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My Mom’s Solution for Keeping Spiders Out of the House

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
published Apr 18, 2023
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Credit: Marisa Vitale

I’ve been eagerly waiting for the moment I can throw open the windows to fresh spring breezes — and it seems that the insects outside my home have been awaiting the moment, too, but for different reasons. If it’s not the pollen blowing inside, it’s the bugs that somehow make it through the tiniest nooks and crannies you don’t see, even if you have screens.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way to deter bugs (particularly spiders) from making their home in yours — one that doesn’t involve spraying pesticides indoors. I learned it from my mother: Mix a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar and spray around your window frame. Do this indoors, and outdoors too, if you’re able to.

If you have doubts about my mother’s trusty vinegar-and-water spray, here’s what Natural Living Ideas says about this solution: “If you don’t have a bottle of vinegar in your house, you should really get one as it has about a gazillion uses, including repelling spiders. As vinegar contains acetic acid that harms them, using a diluted vinegar solution will help you to safely and successfully repel the eight-legged creatures.”

My bedroom window growing up faced a tree that was beautiful, but also home to many bugs (again, particularly spiders) that would take a little hop on over to the window and then a little trip into my room. My mother’s trusty vinegar-and-water sprays kept them out.

And if you’re wondering about the smell, here’s the answer: To human noses, the smell dissipates as soon as the vinegar dries. Besides, I’d take a whiff of vinegar over spiders in my bedroom any day, wouldn’t you?

This post was originally published on Apartment Therapy. Read it there: Why You Should Spray Vinegar Around Your Windows