Lavender Spider Spray

Its that time of year again. As much as I don't want to admit it, as much as I hope that if I ignore it, it will go away.....its here. Spider season. Now that I have killed about 20 of them in my home (one of which was a JUMPING spider!) and know the location of 2 live ones at this very moment, it can't be ignored anymore. Time to pull out the big guns. Today I am going to share with you my two methods for deterring spiders and bugs. Last year we did some painting in the house and needed to use the ladder to get to some high places. This ended up bringing about the hatching of hundreds of spiders in our HOUSE! So yeah, I have learned a trick or two to getting rid of them, naturally.

Method 1. Lavender Spider Spray (AKA, The Secret Weapon. Or I will drown you in spray if you even THINK about showing your nasty self in my bedroom)

You will need:
A 20-26 ounce spray bottle (Mine is from Home Depot)
Dish soap
Vinegar
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil (Citrus is supposed to be a strong spider deterrent, I just didn't have it)
Water
A funnel is also useful

Directions:
Pour 20 drops each of Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils in the spray bottle. Then pour 1/4 cup each of dish soap and vinegar. Fill the rest of the way up with warm water, then shake to mix.

Spiders. Be warned.

You can pretty much spray this anywhere as it is all natural and safe for kids. It does leave a soapy residue though, so you need to spray it on a washcloth, then wipe with the cloth. I do it everywhere. Baseboards, on the inside and outside of door jams and windowsills. Anywhere you think a spider can get into your house, that's where you should spray. I just take the bottle and go room by room and spray everywhere. Outside the house too. You may just find a few victims out there. Apparently the vinegar is supposed to kill the spiders with its acidity. Mwah HA HA HA! Die suckers!!!

 Method 2. Rosemary/Thyme bunches (AKA Stealth Bombs)

You will need:
Cheesecloth (you can find at many food stores or grocery stores. I actually found mine at Bed Bath and Beyond)
String
Dried Thyme
Dried Rosemary
Rosemary Essential Oil or Thyme Essential oil

Directions: Cut 6, approx. 4X4 inch squares of cheesecloth. They do not need to be perfect.

Pour about a teaspoon each of dried thyme and rosemary (dried lavender is also good if you have it), then put 2-3 drops of Rosemary essential oil on each pile of herbs.

If you're wondering if I feel like a drug dealer or a witch making potions when I am doing this, the answer is yes. I prefer to think of myself as making magic potions to frighten evil spirits away.
Next you tie the bundles into little sachets with string and trim any excess string or cheesecloth.

Armed and ready.

Place in windowsills, in the corners of bathrooms, anywhere you have seen bugs lately and these awesome little bags will discourage bugs from coming near. They don't like the smell of these herbs. I like to keep one on my nightstand to keep them away from me when I'm sleeping. If you have children or pets (which I have both) make sure to keep hidden so that you don't end up with a baby with a mouth full of rosemary. Every once in a while Princess will get curious as to what it is, so then I just move it to another location.

There you have it. My 2 secret weapons for deterring evil spiders. The great thing is that they are both all natural, so if your dog or baby does end up eating a mouthful of it, chances are they'll be ok and you don't have to worry about having nasty chemicals around. Good luck scaring away your little evil spirits.