Finding a natural way to rid your home of pests is always preferred over using chemical pesticides where you, your family, and your pets breathe in the air. Spiders are household invaders that most people don’t want lurking around their premises. Fortunately, you can easily repel spiders by placing a lemongrass plant in your home.
Lemongrass is commonly planted outdoors because it makes a beautiful addition to a walkway with long and flowing leaves. It grows best in a hot and humid climate and won’t withstand cold temperatures. A lemongrass plant requires at least six hours of sunlight per day to thrive. Indoors, it also needs access to a steady supply of heat and sunlight. If you have lemongrass plants outside in your garden and would like to bring them inside for the winter, you can easily propagate them or re-pot them. When you bring them indoors, you instantly get the bonus of helping curb spiders inside.
How lemongrass repels spiders
Spiders can enter a home in several ways, through cracks, gaps, and holes in piping or vents. Even old weather stripping or worn screens can help a spider to get inside. Consequently, it is important to seal up any holes in the home where spiders may pass through and enter your home.
Lemongrass has a strong and citrusy scent that spiders do not like. They will avoid coming into contact with the scent, whether it’s fresh on the plant or mixed with water and sprayed near openings like windows and doorways. Lemongrass also helps repel other insects, including mosquitoes, cockroaches, bed bugs, and ticks.
If you have pets, you’ll want to look for an alternative method to repel spiders since lemongrass oil is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Still, some veterinarians disagree on whether it’s all that harmful, and though a pet would have to ingest a good amount of lemongrass to suffer the effects, it’s not something you want to take a chance on.
