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Ways to keep spiders away


18 ways to get rid of spiders naturally

• Find out how to get rid of spiders in the house and how to prevent spiders from coming in.

• The below are all natural spider deterrents that won't cause them, or you, any harm.

• Find out if conkers really repel spiders in the home.

The majority of spiders are harmless to humans, but most people still don't like sharing their home with any eight-legged friends. You're likely to spot these creepy crawlies indoors during autumn, when shorter, darker days and colder temperatures see their annual migration from our gardens to our houses, but it's not unusual at any time of year. Fortunately, there are plenty of natural spider deterrents that will deter arachnids from setting up in your place without causing them any harm.

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"Windows provide easy access for pesky spiders and bugs to enter our properties, but there's plenty of ways to deter them," says Adam Pawson, Head of Digital at Safestyle UK. "Spiders aren't big fans of strong scents, acidic concoctions or dark corners. By following a few of these simple hacks, you can sleep a little easier at night knowing the bugs are at bay."

1. Spider Catcher

This spider catcher is one of Lakeland's best-selling spider deterrents. The clever battery-operated vacuum gently picks up creepy crawlies so you can take them outside without hurting them. There are other non-vacuum styles available too.

2. Peppermint oil

Lots of strong scents are great spider deterrents and, happily, many are already used traditionally as home fragrances. Peppermint oil is a particularly popular remedy, as is tea-tree, lavender and rose. Add 15 to 20 drops to a spray bottle filled with water and spritz around the house, changing the oil used regularly to ensure the remedy remains effective.

3. Cinnamon

Spiders also dislike the smell of cinnamon. This warm spice comes in various forms, including dried sticks used for cooking, fragrance oil and scented candles. With its rich, wintery scent, cinnamon is an especially good option for the festive period!

4. Vinegar

While not as fragrant as the above solutions, vinegar can also assist in warding off spiders. Fill a spray bottle with half white vinegar and half water and spray in corners, cracks and crevices. Be careful to avoid varnished surfaces as it can cause damage.

5. Get cleaning

Spiders like having somewhere to hide, so keep your house neat and tidy through regular tidying, cleaning and decluttering to prevent mess from building up. Plastic storage containers are better than cardboard boxes as they are harder for spiders to crawl into. Make sure to dust and vacuum frequently to rid your house of unwanted webs.

6. Regularly check your fruit bowl

Fruit flies are a delicious snack for spiders. Check your fruit bowl regularly for gone-off food that might attract them.

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7. Protect the exterior of your house

Stop spiders from getting indoors in the first place by moving anything they're likely to hide in, such as leaves, grass clippings, vegetation, compost or woodpiles, away from exterior walls. Check door openings and window sills for cracks they could crawl through and seal with caulk. Fix torn window screens and cover vents and chimneys with fine mesh.

8. Plant a eucalyptus tree in the garden

This tree is low maintenance and smells wonderful, with the added perk that the leaves' strong medicinal scent also repels spiders. If you don't have room for a full tree, plant mint or lavender underneath or near windows, as the smell will help drive spiders away.

9. Citrus

Spiders supposedly hate all citrus scents, so rub orange or lemon peel along skirting boards, window sills and bookshelves. Use lemon-scented cleaners and furniture polish, and burn citronella candles both inside and outside of your home.

10. Turn off your lights

While light itself doesn't attract spiders, it does attract the insects they feast on. Turn off outside lights when not needed and stop indoor bulbs from shining through windows by using opaque blinds and shades. If you do need to keep them on, use yellow sodium vapour lights, as these are less likely to attract insects.

11. Conkers

Old wives' tales have it that spiders are repelled by chestnuts. Unlike peppermint spray, scattering a few conkers on windowsills and in corners isn't scientifically proven to work, but it certainly won't do any harm and many people swear by it as a deterrent.

Warning! Conkers can be poisonous so please consult your vet before putting these in your home if you have pets.

12. Cedar

Another scent spiders are said to detest. Hauling a cedar plant into your home isn't practical, but there are many smaller cedar products available to help you give this one a try. As a bonus, the woody aroma should also repel clothes moths – so keep some of these disks in your wardrobe as well. Just sand them down every now and then to refresh the scent.

13. Garlic

It's known for its vampire-repelling properties but, as it turns out, spiders don't like the smell of this pungent bulb either. Depending on how strong a scent you yourself can cope with, put whole or crushed cloves into a spray bottle filled with water and use to fragrance the corners, floors and skirting boards of rooms prone to unwanted guests.

14. Move your bins

Spiders are attracted to flies and flies are attracted to bins. Make sure yours are kept as far from the house as possible – at least away from windows and doors. Always keep bin lids closed, too.

Nada Stankova PhotographyGetty Images

15. Consider a cat

This method will undoubtedly harm the spider as cats are expert hunters, but it does prevent the use of insecticides and chemicals in the home. They won't be suitable for every household due to allergies and lifestyle but, if you are a cat person, they are excellent spider repellents.

16. Cover your pet food

Talking of cats and all other household pets, it's important to keep their food covered and sealed so it doesn't attract flies and insects which will, in turn, draw in spiders.

17. Seal any cracks in exterior walls

This will prevent unwanted pests entering your home and help keep your house warm at the same time. Survey for cracks in external walls and around door edges and windows, and seal them closed.

18. Take your recycling out regularly

Leftover food or sugary drinks in discarded packaging attracts flies and, in turn, spiders. Empty bottles and cans also make good homes for arachnids so empty your recycling boxes regularly.

How to Keep Spiders Out of Your Home

While it's possible to remove spiders once they've invaded your space, these expert-approved ideas will prevent them from entering in the first place.

Nashia Baker, Associate Digital Editor at Martha Stewart

By Nashia Baker October 06, 2021

Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

Spotting spiders in your home is always a little spooky, but do keep in mind that they are usually seeking refuge in your space for a specific reason. "They enter our homes in search of food, water, and shelter," Chris Lambton, a gardening expert and HotShot partner, notes. "Spiders eat other insects, so if they are in your home, spiders will have a food supply." Think: flies, ants, fleas, mosquitoes, cockroaches, and moths (more creatures you'd rather not see!). Plus, as Kari Warberg Block, a pest prevention expert, author, and the CEO and founder of EarthKind®, says, the aforementioned bugs could carry disease-causing pathogens, so having spiders around can actually be helpful. But since your space gives these pests a sense of safety, it also gives them a secure place to reproduce (ah!). and some of these critters can be deadly. To rid your home of spiders, heed our expert-approved tips, ahead.

Close off and block entry points.

One of the best ways to keep spiders at bay is simply by blocking their points of entry. "They enter your house through small cracks, air vents, holes in screens, or other openings," Lambton says. Get a magnifying glass, Warberg Block adds, and find the tiny cracks in your walls. From there, seal the openings with caulk, screening, or weather stripping.

Keep your home clean.

This likely goes without saying, but tidying up your space is also a helpful pest prevention tactic. Vacuuming often, cleaning corners and crevices (plus windows, junk rooms, and basements), and frequently checking behind your recycling stash of cardboard boxes (spiders like these!) will prevent them from nesting in these hiding places. The same goes for the areas outside of your home. Warberg Block notes to regularly check and clean your exterior lights, windowsills, woodpiles, and all entry points.

common house spider on the floor in a home

Credit: CBCK-Christine / Getty Images

Get rid of spider webs.

"To make your home less attractive to spiders, wash old webs off outside areas with a garden hose—particularly under roof eaves," notes Warberg Block. "In the home, vacuum up existing spider webs and spray the area with a mixture of half a cup of water, half a cup of vinegar, two tablespoons of liquid dish soap, and twenty drops of thyme oil." She says that this scented mixture will prevent them from attaching their silk to sprayed surfaces. In turn, they won't be able to make new webs.

Fix leaks.

Leaks are never ideal, but this issue can prompt spiders to enter, too. Anything from a leaky faucet to water dripping from the ceiling can invite them in, so you'll want to get those repaired as soon as possible.

Think about landscaping.

Tending to the greenery around your home can also keep spiders at bay, including your lawn and plants. As long as these are trimmed and cut back, you'll be able to limit spiders' access to your house, Lambton says. Go the extra mile and create distance between your shrubbery and your home altogether. Warberg Block explains that this separation will lessen the chance they have of wandering inside.

Play music.

"Spiders don't have good eyesight, so they rely on vibrations they feel in their web to detect an insect that could be their next meal," Warberg Block says. "Turn music on in an area where you've spotted spiders and the vibrations will interfere with their ability to pick the perfect time to feast." They'll then move to find a quiet area elsewhere.

Turn on the lights.

If you ever want to catch a spider that you think is lurking, hit the lights. Since they avoid bright spaces, they usually make their webs where it's dark. So, if you see a spot in your home where it's usually dark, keep the light on for a while and they will likely try to find a new hiding spot. If you're trying to keep them at bay in an outdoor dwelling area (like a garage or porch), yellow-tinted lights are better than standard bulbs; spiders aren't attracted to this type of light.  

Exterminate safely.

If you see a spider, you can easily exterminate on contact with a bug spray, like the Hot Shot Ant, Roach & Spider Killer ($13. 01, amazon.com). Deterrents can also do the trick; consider EarthKind's Stay Away® Spiders Deterrent ($25.80, earthkind.com), which you can place in an infested area to banish critters for at least 30 days. However, you can also enlist the help of a professional. "While 80 percent of people choose the DIY approach, 20 percent of households turn to pest control professionals," Warberg Block says. "Before hiring a technician, you'll want to verify that they are licensed to apply pesticides in your state, that they are insured, and find out if they will be using an integrated pest management (IPM) plan that includes getting rid of the current infestation as well as taking steps to prevent future problems."

Sure ways to get rid of spiders in your home

August 22, 2017 Likbez Do it yourself

To clean the house of spiders, you can run to the store for poison, or you can get vinegar, lemon and a couple of folk remedies from the shelf.

If you do not live in hot countries, spiders crawling into the house will not harm you. Unless they scare and cause a desire to say goodbye to uninvited guests once and for all.

What causes spiders to appear

Spiders can settle in your living space for several reasons:

  1. You are warm . In autumn, when it starts to get cold outside, spiders look for warm corners.
  2. It's very humid here . Most often, spiders settle in bathrooms and kitchens, and this is no coincidence. These arthropods feel most comfortable in a humid environment.
  3. You have a lot of food . Spiders are predators, they feed on flies, midges and cockroaches. If you find a spider at home, it means that insects are hiding somewhere.
  4. You are dirty . Actually, because of the garbage, flies and cockroaches start up, and they are a tasty bait for spiders.

How to get rid of spiders

Clean up

First of all, do a general house cleaning. Vacuum all baseboards and corners. Shake crumbs out of kitchen drawers. Look under the tub, behind the toilet and behind the sink and clean everything there. Collect the web using a stick with a damp cloth wrapped around it.

Then start fighting the spiders. Yes, yes, cleaning the web did not solve the problem: uninvited tenants and the eggs they laid are still hiding somewhere.

Use traditional methods

Spiders cannot stand strong smells. Therefore, improvised means with bright aromas can be used as weapons.

  1. Dilute 15-20 drops of peppermint essential oil in 1 liter of clean water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle. Treat baseboards, corners and all cracks in the house (in the floor, under window sills, at thresholds). This will force the spiders to change their location. Mint can be replaced with eucalyptus or tea tree.
  2. Combine ½ cup table vinegar (9%) and the same amount of water. Using a spray bottle, treat the places where the spiders accumulate. After contact with acetic acid, arthropods will die. To scare off new spiders, pour some vinegar into small containers (such as bottle caps) and place them in the corners of the room. Do not use this technique if there are small children at home: they can accidentally drink poison and burn the mucous membranes.
  3. Slice maclura (an inedible orange) or common lemon, crush horse chestnuts or hazelnuts, and spread around the perimeter of the room. A strong smell will force the spiders to leave.
  4. The smell of sheep's wool is equally unpleasant for spiders. Therefore, put a piece of wool or yarn near the web.

Buy poisons

Among the variety of poisons, it is better to choose aerosols. Most of the time, spiders sit in their webs rather than running around the house, so crayons and gels from household pests, as well as traps, will not have a quick effect.

Spray should be sprayed on skirting boards, corners, door and window sills. At the time of processing, people and animals should be removed from the premises. After 15-20 minutes after the procedure (approximately how long it takes the aerosol to act and dry), be sure to ventilate the room.

Take precautions. Handle only with gloves and a sheet mask. And be sure to read the instructions on the package.

Or Ultrasonic Repellers

Special insect repellers can be found in hardware stores. They also work on spiders. The devices emit sounds that are inaudible to humans and unpleasant to arthropods. And the spiders leave the inhospitable territory.

How to scare away new spiders

It's simple. The main thing is to keep the house clean and a low level of humidity. Clean regularly, dispose of leftover food in a timely manner and do not accumulate garbage. Wipe dry all surfaces in the kitchen, and leave the bathroom door slightly ajar - let the room ventilate. If you have an air conditioner, turn it on from time to time in dehumidifying mode.

See also:

  • How to get rid of cockroaches quickly, simply, forever →
  • How to get rid of house ants →
  • How to get rid of midges in the kitchen in 3 steps →
  • How to get rid of moths and save your favorite things and products →

8 ways to get rid of spiders: in an apartment and a private house

11/08/2020

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We tell you why spiders can appear in your house and how to deal with them in different ways.

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Spiders in the apartment - an unpleasant phenomenon, but most often harmless. If you live in a temperate area, you probably don't need to worry about them. All they can do is scare a little and cause hostility. But you should not put up with them, since most often insects signal that other pests have wound up nearby. Therefore, we tell you how to get rid of spiders in the country, in a private house or apartment.

All about the fight against spiders at home

Causes of appearance
What to do if you notice an insect
- Regular
— Poisonous
Shop products
Folk methods
Prevention

The appearance of insects in your living space can depend on several factors. We list the most popular reasons.

  • Too warm at home. Many insects, and spiders are no exception, with the onset of the cold season, are looking for a warm place for wintering: they crawl into cracks, windows, different corners, and this is how they get into apartments. And the warm indoor environment makes them stay in it for a long time
  • You have high humidity. This is another reason that may attract them. This is especially true for rooms where it is very often humid, which is why insects live in bathrooms, kitchens, baths and boiler rooms. And if it is also warm in this place, then they will definitely linger there.
  • You do not keep clean. Dirt in the room, garbage, food leftovers - all this attracts various midges, flies, cockroaches and other living creatures. They are a delicacy for arthropods, so spiders live where it is easier to hunt.
  • There is a lot of food in the room. This is an indirect reason why arthropods enter your home. If you leave crumbs on the table, do not put food in containers and the refrigerator, throw open packs on the shelves, then most likely they will be interested in various pests that spiders feed on. By the way, according to the latter, you can detect flies and cockroaches: if you notice a web and its owners at home, it means that other insects that are being hunted live somewhere in the apartment.

If you saw him at home, do not be afraid. The calmer you are, the easier it is to catch him. First, inspect the body: it is important to understand whether the individual is poisonous or not. Most of these arthropods are harmless, but still be careful. If the spider is black, the body is without hairline, there are bright red hourglass-shaped spots on it - this is karakurt. He is one of the most dangerous in Russia, lives most often in the south of the country.

What to do with a common specimen

This one does not pose any danger to you. Therefore, it can be caught with the help of improvised means.

You will need a glass (transparent is best) and a heavy sheet of paper or cardboard. The mechanism of the trap is simple: cover the insect with a glass on top, pass a sheet between it and the surface. If the pest is sitting on the ceiling, the capture will be even easier: make the spider fall into the container, cover it with cardboard on top. Then release it outside.

If the arthropod is hanging on a web, you will need scissors. Cut the thread and substitute the glass, it will immediately be in it. Close it up and take it outside.

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What to do with a poisonous individual

If you suspect that you have a poisonous arthropod in front of you, you should act very carefully. You can't let yourself be bitten.

There are special gadgets that help collect insects. You can also do this with a sticky roller to clean clothes: the pest will simply stick to the adhesive layer. Or use a vacuum cleaner if you have a fairly powerful model. You can try to catch it with a glass and cardboard, in which case you should take a large container to eliminate the risk of being stung.

After capture, the arthropod should be released outside. Do this away from residential buildings.

If you live in a region where venomous arthropods live, study ahead of time what the ones you might encounter look like. Also keep a special spray at home that will help to neutralize the individual before being caught.

Shop products will help you to get rid of spiders in your house forever. There are two main types: poisons and repellers.

Insecticides

Poisons and other pest control chemicals can come in many forms: sprays, aerosols, various liquids, and even traps.

Aerosols work best, as most individuals sit motionless on a web or any other surface. Therefore, products that are designed for pests running around the house - gels and traps - will not give a quick result.

Only work with gloves. It is also better to wear a respirator or a fabric mask. Usually, with the help of aerosols, pest habitats are treated: baseboards, corners, slopes of doors and windows. Follow the instructions on the package: most often, manufacturers recommend closing windows and doors, taking people out of the room, spraying everything, waiting about 20 minutes and ventilating the room.

Repellers

Ultrasonic repellers are sold in household stores. This is an effective remedy for spiders in the apartment, and for other insects. Repellers work in the following way: they make sounds that arthropods do not like and make them leave places where they are not happy to see them. A person does not hear these sounds, so the device is harmless to him.

If you do not want to use insecticides and other chemicals, you can try to eliminate insects using proven folk methods.

Clean up

This is the first thing you should do when dealing with pests. Get rid of crumbs even in the most inaccessible places, vacuum the corners, cornices and baseboards. Check the space under the bathtub, sink and toilet. Remove the web you find.

Unfortunately, cleaning alone cannot cope with uninvited tenants. They still hide somewhere, and also lay eggs with future offspring. Therefore, next you need to choose one or more means with which you will deal with them.

Use essential oils

You will need peppermint oil. It must be diluted in a liter of water. Pour the resulting mixture into a spray bottle. Treat the habitats of arthropods with liquid: various cracks, baseboards and corners.

Other strong fragrances can be used instead of mint oil, for example, replace it with tea tree, eucalyptus, citrus (lemon or orange) oils. Pests do not tolerate strong odors, so they will leave the places where you have carried out the treatment.

Take vinegar

Take 9% table vinegar. Mix it with water. The ingredients should be in the same amount: half a glass of one and the other is enough for processing. Apply the solution to baseboards, corners and other areas of possible habitation. Arthropods will not survive contact with acid and will die.

Stock up on chestnuts

Pests don't like their smell. Therefore, spread the chestnuts in different places of the apartment. To make them smell brighter, the fruits can be broken into several parts.

Spread sheep's wool

Pests also don't like the smell of sheep's wool. Therefore, in the house (especially in their habitats) it is worth laying out yarn or simple shreds of wool.

Turn off the lights

This advice is usually effective in getting rid of spiders in a private house or country house. Bright light from windows, porches and other illuminated areas attracts various insects. So try to turn it off when not in use. And tightly close the front doors and windows in rooms where the lamp is on.

In order to scare away new individuals from the home, it is important not to forget about preventive measures. The first and most important thing you should do is to keep your house clean and keep an eye on the moisture levels in the rooms.

Carry out regular cleaning, take out the trash more often, do not let it stand indoors for a long time.

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