Arachnids can be a nuisance in and around your home. If you’ve got a spider problem or want to deter spiders from taking over your space, there are a few quick and natural tricks that you can try.
You probably don’t want to hear this, but most spiders are great for their environments, which may include parts of your home. They eat nasty pests like earwigs, flies, and moths, as well as critters that can transmit disease, like mosquitoes and cockroaches. Rod Crawford, the author of Spider Myths, explains there are even spiders that will eat other, not-so-friendly spiders: The long-legged cellar spider, or “daddy longlegs,” for example, has been known to kill black widows; they sound like a great ally to have in your basement or garage. (“That’s just Joe; he’s on guard duty.”)
However, other spiders can be dangerous, and they do have a tendency to find their way into places we don’t want them to be—like the bedroom. The most dangerous spiders commonly found include black or brown widows, brown recluses, hobo spiders, sac spiders, and parson spiders. (Other large, non-venomous species may not be poisonous, but can still have a painful bite.) If you have older family members, young children, or pets, it’s best to keep these scary critters outside. Here’s how to do it.
1. Keep clutter from building up
If you’ve ever needed a reason to finally declutter your home, now you have one. Spiders are crafty creatures that like to lurk in the shadows, and big piles of junk give them plenty of places to hide. (There’s probably one watching you right now.) Other bugs—spider food—like to hang out around clutter, too. Clearing it away cuts off spiders’ food supply and cozy hideout spots.
Put everything you want to keep in storage containers. Sealable plastic containers are best because they keep spiders and other bugs out more effectively. Lastly, it helps to dust and vacuum your home regularly.
2. Secure your home’s perimeter
Spiders really love piles of stuff outside as well. You should move any non-essentials from the immediate perimeter of your home to somewhere further away. We’ve compiled a list of typical outdoor “amenities” that can help spiders find their way into your house:
- Piles of leaves
- Stacks of firewood
- Compost bins
- Overgrown trees and shrubs
- Uncut lawns
- Stacks of boxes
- Patches of weeds
Move your firewood stack further away, trim the vegetation around your home, and rake up leaves and other dead plant matter.
There’s nothing wrong with having spiders in your yard or garden—they’re actually good for both. But if you don’t want them in your house, it helps to make it clear where the yard ends and your home begins.
3. Clear webs away from entryways
Spiders hate to have their homes disturbed. Just like any other creature, the less they have to do to survive, the better. If you keep wrecking their home, they’ll assume the area is unsafe and try to go somewhere else. The Guardian recommends you grab a broom or long stick and go hunting for webs. Take out any you find in your home and garage, as well as any you find around the outside of your doors and near windows, you plan on opening.
Do not, however, go overboard and start clearing out spider webs everywhere in your yard and garden. Remember, you do want them to go somewhere. If you make every area around your home inhospitable, they’ll probably stay right where they are and keep rebuilding.
4. Reduce outdoor lighting
Bugs hang around lights at night because they provide warmth. Spiders go where there are bugs to munch on. You need to keep your outdoor lighting to a minimum. Set your outdoor lights to shut off at a certain time, or only keep them on at main entryways. The less light drawing in bugs, the fewer interest spiders will have in your home.
5. Drive them away with natural home remedies
If you’ve tried everything and still have spider hotspots in your home, you have a few options when it comes to deterrents. If you’d like to avoid the use of pesticides, peppermint oil and vinegar have been known to keep spiders away: Mix ½ cup of vinegar with 1 ½ cups of water, then add about 20 drops of peppermint essential oil. Spray the mixture along entryways or any other trouble spots you have in your home. If you don’t have any peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil can work too.