unbothered when they spot spiders in their room, while others may be totally freaked out by the creepy-crawly pests. If you're in the latter category, you can use tea tree oil to deter the spiders from your home. This hack is believed to work because of the powerful aroma of the essential oil. Although we may find the scent pleasant, if spiders smell it through their legs' sensory organs, they could be repulsed or overwhelmed. Tea tree oil can be purchased at most pharmacies or online and only costs about $8 to over $20, depending on the brand and bottle size you choose. Because it's effective, inexpensive, and an all-natural product, it may be your new favorite way to repel arachnids.
There are plenty of ways to use this essential oil to target spiders in your home. If you want to keep things super simple, just put a little bit on a rag or cotton ball and dab it in any areas where you tend to find them crawling around your space. Another option is to add some drops into water, mix them up, and pour the mixture into a spray bottle, then spritz it in potentially-problematic areas. You can also add tea tree oil to your pre-made cleaning products or to your diffuser, which allows it to travel throughout your home's air and keep critters away.
Cautions before trying this hack
While tea tree oil is safe for some people, a 2022 study that was published by Medicina found that if this oil comes into contact with the skin, it can cause an allergic reaction for those who are sensitive to it. Because of this, you may want to wear gloves when handling. Further, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Heath says that this oil should never be consumed, as it could make it hard for you to breathe, cause feelings of confusion, affect muscle coordination, and may even lead to coma. Be extra cautious if you have pets, as tea tree oil is poisonous to dogs and cats (per the Pet Poison Helpline), so ensure they don't ingest it.
When it comes to placing it on your furniture and floors, tea tree oil should be safe to use as long as they're wood. Frankly, you can rub it right into the surface while using it as a spider repellent. However, don't use it on any wood that you'll be preparing food on or eating off of, since tea tree oil shouldn't be consumed, and you don't want to accidentally ingest any. Finally, when using tea tree oil to get rid of spiders, it's important to note that this may not be completely effective. In that case, you might want to try using additional repellents to get rid of spiders or even resort to bringing in a spider exterminator.