Overview

• Specialists at Pest UK advise keeping windows closed at night and sealing even tiny gaps around frames, doors and pipework as activity picks up in late August and September.
• Guidance highlights strong scents that spiders avoid, with recommendations including peppermint, citrus, eucalyptus, tea tree and vinegar applied to sills, doors and other entry points.
• A new tip shared widely on social media suggests adding a few drops of peppermint oil to vinegar-based window cleaner to repel spiders while cleaning exterior and interior glass.
• Homeowners are urged to reduce clutter, wipe away webs, maintain regular dusting and vacuuming, and keep bins clean and closed to remove hiding places and insect prey.
• A windows specialist warned that male house spiders and false widows are on the move and reiterated calls to close windows from early evening and seal gaps ahead of the seasonal peak.