You don’t need to suffer from arachnophobia (fear of spiders) to detest the sight of those little eight-legged creatures scuttling around your home. If you’re sick of opening the shower curtain to find a spider staring back up at you, there are things you can do to get rid of spiders and deter them from sneaking back inside.
While the first point of call should be to patch up as many cracks as possible in floors, doors, and windows, it’s rarely enough to keep them out completely. Spiders are small, smart, and good at fitting through openings that you may not even be able to see.
But what else can you do to keep your home spider-free? Firstly, it’s essential to understand that spiders are mostly attracted to food sources and shelter. So, some of the following tips count as general insect-proofing. That’s because keeping flies and cockroaches away makes your home less attractive to spiders. Here are 6 tips on how to get rid of spiders from your home and keep them away.
In This Article
1. Keep Outdoor Lights Off
It’s well known that many insects are attracted to light sources. Therefore, spiders will also congregate around light when there are plenty of insects around for them to trap and eat.
To keep insects (and spiders) away from your doors and windows, try to remove or dim light sources by:
- Using thick blinds or curtains
- Keeping any outdoor lights turned off or on a sensor
- Changing your light bulbs to yellow bug lights as they are less attractive to insects
2. Keep a Tidy House
Apart from food sources, spiders are attracted to areas that are suitable for web building. That’s why you often see webs in the corners of the room or across items of furniture that don’t get moved or used a lot. Spiders will abandon webs and build new ones if their spot is not attracting food or is not well protected. So clean up cobwebs as soon as you see them.
In general, preventing clutter from gathering and keeping a clean and well-ordered home goes a long way to keeping spiders at bay. They’ll set up home where they feel safe, not where a vacuum cleaner comes and sucks up their shelter every couple of days! Pay particular attention to this during winter as the cold weather is more likely to drive spiders indoors.
Keeping a tidy home as a method of spider prevention also extends to the back yard. Having foliage too close to the house can encourage them to find ways inside. So, make sure the grass is kept short, and any trees and foliage are cut back to at least 8ft away from the house.
3. Use Chemical Insecticides
Many common household insect repellents can be highly effective against spiders, for two reasons. Firstly, even if they do not directly repel spiders in your home, you’ll be eradicating their insect food source. Secondly, most insect repellents are highly effective on spiders, but only if they are correctly used.
Remember, the spider must come into direct physical contact with the chemical. They can either be directly sprayed or move through an area that has been sprayed. Try to cover areas of the home where you commonly see spider webs and any cracks or nooks and crannies where they are likely to cross.
Some people would rather not use chemical repellents if they have small children or pets in the home, and it is essential to read the warning labels on any repellent before use.
4. Try Some Natural Remedies
If you’re cautious about using chemicals in the home, there are plenty of natural repellents you can try out, too.
Use Essential Oils or Plants
Spiders hate the smell of certain natural odors such as peppermint oil, cinnamon, lemon, vinegar, and lavender. Simply choose one of the above scents, mix 15-20 drops with water in a spray bottle, and spray around windows, cracks, corners, and any other openings where spiders might get into your home.
Some people even say that cutting horse chestnuts (sometimes known as “conkers”) in two can be enough to keep spiders away.
Buy Spider-Repelling Plants
It is said that spiders also hate the smell of plants such as eucalyptus, so pick up a few to distribute around your home close to windows and other entrances.
Get a Cat
While this might not be the most practical solution for everyone, if you’re a cat lover, it’s a win-win. Cats will hunt and kill spiders and keep your home free of eight-legged visitors.
5. Call Pest Control
Sometimes, spiders can lay eggs in tiny sacs around your home. When those sacs burst, you could be dealing with a major infestation, and conventional methods of getting rid of spiders may not be enough.
In that case, it might be time to call pest control specialists to deal with the problem. While it might not be a huge issue to have the common house spider setting up shop in your house, people in warm or tropical climates may potentially be dealing with highly poisonous spiders. In those instances, major infestations are definitely better left to the professionals.
6. Try Some Humane Traps and Other Approaches
If you want to treat spiders nicely but don’t want to welcome them in as roommates, there are humane ways to remove them and discourage them from coming back.
For example, you can buy humane spider catchers that allow you to safely collect spiders from your home and deposit them outside with no harm done. And if you don’t have one nearby, you can always gently place a cup over the spider, carefully slot a piece of paper underneath, and lift up both to carry the spider outside.
