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Five 500ml sprays. Four are sold as repellents — peppermint, or peppermint and clove — and one is an insecticide whose listing names a synthetic pyrethroid. The difference between those two things is the whole of this page, and the regulator’s position on the first group is set out below before any of them.
Start with your situation
- You want to know whether a repellent spray works. The ASA reports it has accepted no efficacy claim for this class — what the regulator has accepted.
- You have webs and want fewer of them. The extension guidance puts a vacuum cleaner ahead of a bottle — what is actually in the house.
- You have sprayed before and they came back. That is what the guidance predicts — where a spray does not work.
- You want the one product here that is an insecticide. The NOPE! contact spray names a synthetic pyrethroid; the other four do not name an active at all.
- You want a scented barrier and nothing stronger. Peppermint, peppermint and clove or unscented.
Warning
One product on this page is an insecticide and four are not. Read the label on whichever you buy: the repellents name no active substance at all, and the insecticide names a synthetic pyrethroid.
What Is Actually in the House
Before anything is sprayed, it is worth knowing what the published guidance treats spiders as. UC IPM’s pest note says “spiders are mostly beneficial because they feed on pest insects” (UC IPM). Its advice on what to do about them is not a product: “Focus spider control efforts on removing webs and hiding places. Pesticides are not generally needed.”
Purdue Extension puts the same point in one line — “Sanitation is the most practical method of spider control.” — and is specific about the method: “Clean away all webbing with a vacuum cleaner so that eggs and spiders are picked up and destroyed.” (Purdue Extension). Both are American services writing about their own states; what is taken from them here is method, not a claim about which species live in a British house.
What the Regulator Has Accepted
Four of the five products here are repellents, and the advertising regulator has a settled position on that class. The ASA’s AdviceOnline entry on pest repellents states: “In past years, the ASA, together with independent experts, has closely examined the evidence for claims for those devices, which can range from cat-shaped metal sheets with glowing eyes to ultrasonic and electromagnetic equipment. It has yet to accept any claim of efficacy.” (ASA).
And it is direct about what a seller may say: “Marketers who do not hold evidence in the form of UK-based trials should not state or imply efficacy for the products, through either claims, visuals or product names.” That is why every claim on the cards below is attributed to the maker who made it. “No claim of efficacy has been accepted” is not the same statement as “these products do not work”, and this page does not make the second one.
Where a Spray Does Not Work
As a lasting answer, on the published evidence. UC IPM is plain about insecticides: “Insecticides will not provide long-term control and should not generally be used against spiders outdoors.” and “Control by spraying is only temporary unless accompanied by housekeeping.” (UC IPM). That is written about the strongest thing on this page, not the weakest.
Against a spider that is not there yet. Purdue notes that “Most spiders can live for several months without food.” A treated skirting board is not a sealed one, and a spider that walks in under a door has not met the treated surface.
On the gap itself. The two things the guidance names — caulking cracks and crevices, and screens that seal — are jobs for sealant and mesh. No spray on this page does either, and the comparison table says how long each maker claims its film lasts rather than what it achieves.
What Decides the Choice
1. Whether it is a repellent or an insecticide
One listing names an active substance — a synthetic pyrethroid — and gives spider as its target species. The other four name no active at all. That is the largest single difference on the page and the table states it for every row.
2. What the maker claims about duration
The stated figures run from up to 3 weeks to up to 12, and one product states 4 weeks for cobwebs specifically. Every one of those is the maker’s own figure, listing-traceable, and none has been tested by this page.
3. Scent, and where it is going
Three of the five are mint or mint-and-clove; one is listed as unscented; the insecticide is listed as odourless. In a bedroom or a living room that is a real difference between products, and it is one the listings do state.
Peppermint spray, 500ml — Zero In Spider Repellent Peppermint Oil Spray 500ml
Spray
Zero In Spider Repellent Peppermint Oil Spray 500ml
Peppermint spray, 500ml
- 500ml, listed as ready to use; mint scent
- The maker describes it as a non-toxic peppermint oil barrier that repels spiders without harming them
- The maker states protection for up to 3 weeks
- Item form stated two ways on the listing: Aerosol in the detail table, a trigger bottle with an on/off nozzle in the feature text
- Listing directions: shake, twist the nozzle open, spray around entry points and skirting
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A 500ml peppermint oil spray for use around entry points and skirting, with the maker claiming a barrier lasting up to three weeks. Its own listing describes the form two ways — an aerosol in the detail table, a trigger bottle with an on/off nozzle in the text — and the card carries both.
Peppermint spray, 2 x 500ml — Zero In Spider Repellent 500ml Twin Pack
Spray
Zero In Spider Repellent 500ml Twin Pack
Peppermint spray, 2 x 500ml
- Two 500ml bottles, as listed; mint scent
- The maker describes it as a non-hazardous mint oil spray that repels spiders without harming them
- The maker states the barrier lasts 2 to 3 weeks
- Listed as stain-free and low-odour, for living areas
- Item form listed as Liquid; the same maker's single pack lists Aerosol
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The same product in two bottles, listed as mint scent, stain-free and low-odour, with the maker claiming two to three weeks per application. Its detail table lists the item form as Liquid where the single pack says Aerosol.
Peppermint and clove spray, 500ml — Acana Natural Spider Stopper 500ml
Spray
Acana Natural Spider Stopper 500ml
Peppermint and clove spray, 500ml
- 500ml, listed as a water-based spray with peppermint and clove oils
- The maker states protection lasting up to 12 weeks
- Listed as usable on any surface and as not staining
- Listed for homes, garages and sheds
- Country of origin listed as United Kingdom
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A water-based peppermint and clove spray listed for any surface and for homes, garages and sheds, made in the United Kingdom. Its maker claims the longest duration here, up to twelve weeks; that figure is the maker's and is not tested by this page.
Unscented spray, 500ml — Pestbye Get Rid of Spiders Spray Repellent & Deterrent 500ml
Spray
Pestbye Get Rid of Spiders Spray Repellent & Deterrent 500ml
Unscented spray, 500ml
- 500ml single bottle; scent listed as unscented
- The maker describes it as creating a barrier and says it will not directly harm spiders
- The maker states it stops cobwebs forming on treated areas for up to 4 weeks
- Listed as cruelty free; country of origin listed as China
- Active substance not stated on the listing
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An unscented 500ml spray whose maker says it will not directly harm spiders and claims cobwebs are stopped on treated areas for up to four weeks. Its detail table belongs to a different product — mains power, ultrasonic technology, a £30.98 price — so nothing in that table is stated here.
Pyrethroid contact spray, 500ml — NOPE! Spider Killer Spray 500ml
Spray
NOPE! Spider Killer Spray 500ml
Pyrethroid contact spray, 500ml
- 500ml; the one insecticide here — the listing calls it a contact killer with synthetic pyrethroid technology
- Target species listed as Spider
- Listed as water-based, odourless and non-staining, for indoor and outdoor use
- The maker states a residual barrier giving up to 6 weeks of protection
- Manufacturer listed as Safeguard Europe; country of origin United Kingdom
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The one insecticide on the page: a 500ml contact spray whose listing names synthetic pyrethroid technology and gives spider as the target species, water-based, odourless and for indoor or outdoor use. The maker claims a residual barrier of up to six weeks.
If a Spray Is Not the Answer
The vacuum cleaner. It is the first method both extension services name, and it removes the eggs as well as the web.
Sealant and screens. Caulking cracks around the foundation, windows and doors is what Purdue names as exclusion; UC IPM adds “Inspect window and door screens for good seals to keep out spiders and the insects they prey on.”
The light by the door. UC IPM notes that outdoor lighting attracts the insects spiders feed on. Moving a light is free and it addresses the food supply rather than the spider.
Using One
- Clear the webs first. That is the step the guidance puts ahead of everything else, and a spray does not do it.
- Read the label. One of these is an insecticide; four are not. The label, not the card, governs where it may be used.
- Treat the edges, not the room. Every listing here describes entry points, skirting and frames rather than open floor.
- Test the surface. Two listings claim not to stain; none of them claims that for every surface in a house.
- Expect to reapply. The makers’ own figures run from three to twelve weeks, and UC IPM’s line about spraying being temporary applies whichever bottle you bought.
The Five Sprays Compared
Every column below is what the Amazon listing itself states, with a duration figure attributed to the maker who claims it. Where a listing does not state something, the cell says so rather than guessing.
| Product | Active or base, as listed | Duration claimed by the maker | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero In Spider Repellent 500ml | Peppermint oil, as listed | Up to 3 weeks, per the maker | Peppermint spray, 500ml |
| Zero In Spider Repellent twin pack | Peppermint oil, as listed | 2–3 weeks, per the maker | Peppermint spray, 2 x 500ml |
| Acana Natural Spider Stopper 500ml | Peppermint and clove oils, as listed | Up to 12 weeks, per the maker | Peppermint and clove spray, 500ml |
| Pestbye Spider Repellent 500ml | not stated | Up to 4 weeks, per the maker | Unscented spray, 500ml |
| NOPE! Spider Killer Spray 500ml | Synthetic pyrethroid, as listed | Up to 6 weeks, per the maker | Pyrethroid contact spray, 500ml |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does peppermint oil repel spiders?
This page cannot tell you that it does. Four of the five products here are repellents, and the ASA reports that it has yet to accept any claim of efficacy for pest repellent devices, and that marketers without UK-based trial evidence should not state or imply efficacy. What the makers claim is on each card, framed as theirs. What the extension guidance quoted above recommends instead is removing webs and hiding places, and sealing the gaps insects come in through.
Why do I see more spiders in September?
Adult house spiders are more visible in late summer and early autumn as males move about looking for mates. No listing here mentions a season, and this page holds no UK source on the timing, so it does not put a date range on it.
Will a spray clear an infestation?
UC IPM's guidance is that insecticides will not provide long-term control and should not generally be used against spiders outdoors, and that control by spraying is only temporary unless accompanied by housekeeping. Only one product here is an insecticide at all; the other four are repellents.
What about the gaps they come in through?
Purdue Extension's guidance is that many spiders may be excluded by caulking or otherwise eliminating cracks and crevices around the foundation and around windows and doors, and UC IPM says to inspect window and door screens for good seals. That is a sealant-and-screen job, and nothing on this page does it.