Should You Spray Vinegar Around Windows? Windows are one of the primary ways insects invade your home. You can deter some common pests, especially ants, by spraying vinegar on and around your windows. Ants can fit through the smallest gaps in window screens or even between the screen and frame.
Fortunately, there's an easy way to deter bugs (particularly spiders) from making their home in yours — one that doesn't involve spraying poisonous pesticides indoors. Mix a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar and spray around your window frame. Do this indoors, and outside too, if you're able to.
Eliminate pests
If you, like many others, prefer that bugs stay outside rather than inside the home, white vinegar may be the solution. One tactic is to fill a spray bottle with equal amounts of white vinegar and water. Use this to spray your home's entryways and window sills, especially those near trees or bushes.
Dilute vinegar with water in a spray bottle in equal amounts and then spray in areas where spiders had previously been active. The acetic acid in the vinegar is harmful to spiders but the strong odor of the vinegar alone will be enough to keep spiders away.
In addition to being a great cleaning agent, vinegar is effective in deterring many types of pests. Ants despise the smell of vinegar, and vinegar will wipe out the scent trails they leave around the house to navigate.
Vinegar is one of the best ingredients to make a pest control spray. It is effective in repelling ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and many others. Creating a mix is quite simple and is considered safe for humans and pets. Acidity of the vinegar is potent enough to kill many pests.
Or, wipe down your windows with an essential oil-soaked cloth. Peppermint is usually effective against most insects, but if you know more specifically what you want to repel, here are some guidelines on which oil to use. Citronella, Lavender, and Lemongrass ward off mosquitoes. Spearmint and Patchouli ward off gnats.
You can spray it directly on spiders or in places where you find them (corners, cabinets, closets, etc.). Be sure to spray cracks or crevices in the walls and floors as well where they might hide out or enter. Repeat as needed. Consider leaving the bottle in an accessible place and spray as you see them.
Vinegar spray can serve as an organic pest control, specifically for spiders. While it is harmless to humans, it contains acetic acid which gives it a sour taste and odor which spiders are highly sensitive to. To use, mix equal portions of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
Most of the time, you want to the sheet to be damp anyway. Caution: If you are sensitive to dryer sheets, be sure to wear rubber or latex gloves when handling a new sheet. Spiders and flies: Many of our readers have confirmed that dryer sheets will repel both spiders and flies.
Alexandra is a former digital editor for MarthaStewart.com. Vinegar is a homekeeping must-have. It can whiten your white laundry, wash your windows and mirrors, drive out pests, eliminate odors, remove stains, and more.
Vinegar can keep animals out of your yard.
Deer, as well as other animals, “including cats, dogs, rabbits, foxes, and raccoons, [don't like] the scent of vinegar even after it has dried.
It is much more economical than chemical cleaning solutions. Crawling insects are also not fond of vinegar, so using this solution will help keep your windows looking cleaner for longer. How does it work? The acid in vinegar breaks down film on glass surfaces.
Dampen a sponge with cleaner and rub at the stains on the windows. Rinse the area with water and proceed with regular cleaning. Spray the affected area with pure vinegar and let it sit for at least five minutes. Use a sponge or cloth to rub the stain, and proceed with regular cleaning.
Mosquitoes dislike the scent of certain liquids, such as vinegar, garlic water, or essential oils like citronella, eucalyptus, or lavender. Using these liquids can help repel mosquitoes.
Does Vinegar, Dish Soap, Essential Oils Repel Flies? Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
There are so many uses for vinegar, and fortunately, one of them is as a remedy for unwanted spiders. White vinegar contains acetic acid that harms spiders, so by using a diluted vinegar solution, you can safely and successfully repel these unwelcome guests.
Use Vinegar
This smell is a potential solution to repel spiders away from your room. A mixture of a half bottle of water and vinegar works like magic to keep these insects away. It is an easy DIY natural spider repellent. Those who do not like the strong smell of chemical pesticides tend to prefer these methods.
Spiders supposedly hate all citrus scents, so rub orange or lemon peel along skirting boards, window sills and bookshelves. Use lemon-scented cleaners and furniture polish, and burn citronella candles both inside and outside of your home.
Fill a spray bottle with water and 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil and spray in places spiders tend to hide—under furniture, in closets, and in other corners and crevices of your house. In addition, add a few drops of peppermint oil to a cotton ball and strategically place them in trouble spots.
The most effective oils to repel spiders are lavender oil, citronella oil, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, lemon oil, and peppermint essential oil. You can also use an undiluted one and sprinkle a few drops in corners where spiders tend to stay.
Discourage spiders with vinegar
Once every couple of weeks, take a spray bottle of diluted vinegar to your windows on the outside to wipe off cobwebs and leave a slight film of acetic acid, which is harmful to spiders and will discourage them from building webs on your windows.
Bug proof windows mainly need two things: (1) intact caulking around the frame and (2) good weatherstripping. These ensure that when the windows are closed, there are no gaps that bugs can enter through.
How WD-40 keeps bugs away. One of the ways to use WD-40 is to create a barrier between the outside and inside of your home. You can use a very light coating of it along the doorframes in your home, all windows and frames, and any other openings to create an invisible shield-like barrier.