YOU may have already spotted a few spiders urking on a windowsill, zooming away underneath the sofa or hiding in a dark corner of your home.

Experts are warning of a 150 million-strong invasion of super-sized spiders in UK homes this autumn.

But brace yourself as giant house spiders, measuring up to 7.5cm in size and dark orange-brown in colour, commonly enter UK homes from late September through to mid-October.

The recent wet weather has also allowed insects to be trapped more easily in their webs, as raindrops glue them to their strands. 

Despite the old adage, ‘they are more scared of you’, this is cold comfort for those who are terrified of arachnids.

NHBC, the UK's leading new home warranty and insurance provider, has compiled some advice to help stop spiders from moving in.

Top tips for keeping spiders out of your home:

Fill a spray bottle with a mixture of roughly half water and half white vinegar.

Avoiding varnished surfaces, spray the mixture in corners and cracks.

Alternatively, as strong smells are believed to deter spiders, try mixing natural oils like peppermint, lavender, rose oil, tea-tree and cinnamon into spray bottles and follow the same method.

Seal off your home by filling cracks and crevices around doors and windows which spiders could crawl through.

Do you have cardboard boxes lying in a spare room? 

If so, spiders like these, so where possible, empty and dispose of them. Try to use plastic boxes as an alternative storage solution.

Plant mint, lavender or both underneath or near windows as the strong smells will deter the eight-legged inquisitive creatures.

Spiders also hate citrus, so rub peel from lemons or limes along skirting boards and window sills. You can also try lemon-scented cleaners and furniture polish.

It has been said that spiders hate garlic (not sure who they told, but apparently it's a fact), so place crushed cloves into a spray bottle filled with water and spritz in corners, floors and skirting boards.

Dust and vacuum regularly to get rid of webs and de-clutter your house as much as possible to reduce the number of places a spider can hide.