Remember that cute story when you were a kid about the spider going up the spout? Well, it’s not so cute when they’re in your home. We’ll show you how to get rid of spiders in your house by using a variety of methods to kill them and prevent them from coming back.
A spider infestation is no laughing matter, especially if you have a fear of spiders. Generally, spiders prefer taking up their quarters in the outdoors, but there are instances such as weather conditions that can send eight-legged creepy crawlies into your home.
Most standard house spiders are harmless. Still, in some regions of the United States, you can stumble upon poisonous spiders such as the Black Widow spider and Brown Recluse spiders that have seriously nasty spider bites. Therefore, keeping spiders out of the home is essential.
tb1234
tb1234
Table Of Contents
- Get Rid of Spiders in the House
- Natural Spider Spray for In-House
- What to Spray Around House for Spiders
- How to Get Rid of Spiders in Your House
- Cleaning House Exterior to Get Rid of Spiders
- Keeping Spiders from Entering Your Home
- Eliminating Spiders by using Diatomaceous Earth
- Starving Spiders as a Form of Prevention
Get Rid of Spiders in the House
There are many methods for removing and preventing spiders in the house, and many of them are natural so that they don’t cause harm to the people residing in your home. We’ll not only show you how to kill unwanted spiders but how to prevent them from living in your home in the first place.
Natural Spider Spray for In-House
This natural spider spray for in-house not only kills spiders on contact, but you can also use it to deter them from entering your home. It contains white vinegar, which will dehydrate spiders, and peppermint essential oil, which spiders cannot stand and will avoid.
tb1234
Natural Spider Spray
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- 10 drops of peppermint oil
- Dish soap
- Glass spray bottle
tb1234
Combine the water, vinegar, and peppermint oil in a glass spray bottle, add a squirt of dish soap and shake the container gently. Make sure that you label the bottle for future use.
Spray the spider solution along all entryways to your home, including doorways, window sills, around a fireplace, baseboards, and vents. If there are particular areas that you have noticed spiders hanging out, make sure that you spray them, as well. Feel free to spray spiders directly if they come across your path. Repeat weekly.
What to Spray Around House for Spiders
Once you have eliminated a spider infestation, continue using a form of spider control until you are positive that you have resolved the infestation. Here is what to spray around house for spiders to keep them at bay.
Essential oils are an excellent choice for pest control. Some of the oils may even deter cockroaches and other insects.
tb1234
DIY Spider Prevention Spray
- Essential oils
- Water
- Glass spray bottle
- Glue traps
tb1234
Use a glass spray bottle when using essential oils to prevent degradation to the container. Fill a bottle with plain water and add 15 drops of tea tree or eucalyptus oil and shake the bottle well. Label the bottle for safe storage.
Spray all doorways, window sills, baseboards, and crevices where spiders like to hide. Repeat this process once a week. Placing insect glue traps in the spider problem areas will help you keep track of whether or not spiders have moved elsewhere.
Of course, you can also use wolf spider traps to eliminate spiders in any area of your home where you don’t want them instead of simply warning you if they are present.
How to Get Rid of Spiders in Your House
After you get rid of spiders using a spider spray, take steps to ensure that they do not come back. There are several things you can do to make your home uninviting to spiders.
tb1234
Tidy the House
- Vacuum cleaner
- Broom
tb1234
Use a broom to wipe away existing spider webs and egg sacs. Or, vacuum them away and perform this routine whenever you spot new cobwebs. Make sure that you keep your floors cleaned of spilled food crumbs that attract insects.
Clean your home of any unnecessary clutter such as empty cardboard boxes, piles of clothing, and newspapers. Spiders love clutter, especially in storage areas and dark corners of the room.
Cleaning House Exterior to Get Rid of Spiders
Spiders love hiding in dark corners, beneath logs, and any other hidey-hole. Clean up the area around your home to eliminate spiders in the house.
tb1234
Tidy the Yard
- Rake
- Garbage bags
- Broom
tb1234
Rake the areas around the outside walls of your home and dispose of debris in garbage bags or compost. Remove sticks, wood piles, and any other objects alongside the house to prevent spiders from being attracted to the area.
Use a broom to wipe away spider webs beneath eaves, doorways, and around windows. Do this regularly to encourage spiders to move elsewhere.
Keeping Spiders from Entering Your Home
You certainly don’t want a spider nest in your house, much less even one spider. One of the best ways to ensure that you do not have spiders in your home is to make access to the inside of your home nearly impossible. If they can’t get in, you won’t have an issue.
tb1234
Home Spider Prevention
- Caulk
- Fine mesh insect screens
tb1234
Use caulk to patch and seal cracks and holes around the outside of your home to prevent spiders from having easy access to the indoors. Apply caulk to other entrance areas such as electrical components, pipes, faucets, cables, and wires. Replace ripped window screens and cover vents with insect mesh screens.
Eliminating Spiders by using Diatomaceous Earth
What is diatomaceous earth used for, and how does it work? This substance kills spiders both inside and outside of your home. It gets sucked into the exoskeleton of the spider as they walk across it, causing damage and eventual death. It’s also useful for killing many other insect types.
Diatomaceous Earth Spider Killer
Spread a thin coat of diatomaceous earth in the areas where you commonly spot spiders. These areas can include window sills, door frames, outside patio, basement doorway, and in dark corners. If applying it outside, make sure that you are not expecting rain for a few days.
Starving Spiders as a Form of Prevention
A spider’s primary food source is insects. Preventing bugs from getting into your home significantly reduces the number of spiders you have. Get rid of gnats in the bathroom and flies in the kitchen by taking appropriate steps.
tb1234
Starving Spiders
- Yellow sodium vapor light bulbs
- Window shades
tb1234
Insects are attracted to certain types of lighting. One of the worst kinds of outdoor light bulbs to use is incandescent bulbs. Replace all of your outdoor lighting with yellow sodium vapor lights to lessen the number of insects you attract.
The light that shines from your windows in the evening also attracts insects. Close your curtains or install window shades to prevent lighting from leaking outdoors.
Why call in an exterminator when you can use a natural spider repellent to keep spiders at bay? Maintaining the perimeter of your home, and clearing away areas where spiders love to live is a good start to preventing spiders.
Using natural ingredients such as vinegar goes a long way to giving you peace of mind when it comes to creepy crawlies like the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse.
We hope that our recipes for how to get rid of spiders in your house help you to have a spider-free home and that you’ll share our spider killing tips with your family and friends on Facebook and Pinterest.
FAQs
What smells will keep spiders away? ›
It's easy to keep spiders away using natural products. These eight-legged creatures hate the smell of citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. They also don't like peppermint oils, tea tree oils, eucalyptus, and vinegar. Using any of these around your home will keep spiders away.
How do I get rid of spiders forever? ›How to Get Rid of Spiders Guaranteed (4 Easy Steps) - YouTube
Where do spiders hide in your house during the day? ›Spiders generally like to hide in cooler areas like under leaves or rocks until it gets closer to night, when they will head back to their web. Inside your house, it is not uncommon to find spiders hiding under furniture during the day.
What keeps spiders away at night? ›The only essential oil that appears to repel spiders is mint. If you're fond of aromatherapy, pour a dash of mint oil in your diffuser and run it in your room before you go to bed at the night. Much like chestnuts, spiders just seem to really hate the smell of mint and they should leave you alone for the night.
Do spiders like cold rooms? ›As the temperature begins to warm up, all kinds of insects hatch or emerge. Spiders re-emerge at this time, too. Spiders are not attracted to heat and can live quite comfortably in a wide temperature range. Most spiders prefer temperatures hovering around 70 degrees.
What senses do spiders hate? ›Essential oils are basically very concentrated versions of smells such as citrus, peppermint, lavender, and lime. The acidic nature of citrus is most likely the reason it repels spiders. These eight-legged arachnids are no fans of acidic smells, scents, and tastes.
What keeps spiders off you? ›Some strong smells, such as citrus and vinegar, may deter spiders. To make a natural spider repellent, mix equal parts water and lemon juice or white vinegar in a small spray bottle.
What kills spiders the best? ›White Vinegar
Vinegar has many household uses, and that includes getting rid of spiders. In a spray bottle, mix white vinegar and water in equal parts. Then, get ready to spray whenever you see a spider—the acidic nature of the vinegar will kill the spider on contact.
Uncleanliness invites spiders into your home.
Spiders like to hide in dark, dusty, or dirty areas. Cleaning your home regularly, especially under furniture like chairs, couches, and beds, will deter spiders. Vacuum and dust in high and low corners where spiders weave their webs.
It's actually not uncommon for spiders to end up on our beds. They prefer dark areas, and your bed can provide a variety of different coves and dark spaces for them to investigate. Finding a spider in your bed can be unsettling. Especially if it's a venomous spider type, like a Black Widow or Brown Recluse.
Do spiders like to go in your bed? ›
Unfortunately, many things in your bedroom and on your bed could be attractive to spiders, including long throw blankets, oversized bedspreads, bed skirts, and dust ruffles. These can act as a ladder from the ground to your bed, which spiders can easily take advantage of, according to Terminix.
Do spiders watch you? ›Jumping spiders are probably the only spiders that actually 'watch' you. This is due to their excellent vision. Other spiders like common house spiders, wolf spiders, and even tarantulas do not have good eyesight and probably cannot even see you if you are more than a few feet away.
Will keeping the light on keep spiders away? ›Turn off your lights
While light itself doesn't attract spiders, it does attract the insects that spiders feast on so turn off the outside lights to prevent spiders coming near the house.
Leaving lights on when it's dark: Just like a bear that is attracted to a flowing river filled with jumping fish, spiders are attracted to bright lights, surrounded by flying insects. Any place that is near an insect-attracting light is prime real estate for spiders.
What attracts spiders in my room? ›Some spiders are attracted to moisture, so they take shelter in basements, crawl spaces, and other damp areas inside a home. Other spiders prefer drier environments such as; air vents, high upper corners of rooms, and attics. Most common house spiders actually spend their entire lives indoors.
Why do spiders stop moving when they see you? ›Web-spinning spiders obviously remain motionless while they are waiting for something to land in their web. Moving around wastes energy and draws attention to the spider, which makes it more likely to be eaten by birds, and makes flies less likely to get caught in the web.
What months do spiders come in the house? ›Spiders usually start to come out in early September, with their presence noticeable in homes until around mid-October. After this, they tend to be spotted indoors less often. Female spiders are known to stay in one place for all of their lives, but males are always on the move.
What temperature do spiders hate? ›Spiders are a very diverse species and can be found everywhere on Earth except Antarctica. Because of their adaptability, it is difficult to nail down an ideal temperature range, but like most insects, once the temperature starts to dip below 50 degrees F consistently, they begin to slow down.
What are spiders scared of the most? ›Spiders will typically run away from humans and animals such as birds, other spiders, and larger insects. They also dislike the color blue, specifically Tarheel blue. Although it may be hard to believe, spiders are more scared of you than you are of them.
Can spiders hear you talk? ›The team has started testing the hearing of other species, such as fishing and wolf spiders, all of which seem to have a similar ability. “Spiders can hear humans talking and walking, which is within the audible range,” says Menda.
Do loud noises scare spiders? ›
Yes, spiders are super sensitive to any vibrations include air vibrations, which is what noise is. They do this through hair on their legs. Perfect chance to share one of my favorite videos. Watch this one scare itself.
Why do I suddenly have lots of spiders in my house? ›Uncleanliness invites spiders into your home.
Spiders like to hide in dark, dusty, or dirty areas. Cleaning your home regularly, especially under furniture like chairs, couches, and beds, will deter spiders. Vacuum and dust in high and low corners where spiders weave their webs.
Easy Access to the Home – All pests which infest the home need an entry point, and homes with unsealed entry points, foundation cracks, loose vents, poorly fitting doors, or other common openings can be prime targets for a spider infestation.
Why do some houses have a lot of spiders? ›The number one reason why spiders come into our homes is in the search for food. If you have food sources that insects can get into, they will thrive inside your home. And, when insects thrive, spiders will thrive too. If you want to control spider populations in your home, it's crucial to prevent pests in general.
What causes a house to have spiders? ›Spiders can enter buildings through doors, windows, air vents, and any other openings. Any unfilled holes or cracks are possible entrances for spiders into your home. Furthermore, spiders get inside buildings in spots where cables, pipes, and plumbing lines are connected if there are any small gaps around the area.
What attracts spiders the most? ›Leaving lights on when it's dark: Just like a bear that is attracted to a flowing river filled with jumping fish, spiders are attracted to bright lights, surrounded by flying insects. Any place that is near an insect-attracting light is prime real estate for spiders.
What do spiders eat in the house? ›What Spiders Eat Spiders feed on common indoor pests, such as Roaches, Earwigs, Mosquitoes, Flies and Clothes Moths. If left alone, they will consume most of the insects in your home, providing effective home pest control.
Do spiders like light? ›While spiders themselves are not attracted to light, many of the insects they feed on are. A mistake as simple as leaving your lights on outdoors—especially at night—could be attracting several insects to your windows and ultimately into your home. Spiders will be quick to follow.
Do house spiders get revenge? ›Spiders do not seek revenge. Spiders do not try to get revenge because they are not vengeful and not capable of feeling such emotions. They do not remember what or who has damaged their webs or tried to kill them and will not benefit in any way from getting revenge.
How many spiders on average are in a house? ›'I think even the cleanest, smallest house will have a good 20 to 40 spiders,' entomologist Richard Jones told Radio 1. And while less than fifty may sound okay, that's not the case if you're in a larger, older property. In that case there are probably thousands of spiders lurking around.
Where do spiders live in the house? ›
Common house spiders usually spend their entire life indoors. They live in hidden spaces and undisturbed areas, like behind a bookshelf or underneath the basement stairs. Clutter also provides more hiding spots for them, that's why basements, garages, and storage spaces tend to be popular among the eight-legged crowd.
Why am I so afraid of spiders? ›Researchers believe causes might include: A traumatic past experience with a spider. Childhood exposure to a parent's arachnophobia. You may develop arachnophobia if you felt the anxieties of one of your parent's reactions to spiders.
What attracts spiders in your room? ›Spiders love to hide in the dark, debris-filled cracks away from humans. Be sure to give the space under your bed a lot of attention while you're cleaning. Since it tends to be dark and dusty under beds, they're an ideal place for spiders to hide away. The garbage from your kitchen may also attract spiders.
Where do spiders like to hide in bedrooms? ›Under Furniture – A Good Hiding Spot
Some spiders have day and night-time hiding spots. They love privacy and the darkness under your table or sofa completely satisfies them. Give them a nice vacuum treatment and there will be no signs of them anymore.