I had just picked up a can of deodorant, removed the cap and prepared to spray my underarms, when I saw a huge, hairy spider scrambling across the top of the dresser where I was standing. I simply reacted, turning the deodorant on this hideous intruder and giving it a good blast.

To my utter amazement, the spider immediately flipped over on its back and its legs crumpled. The deodorant had killed it quicker than any insecticide I’d ever …