A CLEANING guru has shared her 16p hack to keep spiders out of your home.
The tip comes as spider mating season kicks off with thousands of arachnids set to invade homes across the UK.
Hillary, creator of lifestyle Instagram account and ambassador, has shared an easy hack to keep the critters at bay - for just 16p.
She said: “With mating season bringing unwanted randy eight-legged visitors into your home or conservatory, this tip is for you.
“Get an empty spray bottle. If you don’t have one you can always repurpose and clean out an old spray bottle from another product.
“Fill the bottle with water, and add 10 drops of tea tree essential oil into the mixture. You can also use peppermint, lemon or lavender.
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“The average bottle of essential oils cost about £4, so just ten drops is a bargain.
“Spray and wipe along the window sills and door frames with a dust cloth to deter the spiders because they don’t like strong scents.
“To stop spiders in their tracks you could also put a few drops of tea tree oil around openings into your home such as windows, doors, or any cracks.”
Spider mating season usually starts at the end of August and lasts until October where male arachnids seek warmth and shelter to leave their webs in search of receptive females.
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While houses may be a hot spot for the creatures, there is another area you might want to check for them.
“If you suffer from arachnophobia - aka, a fear of spiders - don’t be afraid of cleaning your vehicle’s interior regularly during spider season," Graham Conway said.
“Spiders will naturally gravitate towards dark, sheltered spaces - which includes any discarded bags, wrappers and cartons you might have lying around."
So by having a messy car, you're effectively "rolling out the red carpet for arachnids".
And don't forget to get rid of stray items of clothing or shoes too, as they can be "another obvious place for spiders to potentially lurk".
You should also give your car's air vents a good clean regularly, because "this is another spider hotspot", Graham, from , warned.
Everything you need to know about spiders
- UK spiders: The 24 British spiders you could find in your house
- How can I get rid of spiders from my house?
- Do UK house spiders bite?
- When is UK spider season?
- What do spider bites look like?
- Do conkers keep spiders away?
- What are the biggest spiders found in the UK?
- What is a spider wrangler?
- What are Huntsman spiders?