Then a friend who also lives in an ancient, spider-prone house mentioned something I’d never considered: Vicks VapoRub.
“Vicks?” I said. “The stuff you
put on your chest when you have a cold?”
“That’s the one,” she said. “Spiders hate menthol. Try it.”
I was skeptical. Vicks smells like a cough drop exploded. Would that really deter spiders? And more importantly, would my house smell like a medicinal fog for the rest of eternity?
I tried it anyway. Because at that point, I would have tried almost anything.
And here’s what happened.
The Theory: Why Vicks VapoRub Might Repel Spiders
Let me explain the science behind the claim.
Vicks VapoRub contains several strong-smelling ingredients:
care. But many people report success with menthol-based repellents.
Is it scientifically proven? There are no large-scale studies testing Vicks specifically as a spider repellent. But the individual ingredients (peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil) have some anecdotal and limited scientific support as insect and arachnid repellents.
