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Does Lysol Repel Spiders? (Read This First!)

Our houses have many corners that are inaccessible to us and are not usually visible. Such corners often stay undisturbed and become the ideal nesting spot for many bugs and insects such as spiders. 

Some of them may be even venomous and need to be repelled immediately – which you can learn about from the information laid below.

Does Lysol repel spiders?

Lysol is effective at repelling spiders, as it is poisonous to spiders. Although spraying Lysol on spiders will not eliminate them immediately, the spiders will definitely try to escape as far as possible and perish slowly. Lysol does not eliminate spiders instantly but it can chase them away.

Lysol is commonly known and used as a disinfectant spray all across the world which is used to get rid of germs and infectious microbes off the surfaces of the objects. The liquid spray contains various sorts of acid, alcohol, and other chemicals that allow it to disinfect an area.

But whether these acids, alcohols, and chemicals have an effect on spiders or repel them is another matter. 

Although Lysol was not developed and intended to act as an insect repellent, it does contain some distinct chemicals common to spider repellents that can help get rid of spiders or at least repel them from the area.

One such chemical found in Lysol spray is a chemical called sodium hypochlorite. This chemical compound is potent enough to keep spiders away from an area and has the ability to get rid of them. 

However, one should note that although this chemical is strong enough to repel spiders, they are not effective if applied in minute amounts.

In fact, to completely eliminate a live spider just using a Lysol spray – you will need to use at least half a bottle of the spray. Hence, Lysol works well in repelling spiders but not efficiently at eliminating them.

Do spiders dislike Lysol?

Spiders are those insects that are very sensitive to scents due to their ability to pick up traces of different items sprayed. You will notice that spiders stay clear of locations with scents of peppermint, citrus fruits, or even salt. 

Spiders dislike these items and therefore tend to stay away from any location that has traces of these items.

However, Lysol is a disinfectant spray that mostly consists of chemicals that spiders may or may not dislike. And up until now, there have been no concrete results or experiments conducted to test the reaction of spiders towards an area sprayed with Lysol.

How to get rid of spiders using Lysol?

Sometimes you might notice a spider crawling about your room or in the office but do not have sufficient time to go and look for a spider repellent. In such cases, you might want to use a Lysol spray to get the job done. Follow the steps below to effectively get rid of spiders.

Clear the clutter around the spider:

Once the spider senses and knows that you are trying to get rid of it, it will definitely try to escape somewhere. Spiders are very agile insects and tend to hide in dark corners such as boxes, sofa, furniture, or any other object if they notice your approach.

So you should ideally clear the path and make sure there is a wide escape route for the spider to leave out through.

Spray in the direction opposite to the exit path:

After clearing the space around the spider, slowly inch towards the spider from the direction opposite to the path you opened up for the spider’s exit. Next, apply the spray from a short distance away from the spider in flow instead of one long continuous spray.

As the spider tries to escape in other directions, use the spray to discourage them into hiding somewhere else and lead them towards the exit.

Discouraging spiders from coming:

After the spiders have left, you can sprinkle some salt or spray some lemon juice in the area where you first saw the spiders. That should keep them away from that place.

How do I spider-proof my house?

Spiders are not harmful insects and should not be harmed unless necessary but many of us get creeped out at the sight of these eight-legged creatures. Some of us may not want them to stick around our house due to arachnophobia. 

Below are some effective ways of spider proofing your house:

Using scented oils or liquids:

By using a spider’s strong sense of smell to our advantage, we can enclose our rooms with smells that spiders cannot stand. Luckily, there are tons of fragrance-scented items that not only keep our rooms smelling amazing but also are effective at keeping out spiders.

Essential oils such as Eucalyptus oil, Cinnamon Oil, or Peppermint oil work effectively in candle form or as air freshener sprays. You can also spray citrus juices such as lemon extract to fend off spiders as well. 

Weekly clean up unused rooms:

Unused rooms or furniture are the ideal spots for insects to infest on and that is no different for spiders as well. You will often notice huge cobwebs hanging around the room at different corners when you visit them after a long time. 

Spiders make these webs in places where there is minimal human activity.

To counter that you can schedule weekly cleanups for unused rooms and remove webs as well as block any gaps that might allow spider entry.

Surround the perimeter with insecticide:

To ensure no spiders come into your house from the outside, you can get yourself a spider repellent or insecticide from the general store. Fill up a pump sprayer with the liquid and spray about six inches from your house exterior.

What scent repels spiders?

If you have small children or pets around the house, then it should not be recommended that you go for chemical insecticides for spider control. Chemical-based ones are both dangerous and harmful for the environment – rather there are some scents that keep away spiders.

Ground Chestnuts:

Chestnuts are those items that are unexpectedly good at repelling spiders. A study conducted at the National Center for Biotechnology Information has found in their experiment that chestnuts are disliked by spiders. To bring out their scent, you can grind them up into smaller chunks.

Essential Oils:

Mint, eucalyptus, and marigold oils are known for their strong distinct smells which on the counter are disliked by spiders. Spiders can sense an item when they come in direct contact with them. So a surface coated with these oil droplets will repel the spiders.

Capsaicin:

Capsaicin is a chemical compound found in many hot peppers such as cayenne peppers but they function a bit differently than other forms of spray-able scents. Liquids like essential oils can be bottled and sprayed into surfaces and they repel spiders as they step on the coated surface.

However, these peppers cannot be made into sprays so they are a bit more difficult to apply. But if the peppers are ground into powders, they can be sprinkled on top of the surface of different areas – which will keep the spiders away.

Citrus Fruits:

Although the raw skin of the citrus fruits is rarely effective at keeping spiders away, their extracts or essential oils work great. You can use lemon extract or citrus essential oils as sprays to create an anti-spider coating on surfaces.

What terminates spiders instantly?

Although spiders are not often life-threatening in themselves they can attract larger and venomous predators into your house. There are several effective methods that are effective at getting rid of spiders instantly. 

Some of them require chemical use as well as physical labor but are guaranteed to get the job done.

You can choose to use a broom to squash a spider or even a shoe would work as well, but it requires you to get close to the spider without startling it. Another way of getting rid of the spider is by spraying a strong insecticide on the spider.

What is the best spider deterrent?

When it comes to the best spider deterrent, the clear winner is professional insecticides due to their quick and effective functionality. But if you prefer something homemade and much environmentally friendly, then white vinegar is a strong contender in that case.

Mixing equal portions of vinegar and water to make a sprayable solution is a sure-fire way to keep spiders away. Why many people would consider vinegar the best deterrent is because it is not just safe but also it is cheaper than professional insecticides.

Final Thoughts

Lysol can be used to repel spiders as it is poisonous to them. Spraying Lysol on spiders will not eliminate them immediately but cause escape and perish slowly. As it was not designed as an insecticide or a repellent so, they do not eliminate spiders instantly but can chase them away.