“Fear can make a moth seem the size of a bull elephant.” 
― Stephen Richards, Releasing You from Fear

(image source: Pixabay)

Is your place plagued by spiders or worse got a phobia with it? For today's blog, I will be sharing with you ways to prevent spiders from entering your home, the ones I tried, and whether they are effective or not.

FEAR OF SPIDERS

(image source: Pixabay)

Spiders can be startling and scary when they appear on the places you least expect them to be. Some may just feel fine seeing one but for someone who has a phobia on this arachnid is a different story. Its black color, long legs, and fast movement are enough reasons to be one of the most common phobias.

I am writing this blog because I have been visited by spiders in the past two months and I am not sure if I have already developed a phobia (arachnophobia) with it. To make things clear, the spiders I am talking about are the ones which can grow to about the size of our palm. I only have little problems with those little spiders we always see at home. These small ones just love making cobwebs on every untouched corners of your home. Meanwhile, the huge ones really scare me a lot to an extent that I feared eating crabs one time because it makes me think that it looks like those spiders. I don't want to see one so don't expect to see an image of a spider even if this blog is about them.

SPIDER ENCOUNTERS

(image source: Pixabay)

On the two previous months, there were three huge spiders who had appeared on me. First was in our bathroom. The spider was resting near the window and hid inside the crack of the wall when I began screaming. Our house is already old with lots of cracks due to the strong earthquake in 1990 so insects such as spiders really have lots of access to get inside our home. Knowing that the spider only hid inside the cracks made me so paranoid and scared because it can still freely roam around, underground, and might reappear next time.

Second, was at the foot of my bed. I was encoding on my laptop when I noticed something moving at the end of my bed. My mom who was also in the room was startled and also screamed when she heard my scream. (Lol.) As I fear huge spiders, I asked my mom to get rid of it. When the spider hid at the curtains beside my bed, my mom then told that the spider was already gone. Like I would believe it! I told them that I won't be sleeping unless they get rid of the intruder. So after lots of screams of fear, the spider was cornered and terminated. I know insects have lives. If only they don't trespass territories then both sides will be living in peace. I assume the spider went through the huge open space between our window and air conditioner.

(image source: Pixabay)

Third (and hopefully the last), is at our spoon and fork container at the kitchen! I was eating dinner back then and I haven't used my fork on my meal so I just thought of returning it to the container. When I reached the kitchen, I saw a huge spider with its legs hanging on one edge of the container. What made me more fear in disgust is that it was resting at the partition where I put my food utensils! Oh my goodness! This spider knows who to scare! They tried to catch the spider but it moved fast and hid behind the cabinets. I was so scared that I avoided going to the kitchen for weeks. Yes, it may seem funny but it was real. Even when my mom told me that she had already sent the spider outside, I still feel that it was there, that it would appear again next time. I guess that's how phobias haunt you. Sometimes I also feel like I attract spiders because it was always me who find them first.

WAYS TO KEEP SPIDERS AWAY FROM HOME

● PEPPERMINT OIL AND VINEGAR

(image source: Pixabay)

The most popular solution I could find over the internet is the mixture of water, vinegar and peppermint oil. Vinegar hurts the spiders, like giving them a burning sensation. Meanwhile, they have a strong sense of smell and one of the scents they hate is peppermint. To make your weapon against spiders, you need to mix 1 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 20 drops of peppermint oil on your spray bottle. Spray the mixture once a week on the areas where spiders most likely reside and also don't forget to spray on the windows and cracks where they could possibly enter. Spiders will be disgusted and crawl away from your area. Other essential oils that spiders hate are eucalyptus, lavender, citronella, orange, tea tree oil, and other oils with citrus scent.

(video source: Pamela's Pantry via Youtube)

Another remedy I read before was to put a few drops of peppermint oil into an air humidifier. It says it does not only repel spiders but other insects as well.

● KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEAN

(image source: Pixabay)

To keep the spiders from staying inside the house, I think the smartest way to do is to keep your house clean. Clean regularly and remove any cobwebs the spiders are starting to build. For sure, these spiders will refrain from coming back to that area. Well, I am a bit guilty on this since we could rarely clean our house. With so many things in our house, cleaning seems to be a very strenuous task. An unclean home and surrounding are what insects love to reside on, so if you really want to keep them away then you must practice to keep your house clean always.

● BLOCK THEIR ACCESS

(image source: Pixabay)

Another good solution to refrain spiders from entering your home is to block their passages. Close the windows or place a window screen, seal the cracks, and literally just block any opening where spiders can pass through. Through this, you can lessen the chances of spiders from entering your home.

Did you know that spiders are attracted to heat? (So beware when it's cold outside.) And most likely they enter our house because their food is there. Spiders feed on other insects and so if they sensed that their food is inside, they will get in house to haunt their prey. Which is why it is important to get rid of other insects too and keeping your house clean.

● GET HELP FROM PEST CONTROL EXPERTS

(image source: Pixabay)

If all else fails, and spiders (especially the huge ones) keep appearing, are uncontrollable, and interfere with your daily life, you should already seek help from a pest control expert. I am not sure how much would the service cost but I am sure the result will be worth it. What's having money if you can't have a peaceful mind because of these spiders?

SOLUTIONS I TRIED  (DID IT WORK?)

(image source: Katsanslimites)

After the frightful encounter with the huge spiders in my room, I never stopped searching on ways to eliminate them from home. I kept looking for stores where to buy the peppermint oil until I stumbled on the store Human Nature. Lucky that they have a store on a nearby city. I bought their peppermint oil which costs Php 350. My mom also bought a rosemary oil for Php 295 which she hasn't used until now. The next day, I made the solution, even dropping a few more drops than the required 20 drops. I sprayed it all over my room, into the bathroom, and on the small spiders I found on one corner. Surprisingly, the spiders would go away but also return after a few minutes. I sprayed more on them and then left. I was quite disappointed, honestly. However, on the next few days, I noticed that they were gone! (Oh wow, it's working!) Unfortunately, they returned after almost a week. I think we should be more consistent on spraying the peppermint oil solution to completely shoo these critters away.

The second solution I tried is to block the huge opening between the window and air conditioner in my room. It was huge, even a snake could suavely fit in. My mom even got mad at me for nagging her to cover the open space. I was so scared to go near the window because in my mind, a spider might again appear when I go near it. So the space was covered and so far, there is still no spider who appeared again...yet. There are other cracks in my room where they could enter but at least the huge opening was already blocked and I felt quite relieved.

Of course, we also did clean our house, just on some areas though. I also clean my room from time to time but I still have this fear lingering in my thoughts so it still impedes my desire to do a major cleaning. It may sound funny and unrealistic for most but I tell you, having this fear is real and it's not funny.

(video source: This Morning via Youtube)

I DO NOT LIKE THEM 

(image source: Pixabay)

Spiders found at home are harmless and actually eat other insects that could also be a nuisance in your house. Yes, I know that. But they are just too scary for me. Sometimes I would think that I am more less scared with cockroaches than spiders. The past two months aren't the only times where a huge spider has appeared on me. A lot of times, actually. And I hate it when it happens. So if you are someone who also fears spiders then I hope this blog helps you, or if you have solutions I haven't mentioned here, I will really appreciate it if you will share it with us here in the comments section. Let us all have a spider-free home! 

Thanks for reading!



✧ Katsanslimites