The bottom line: It’s not a guaranteed solution, but it’s cheap, safe, and worth a try.
My Experiment: Vicks vs. The Spider Invasion
I bought a small blue jar of Vicks VapoRub (the original formula—not the generic, not the lavender-scented version). I didn’t want to
smear it directly on my windowsills (the greasy residue would collect dust), so I got creative.
My method: I dabbed small amounts of Vicks onto cotton balls—about the size of a pea per cotton ball. I placed them in discreet locations: behind curtains, on windowsills, under the couch, in the corners of closets, near the basement door.
The result: Within a few days, I noticed fewer spiders. Not zero—but noticeably fewer. I wasn’t finding a new one every morning. By the end of the week, the invasion had subsided.
can’t prove it was the Vicks. Maybe spider season was ending. Maybe they’d moved on to terrorize someone else. But I was grateful. And I’ve continued using Vicks-soaked cotton balls in problem areas ever since.
