Okay, so I’ve been having this spider problem in my basement for a while now. It’s not like a full-blown infestation, but enough to creep me out. I’m not a fan of killing things, even spiders, but I also don’t want them taking over my house. So, I decided to do something about it. I started off by doing some serious research.
My Spider-Fighting Game Plan
First step to deal with these spiders: clean up.
- Declutter: I get rid of old boxes, newspapers, anything spiders could hide in.
- Vacuum:I vacuumed like crazy, especially in corners, under furniture, and along baseboards.
- Dust the webs:I used a long-handled duster to knock down all the webs I saw.
I wanted to find the best ways to get rid of them without doing any extreme measures. I kept seeing people recommend essential oils, especially peppermint. That sounded pretty harmless, so that’s where I began.
Experimenting with Methods
I grabbed some peppermint oil, mixed a bunch of drops with water in a spray bottle, and went to town spraying every corner, crack, and crevice I could find. Honestly, the basement smelled amazing afterwards. A few days later, I checked, and it seemed like there were fewer spiders. Progress!
But I was not done yet. I noticed some stubborn spiders hanging around, so I tried something new. Next, I tried vinegar. I’d heard that spiders hate the smell of vinegar, so I mixed equal parts white vinegar and water and sprayed that around. I use this spray bottle to spray the outside of the house, hoping to block any new spiders trying to get in.
I used some sticky traps – basically just glue boards. I put them in the corners where I had noticed the most spider activity. After a few days,I checked back in with the traps. I was surprised at the number of spiders I caught, but, hey, less spiders to me!
Finally got rid of the spiders!
After a few weeks of doing all this, I can finally say my basement is pretty much spider-free. It’s not perfect, and I’m sure I’ll see one or two from time to time, but it’s a HUGE improvement. So, to sum it up, the combination of cleaning, using peppermint oil and vinegar sprays, and those sticky traps really did the job for me. No harsh chemicals needed, and my basement smells pretty good, too!
