Image via Wikipedia
Spring has arrived and I have welcomed the warmer temperatures and flowers, but certainly not the spiders I’ve caught crawling around my apartment. No thank you. I have to admit that these days I don’t hesitate to kill them if they’re in my home. Part of me still feels bad about this, but I cannot risk being bitten. No, I am not afraid of an itchy bite that will disappear within a week. I am afraid of being bitten by a spider that will make me sick and from what I’ve gathered, there are several of those kinds around here.
I’ve contemplated ways to either kill them once they’re in my home or ways to keep them out of my home. I settled for the latter. Doing a basic internet search, I looked for natural spider repellents, preferably something I could make myself. Most of the websites I found all suggested lemon in some form. Did you know that spiders taste through their feet? Yuck. Imagine being able to taste through your feet. I am sure carpet and sweaty sneakers are not that appetizing. After my search was complete, I found myself relieved, because 1) humans didn’t evolve to be able to taste through their feet and 2) I had found a simple, all natural, and cheap spider repellant. I found the ingredients on the forum over at Seventh Generation.
As it turns out, spiders hate the taste of lemon. I also found that they hate the taste of lavender. The home remedy consists of combing water, lemon oil, and dish soap into a spray bottle and using that to spray around your home. You can spray along the baseboards, windows, and doors. Prior to spraying, you should test the solution on any fabrics or flooring materials (such as carpet) to make sure it won’t cause any damage. I am not sure what the purpose of the dish soap is, but my guess is that at acts as an emulsifier so that the oil is mixed appropriately and sprayed evenly. The repellant is safe for people/children, pets, and spiders. Again, the lemon doesn’t kill the spiders, but deters them from entering your home.
I sprayed my home with this last week. I am hopeful this will work. We’ll see in the coming months.
New Look for Summer
May 22, 2011
Well, I have been patiently waiting for summer to come and since it is right around the corner (I now live in a cooler place) I felt it was appropriate to change the theme. Changing themes seems to be a tradition for this blog each summer. I think it freshens things up.
While I haven’t posted much, I am hoping that will change soon. Sometimes we have to prioritize in life. I also haven’t had much to say in the way of new discoveries, tips, etc. That’s undoubtedly something I will have to think about. I may change the way in which I blog.. even what I blog about. We shall see.
