Although most spiders prefer to live outdoors, it’s not uncommon to come across a couple of spiders that have somehow found their way indoors searching for shelter and food. While they may not cause as much damage as other pests, they can be a nuisance and sometimes even dangerous. So how do you get rid of them?
Table of Contents
1. Seal up your home
Patch up holes and cracks leading from the outside into your home to keep spiders from making their way into your home. Some of the ways you can do this include:
- Use caulk to fill in gaps of space that may be present in closed doors and windows. You can also apply caulk around potential entry points like cables, wires, faucets, and electrical components
- Keep your chimney and vents covered using fine mesh insect screens
- Fix or replace torn window screens. Spiders are experts at maneuvering their way into houses through even the smallest holes.
- Use weatherstripping for gaps under doors.
2. Keep your outdoor lights off
While spiders are not drawn in by outdoor lights, these fixtures will attract other pests that can become food sources for baby spiders. If you don’t want to keep your outdoor lights off, consider switching to yellow sodium vapor lights. These lights don’t appeal to insects and are therefore less likely to draw in a food source for spiders. On a similar note, it might be useful to block indoor lights from shining through your window by using opaque shades or blinds.
3. Remove vegetation from the perimeter of your home
If you have a serious baby spider infestation, consider transplanting trees, shrubs, ivy, and other plants from the perimeter of your home to the opposite end of the yard. A less radical alternative to this is to keep your trees and shrubs trimmed at least 12 inches from the side of your home.
Vegetation is known to attract spiders because it usually serves as a shelter. When baby spiders need to seek out new food sources or warmth, they can easily crawl from the vegetation and into your home, getting in through entry points like cracks. You should also mow your lawn regularly and get rid of mulch, woodpiles, compost piles, leaves, stones, or other debris that may be near your home.
4. Keep your home clean
Clean your home regularly to get rid of cobwebs and baby spiders. With fewer places to hide out in and limited food sources, they’re less likely to stay even if they somehow make their way inside.
- Avoid leaving leftover food lying around. Food crumbs will attract other pests like flies and ants which, in turn, will attract spiders.
- Avoid letting dishes sit out for more than a few hours
- Wipe down your counters and table to keep them dirt-free.
- Sweep and vacuum your floors regularly.
- Pick up clutter. Piles of dirty laundry and old newspapers can serve as hiding spots for spider species that prefer darkness.
- Opt to use airtight storage containers to keep spiders seeking warmth and shelter from crawling into your pantry. Avoid using cardboard boxes as spiders can get into them easily.
Some spiders gravitate towards damp, dark areas like closets you rarely use and basements. Others prefer warm, dry areas like attics and spots behind curtains that you seldom open. Here are the areas of your home you should inspect and clean seasonally.
- Inspect your attic for cobwebs and leaks
Clean cobwebs, dust storage boxes, and dust and sweep the attic floor as much as possible. Ensure that all the items you store in your attic are kept in a sealed container or box.
- Clean your fireplace
Open and close your chimney’s flue to dislodge any cobwebs that may have accumulated. Finish up by sweeping or vacuuming everything, including ceramic gas fireplace logs.
- Inspect the basement
Fix any cracks and leaks you may have in your basement. Sweep the floor, ceiling, walls, and dust storage boxes.
5. Banish the dark
Baby spiders like hiding in dark spots, so make sure to open your curtains regularly to make your home less desirable to them. For windowless rooms or basements, consider using timers to turn on LED daylight bulbs for a few minutes at regular intervals each day. You’ll see a significant reduction in spiders if you banish the dark.
6. Vacuum spider webs and spiders
One of the easiest ways of getting rid of baby spiders is by vacuuming egg sacs and webs as soon as you come across them. Before putting away your vacuum, make sure you empty it first. If you leave the canister or bag as is, baby spiders can hatch and crawl out into cracks and crevices. Keep in mind that this spider elimination technique is most effective when trying to get rid of a few spiders. It may not work if you have a large spider infestation in your home. An alternative to this is to use a broom to sweep away webs.
Rather than killing the baby spiders, consider transporting them outside. Spiders can be very beneficial to humans as they feed on pests that may invade our homes.
7. Apply a residual pesticide
Spiders like to live in areas of your home where they can find other bugs to hunt. To deal with an infestation, apply a residual pesticide to eliminate their source of food – the bugs. Choose a pesticide that you can safely use indoors, and then apply the insecticide in hard-to-reach places where the bugs are likely to be found. Always read the instructions marked on the label to prevent the accidental poisoning of a pet, a child, or any other house occupant.
8. Spray hotspot areas with essential oils
If you don’t want to use chemicals like residual pesticides, consider making a DIY spray using essential oils and water. Some of the best essentials to use to make a DIY spider repellent spray include:
- Peppermint oil
- Tea tree oil
- Eucalyptus oil
- Lemon oil
You’ll also need a spray bottle and water. Add the water to a spray bottle and mix 15 to 20 drops of your choice of essential oil. Spray all of the dark corners, cracks, and other possible entry points around your home. If you want a more potent effect, dab undiluted peppermint oil (or any of the other aforementioned essential oils) onto cotton balls and stuff them into crevices and other possible hiding places.
9. Spread diatomaceous earth around affected areas
One of the most effective ways to get rid of baby spiders in your home is by using diatomaceous earth around affected areas of your home. This fine powder is made from naturally-formed fossils. When a spider walks across diatomaceous earth, it cuts up its undersides, allowing bodily fluids to leak out, eventually drying out the spider and killing it. You can also keep baby spiders from crawling into your home by spreading diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of your house.
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10. Use horse chestnuts
A commonly used folk remedy to get rid of spiders is horse chestnuts. Place a couple of horse chestnuts in each corner of your home and in any other areas where you often see baby spiders. Although not much is known about why this treatment deters spiders, plus there’s no scientific evidence to back it, many people find it to be effective to some degree. The most common theory is that horse chestnuts have a noxious chemical that repels spiders when they get a whiff of it. Going with this logic, you might want to poke holes in the chestnut or split it in half to release the odor effectively.
11. Grow eucalyptus
You might not mind the smell of eucalyptus, but spiders find it repulsive. Consider growth eucalyptus outside or as a houseplant to discourage these critters from setting up camp in your home. If you don’t have enough space to grow a eucalyptus tree, plant lavender, or mint near or underneath your windows – these plants have strong scents that will deter spiders.
12. Use garlic
Another smell that spiders find repulsive is garlic. Depending on how strong a scent you can handle, put whole or crushed cloves into a spray bottle filled with water and apply it on floors, skirting boards, and corners of any room frequented by spiders.
13. Vinegar
Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to any area of your home you often see spiders. To make it even more effective, spray it directly on any spider you come across. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is thought to successfully harm and kill spiders without putting your pets and kids in danger of chemical exposure.
14. Deter spiders with cedar
Another scent that spiders can’t stand is cedar. Sprinkle cedar blocks and chips around your home and inside your house to get rid of baby spiders. A bonus is a pleasant woody scent around your home.
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15. Deter spiders with cinnamon
Sprinkle cinnamon in and around your home, or use cinnamon spray-on pine cones and strategically place them in the most affected areas. Cinnamon not only repels spiders but has also been known to deter other pests. Furthermore, this spice will also make your home smell amazing.
16. Use citrus
Spiders detest citrus almost as much as vinegar, so you can rub citrus peels along window sills, skirting boards, and bookshelves. You can also use lemon-scented cleaners and furniture polish, as well as burn citronella candles both inside and outside of your house.
17. Spray them with a mixture of bleach and water
Bleach is a toxic household chemical that can kill spiders and many other pests in a matter of minutes. Spray baby spiders with a mixture of one part bleach and one part water. Although baby spiders can scurry away very fast, their soft exoskeletons won’t withstand the effects of the bleach. Just be careful not to get the bleach on yourself by wearing protective clothing and gear.
18. Use a fly swatter
If you’re dealing with non-venomous baby spiders, you can try swatting them using a fly swatter. It’s worth noting that this technique may not be effective if there’s only a handful of spiders on your property.
19. Call a professional exterminator
If the methods suggested above don’t work for you or you have a large spider infestation, you might want to seek the help of a professional. An exterminator will likely apply a strong chemical pesticide. Keep in mind that some of these pesticides are so strong that you’ll need to vacate your property for some time while the effect subsides. This is precisely why calling a professional exterminator should be the last resort.
Preparing for spider season
Spider season is generally short. This is the time of year when most spider species are mating. The mating season typically starts in the fall. Therefore, it starts in the first few weeks in September and ends around the beginning of October for most places in the United States. After this period passes, spiders hunker down in preparation for the cold weather ahead.
However, the season isn’t completely over though. After mating, the baby spiders will begin to emerge from their egg sacs. This will take place a few months after mating season, so you’ll usually start seeing baby spiders as the weather starts to warm up near the beginning of spring. The best you can do during spider season is to amp up vigilance when cleaning your house and vacuuming often.
Final thoughts
Although spiders are mostly beneficial to the human environment, many people have an inherent fear of them. Many consider them to be pests and opt to get rid of them if they occur in their homes. There are many different ways to get rid of baby spiders, cobwebs, egg sacs, and spiders in general. This post details some of the most effective ones.
Last update on 2023-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
