Essential oil of Lemon is a great natural deterrent for spiders. I make my own surface cleaner for cleaning counter-tops etc. and use a few drops of lemon oil in that to keep spiders out of the kitchen area, and I put some in my mop water and the water I use when I clean walls or ceilings.

I also make up a room spray with about two cups of distilled water, a couple drops of Seventh Generation dishwashing liquid (acts as an emulsifier to allow the lemon oil to mix with the water) and 5 to 15 drops of lemon oil depending on how lemony I want it (I occasionally mix in other essential oils as well for other properties they might have... essential oil of lavender is nice with the lemon... I never go above a total of 15 drops of oil though in one batch though). I squirt that in corners that I know spiders are attracted to and around the house.

I use a very similar spray, made the same way, as a linen spray but combine lemon and lavender with essential oil of eucalyptus because eucalyptus kills dust mites.

Also I know you didn't ask, but silverfish and mildew / mold are deterred by essential oil of clove; I combine that with a little borax, dishwashing detergent, baking soda, vinegar and essential oils of cinnamon and orange which have anti-bacterial & anti-fungal properties (and they all smell really nice together), and I use that to clean my bath because when we first moved in I saw some silverfish under the bathroom sink.

Jacqueline, I nearly jumped out of my seat reading your recipes - those are amazing. (I sometimes check the "Better Basics for Non-Toxic Living" website for similar recipes too and I need to buy that book).

I'm curious - if you don't mind sharing? - what is your kitchen counter recipe? I've tried a couple - 2 teaspoons of washing soda, 2 teaspoons of borax, and 1/2 teaspoon of natural liquid soup with a cup of hot water, but this mixture (featured in "Naturally Clean: The Seventh Generation Guide to Safe & Healthy, Non-toxic Cleaning" by Jeff Hollander - an excellent read by the way) leaves a white residue on the surface.

I've also tried hydrogen peroxide on counters, which seems to work, but I'm not that pleased with it for some reason, although it does disinfect, which is important; I believe I'm supposed to dilute it 50/50 with water. But you're speaking my language, because I'm fighting spiders too, and I didn't realize lemon was a deterrent. Dust mites are always an enemy too. I'm just curious about all your recipes, aren't I.

A fun way to make any room smell nice is drop a drop of any essential oil on a hot light bulb. Tea tree oil in water is supposed to kill mold and mildew, but I've had better success using a spray of vinegar followed immediately by a spray of hydrogen peroxide (you can buy empty spray bottles with tops that'll screw off and right on to the hydrogen peroxide bottle so you don't have to pour it out) for cleaning mold and mildew around windows.

Hi there GreenOne, I love finding a kindred spirit. I've been crazy for non-toxic cleaning and making my own products forever. I too found that borax and washing soda left a white residue on my kitchen counters, and I ended up trying a lot of different mixes varying different ingredients, ultimately I've found I like a mix of 1C vinegar, 1C water, 3 drops of Seventh Generation dish washing liquid with a few drops of whatever essential oil suits me when I make up the mix... antibacterials include lemon, lime, lavender, thyme, eucalyptus, oregano and a bunch others.

One of my favorite blends is 5 drops of lemon, 10 drops of lemongrass which is anti-septic, anti-bacterial & anti-fungal combined in equal parts with 10 drops of clary sage and 10 drops of bergamot which are also antiseptic and great deodorizers too.

Another good combo is palmarosa which is antiseptic, antiviral and antibacterial with lavender which has all the properties of palmarosa and is antifungal as well with lemon and geranium. You can mess with the quantities a bit to get a fragrance you like. With 2 cups of liquid I usually keep the oils around 25 - 35 drops and just mix it up depending on the season or what I want to smell at the time. I almost feel as though mixing up what I use to disinfect keep the bacteria from getting too used to any one thing too... though that's probably crazy :)

I only end up using a bit of borax in a mix now when I need to deal with a greasy appliance, and I just use a couple of teaspoons dissolved in about a quarter cup of hot water and a quarter cup of vinegar with a few drops of dish washing liquid & just a few drops of lemon or orange essential oils, but I have to rinse with plain water or vinegar to remove any residue.

I do love experimenting though :)

Jacqueline,

I've been using your lemon spray to deter spiders, and it's fantastic. I also like using your eucalyptus spray to kill dust mites. I read somewhere that adding it to your laundry can help to kill 'em too, so I'll be trying that too. Your mixtures are amazing. I'll be checking back a lot to try the ones you mentioned with lemongrass and palmarosa.

Overall, it's a lot of fun using these sprays, since you can custom make 'em. I'll look forward to seeing more of your ideas and will share mine as I come along 'em. I just learned today that baking soda sprinkled around the oven, and then sprayed with water and left over night cleans the oven pretty well. It did take some scrubbing to remove the baking soda the next morning, though spraying some vinegar sped it up.

Hi to the both of you. I like what you both have been saying about the essential oils, lemon for the spiders, that sounds great. One question, where could I buy the oils at? I'm in a small military town in Oklahoma. And for my countertops, I had read at the National Geographic website once that the best way to disinfect countertops was to keep two separate spray bottles, one with vinegar and one with peroxide. They both disinfect. You just, keep them undiluted. Spray one, then the other let it sit for a few seconds, then I wash it off with a hot wash cloth and rinse it once more time. I love it. I keep a bottle of 7Gen's multipurpose cleaner for tough stuck on foods/greases around the stove top. It works faster and better than the vinegar. I used to use Borax around the stove, but the 7Gen cleaner is better and easier to use.

Hey Soldiersgirl,

Yep, I tried using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide on my counters, and it worked really well too. As far as buying essential oils, I buy them at Whole Foods Market, but there may not be one near you. You may have better luck finding them at a natural foods store or a market of some kind. Gosh, I'm not sure - but you also may be able to find them at a mom and pop store that maybe sells different nick nacks, or you can perhaps try to order them online. They do last a long time, so if you know someone near a Whole Foods Market or natural foods store, perhaps they could pick some up and send to ya.

I'm so glad you're liking my sprays GreenOne. I love making them. When I get tired of one smell I move on to something different :) But I just love bright citrusy smells around the house. I like the baking soda in the oven idea I'll give that a try next time it needs a clean. I love sharing this stuff. I'll keep a lookout for your posts.

Soldiersgirl... When I run out of something there are shops here locally I can buy from pretty easily, but about once a year I place a big order to restock myself from a place called Nature's Gift. I love their products, and she spends a LOT of time describing the different properties of each oil she sells. I recommend the site highly (and I don't own it or anything, I just wish I did).