A lot of people hate dealing with spiders and other insects. But who has the money to spend on hiring a pest control service?
Luckily many plants repel spiders that you can grow in or out of your home. Plus, a lot of them serve more than one purpose!
Check out our list to find out what spider repellant plants you need to get for your home now!
Spider Repellent Plants That Repel Spiders
There are numerous plants you can use for the house.
The care and time they require range from almost nothing to more. They also offer various multiple uses and benefits that you can choose from to aid and keep spiders as far away from your plants.
Basil
Basil plants are an excellent addition to your garden plants. Not only are they useful for having fresh herbs in your kitchen, but they are also ideal for keeping spiders away from your home.
They are super easy to grow indoors or in your vegetable garden and are sure to keep spiders out because of this plant’s strong scent.
Moreover, growing basil is very easy, though it does require a lot of sunlight and water, so make sure to keep an eye out for your plant.
You can also use fresh basil plants to make strongly scented insect repellent spray.
You can do this by soaking fresh basil leaves in vodka for a couple of weeks. Then, strain it and use the liquid to spray your doors, kitchen windows, and any other place where spiders like to hangout.
This plant is a cheap and straightforward insect repelling spray that takes barely any effort to make.
Eucalyptus
While koalas love eucalyptus leaves, spiders find this plant’s scent to be repulsive. They have a strong fragrance, so it’s no wonder they can keep garden spiders away.
These plants are also useful for warding away all kinds of insects.
However, growing a full eucalyptus tree in your garden may not be an option for you.
Depending on your location, a dwarf variety eucalyptus plant may be better for you. This variety can make useful, reasonably low-maintenance house plants as long as they get plenty of sunlight and moisture.
Citrus Trees
Despite not being in a subtropical climate, you can still grow dwarf citrus trees, as long as you have a location where you can store them inside.
Spiders hate the smell of citrus oil, which you can get from lemons or oranges.
And if you can’t grow full citrus trees, people say you can leave fresh lemon or orange peels around to help keep any spider away.
Try rubbing some lemon peels on the baseboards and near the windows that spiders usually like going through.
Plus, they make for excellent air fresheners while doubling as spider repellants!
Onions
Suppose you want any spider or insects away from your garden, plant some onions.
Red spiders, aka spider mites, can be a plant pest when it comes to your house and garden plants. Mites feed off of your plant’s nutrients, turning the leaves yellow and stunting their growth.
By adding onions, you can repel spiders, including spider mites, that want to stay in there.
Plus, they are one of the most commonly used ingredients for a variety of dishes, so they are very convenient plants to have around.
Mint
Mint plants are great for an essential oil and as a house plant.
However, they can become an invasive plant, so be sure to keep them in a container so you can easily manage them. Otherwise, they will take over your garden.
All varieties of mint plants, including spearmint and pennyroyal, will help keep spiders away. Like the other plants in this list, spiders don’t like how mint smells.
And with mint, you can smell this plant as soon as you go anywhere near it.
So put these plants near your doors, windows, and in your patio to deter spiders. People can also sprinkle leaves or sachets of dried mint in your home.
The peppermint plant is also a relative of the mint plants that repel spiders.
It is a plant hybrid of the spearmint and water mint.
Peppermint plants have a pungent and crisp smell that can deter spiders. Some people place this under the full sun to increase the potency of the oil that you can extract from the peppermint plants.
Some even swear that peppermint oil works just as well as mint!
Regardless, the strong scent of peppermint plants is good fresh or as a spider repellent spray.
As a tip, you can try spraying some of this oil around your space to test whether it is effective against the insects around your house. If they are, then you can get an actual plant.
Lavender
Have you ever heard of the lavender fields in Provence, France? Well, we are confident you won’t find any spiders there.
Spiders hate lavender because they do not like the smell of this plant. So, keeping a pot of lavender in your house or patio can help in deterring spiders.
Just remember to keep it in the right spot where these plants can get a lot of sunlight and air. You will also need to give them frequent pruning, so growing these plants in your home can be quite tricky.
However, the lavender plant is worth all that effort. It is one of the best medicinal herbs you can grow.
Moreover, they will spread a lovely scent in your home. There’s a reason they are one of the most well-loved plants for essential oils.
This plant will calm you not just because of its scent, but also because it will repel spiders in your house.
Lemon Thyme
This plant will be an excellent addition to your garden.
It is versatile for cooking and makes attractive foliage. Plus, on top of repelling insects, they also attract bees, which will help encourage pollination of surrounding plants.
To make the most own this benefit, choose the location of your lemon thyme carefully.
They look like evergreen shrubs while giving a distinctive lemon fragrance. They thrive under the full dust during early spring in well-drained soil that receives minimal irrigation.
This is a low maintenance plant that does well even in poor soil conditions. It is also one of the most drought-resistant plants you can choose, with root rot being the only real threat you should avoid.
Citronella
Excellent for essential oils, sprays, and on its own, citronella is a natural way to keep spiders away. They hate the smell created by the acids in the grass of its plants.
Just remember that citronella does well in the cold, so winters and chilly areas will be a challenge.
If you live in a place with cold winters, we recommend you grow citronella in containers so you can bring and keep them indoors when the temperature drops.
Citronella oil is also excellent for keeping mosquitoes away. You can even make a citronella oil lamp as your pest control hack!
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm, similar to mint, can be an invasive plant. We suggest you take care when planting lemon balm in your garden. It also has a strong scent that will be great for insect repelling.
Lemon balm is versatile enough to deter spiders and other insects, including fruit flies. This is why they will be a great addition to your house or kitchen.
Due to its invasive nature, lemon balm is very hardy when controlled well.
They are easy to grow and challenging to kill. As long as you have well-draining soil and good sunlight, anyone can grow it.
Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena, like rosemary, is a perennial plant that can reach between 6 to 9 feet tall with rough, glossy leaves with a pointed shape.
This plant repels spiders with its overpowering scent, as long as the leaves are not bruised or damaged.
These aren’t just spider repellents but are also great for keeping away other insects, bugs, and pests. And lemon verbena plants make an excellent flavoring for any fish or continental dish!
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums are typically known as “mums.” They have an insect repelling compound knownas cancelled pyrethrins, an ingredient that is used in many natural pesticides.
It would help if you grew mums in a sunny place. However, it cannot be too bright, otherwise, the plant will stop flowering.
And it is the flowers that produce the repellant that you can use to get rid of that annoying spider who has been overstaying its welcome.
To encourage more flowers to come out, you should do what is called deadheading flowers. This is done by removing the dead blossom you see on the plant.
Rosemary
Rosemary is another versatile plant. It repels spiders and makes a delicious ingredient for many recipes.
In most climates, this is considered a perennial plant which means it can live for around two years. It also grows well in pots.
Since they are easy to grow in containers, it is easy to put them wherever you want, whether by your door or in a mason jar on the counter.
Infographic
Essential Oils or Houseplants?
Essential oils are an excellent, all-natural alternative to repel spiders. A famous DIY trick is to place cotton balls that have been soaked in peppermint oil in the corners of your house.
You can also use essential oils to make homemade spider spray. Plus, they require no care or time from you and can be used as needed.
Some houseplants, when placed in similar locations, work the same way. Its added benefit is they look great and can provide numerous benefits that a cotton ball will not give you.
Plants are also more versatile, especially when you can use them for cooking. Several herb plants, such as mint, chives, basil, thyme, and more, can get rid of spiders.
You can also dry them for cooking later on or for putting in sachets so that you can place them in various locations in your house.
In the end, the choice between this will depend on you. They can both be effective in deterring spiders and other bugs.
It depends on whether you want a live plant in your home or need an essential oil for your diffuser or as a convenient insect repellent.
Additional Tips for Repelling Spiders
Big species of spiders, such as widow or wolf spiders, may require more potent insecticides or pest control.
And if you are having problems with creepy crawlies in your home or vegetable garden, here are a few additional tips to reduce the number of spiders you will see around you.
They are all easy to implement in your home.
Seal Gaps at Ground Level
Spiders will always find a way inside if you will let them.
These creepy crawlies will squish themselves down and slide through any cracks they can find in your windows, under the doors, in your walls, and through your baseboards.
You can get a clear silicone sealant or weathering strips to close off as many of these gaps as you can find.
Clean All Webs and Sacs
It is easy to ignore spider webs and sacs around your area. However, that means you will have spiders around you.
It would help if you got rid of these sacs and webs as soon as possible to let your spiders know they aren’t welcome.
Clean Up the Breeding Grounds
If you want to get rid of the spiders, make sure to move your firewood around, push bushes around with a rake, and tend to anything else in your home and garden that has been sitting around for a while.
If you disrupt their breeding spots, spiders will move on and will be less likely to multiply.
Clean with White Vinegar
White vinegar is a highly versatile tool and serves as an organic pest control to repel spiders. The acetic acid it contains has a sour taste and odor that acts as a natural spider repellent, so you are sure to keep them away.
You can spread some white vinegar around your home in the areas that spiders frequently go to, such as the kitchen or in your entranceways.
Spread Cedar Chips
If cedar chips are accessible to you, you can use these chips and blocks to repel spiders by placing them outside and inside the house. Plus, they will give your space an excellent woody scent.
Use Diatomaceous Earth
Made of fossilized remains, diatomaceous earth is an inexpensive white powder. They are useful to get rid of spiders and are non-toxic so you can use them around kids and pets.
Sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the places where you notice a lot of bugs, especially around the foundation of your house.
Infographic
Final Words
Plants that repel spiders can also deter other insects. However, if you have a current infestation, you may need a professional pest service, especially when dealing with venomous species.
But their advantage is that plants that repel spiders are all-natural, so you will not expose your family or pets to any toxic chemicals in pesticides.
We’re confident your home can benefit from having these plants that repel spiders, whether inside or in your garden.
