Keep spiders out of your home ahead of mating season with £1.30 kitchen essential

Towards the end of August, and beginning of September, you might start to see more and more spiders start to appear in your home. Leading up to a peak in mid-October, this is the start of spider mating season - and it's any arachnaphobe's worst nightmare.

As the weather starts to turn colder, spiders tend to flock inside our homes in order to find a warm and dry place to mate. UK households have already been urged to shut their windows from 7pm over the next four weeks, as it's more likely the creepy crawlies will try to enter your home.

Alan Reid, a windows expert at Art Windows and Doors, said: "Male house spiders and false widows are on the move, and homes with open windows are at risk of infestation. Now is the time to seal gaps and shut windows before spider season peaks."

However, there's also another trick you can try to keep these unwelcome eight-legged visitors out of your home, and you only need one kitchen essential.

Plymouth mum Danielle is preparing for spider season with a little-known hack she uses to keep the eight-legged creatures out of the house. In a recent clip to her TikTok account, he shared a clip of herself using a kitchen spray in the cracks of her windows and windowsills.

She captioned the clip: "When spider season is upon us and you've already had a huge unwanted eight-legged visitor in the house. Astonish saving the day!"

The spray she used was Astonish Kitchen Cleaner Spray, which can be picked up from your local supermarket, or Ocado for £1.30. According to the description, the spray has a "zesty lemon scent" and can be used to cut through "grease and kitchen grime with ease".

Explaining how she uses it, she wrote in the comment section: "When I use it I don't see any spiders! I use it every couple of days on all of my windows and doors."

According to Pest UK, spiders hate strong smells such as lemons, limes, oranges, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil. Vinegar is another strong scent that helps repel spiders, but some people aren't too keen on the vinegar smell lingering around their homes.

Alternatively, you can make your own "spider repellent" by squeezing half a lemon and mixing it with water. Add the liquid into a spray bottle and spray to any areas of the house where you think spiders might enter.

People started sharing their own hacks in the comments section of Danielle's video. "I put lavender and peppermint oil on a cotton pad and stuffed it in the corner of my window I've had no spiders since," said one person.

Another wrote: "For years I have put conkers in the corners of my rooms-no spiders. If you can't get conkers, they are everywhere in UK atm, use Badedas bath gel on cotton wool. It has horse chestnut extract which is in essence a conker."

Someone else wrote: "I burn lavender candles all day and night and have no spiders anywhere in my room."

In order to stop spiders coming inside, you'll aso want to declutter and make sure you store food properly, to avoid attracting the insects that spiders prey on. Vaccuum regularly, especially corners, behind furniture and under beds. Remove any webs you find inside or near entrances.