Send Spiders Running From Your Basement With This Earthy Scent

Spiders scurrying around your basement give your house a slightly creepy tinge. If it's a finished basement, seeing one of these arachnids will make you feel like you're hanging out in a damp cellar rather than an insulated room. And if it's an unfinished basement, the creep factor increases tenfold, making it look like something out of a horror movie. However, you can easily use eucalyptus essential oil to deter spiders from your home. This minty-smelling oil will have them fleeing the space, convincing them to spin their webs somewhere else that isn't as pungent. 

Eucalyptus essential oil specifically deters spiders due to its strong scent. The menthol smell is created by the compound eucalyptol – a natural insecticide and insect repellent. Spiders have a sharp sense of smell, which helps them find their next meal, so smelling something offensive repels them for two reasons. Not only is the scent magnified for them, making it difficult to stand, but it also messes with their ability to find prey, which will convince them to move to a more convenient spot. If you're intrigued, here's how to use eucalyptus essential oil to banish spiders from your basement. 

In order to repel spiders with eucalyptus, you first need to buy the correct essential oil. Not all oils are created equally, so if you buy one cut with fillers and synthetics, this hack won't work as well. When choosing your specific brand, ensure the label says "essential oil" and not "fragrance oil." The former is made directly from the plant, whereas the latter uses synthetic scents. To take it one step further, look for the label "100% pure essential oil" on the bottle to ensure you're getting the real deal. Also, take a peek at the ingredients list — if it has more than one or two ingredients, you're working with an imposter. 

Once you have your oil, grab a handful of cotton balls and soak them with the eucalyptus. You want to add around 10 drops per cotton ball to ensure the scent is saturated and stays pungent. Place these cotton balls in areas where you notice spider webs, spider activity, or near openings they may be getting in through. You will have to refresh the cotton balls around once per week to keep them fresh, but you should notice your spider problem quickly subsiding.