Many people never like the mere thought of sharing their homes with creepy and crawling spiders. Although spiders do help in getting rid of insects and flies around the house, some of them are venomous and a spider bite needs treatment. Also, if there are infants, toddlers, and elderly people at your home, keeping the spiders away is a must.
Most spiders choose to live outdoors, yet most of the time you will encounter some of them inside your home. These are the ones that found their way in search of shelter or food source.
Keeping these spiders out is the best thing you can do to get rid of these eerie pests. However, the moment they do get inside your house, there are several proven and unproven methods you can try to scare off these unwanted spiders or even kill spiders once and for all.
Why Spiders Come Inside Your House
You might find it hard to believe that spiders don’t really get inside homes. In fact, just 5% of house spiders are found indoors.
House spiders can grow in numbers once egg sacs have been carried inside on building materials or furniture pieces. They mate from there and they generally live under or in the same house during their whole life.
You are probably curious to know why it seems that there are more spiders at specific times or months of the year if they don’t even come from outside. The simple explanation for this is that male spiders tend to come out looking for females during mating season. This is often in late summer although it can differ for each species.
Tips to Getting Rid of Spiders in Your Home
Many spider species don’t pose any threat to humans but if you cannot stomach the thought of sharing your home with these eight-legged crawlies, but you don’t like to wish to cause harm to spiders, following are the top tips to keep spiders at bay.
Seal Crevices or Cracks around Your House
Spiders crawl into houses through siding cracks or damaged screens of doors and windows. You need to expect the exterior of your home for such defects every season since temperature and weather changes can cause these problems or make them worse.
Clean Well and Often
It is not enough to run the vacuum around the center of a room and dust horizontal surfaces to deter spiders from making their home in your home. You know for sure how much they love building webs and as the homeowner, your job is to ensure that they cannot do so in the first place.
Vacuum beneath and behind chairs, nightstands, and sofas. Use a dusting pole accessory for cleaning corners, light fixtures, and ceilings. Clean the air ducts once every season.
Keeping a clean home is probably the most important factor to keep bugs out such as spiders. It means that you have to do things such as sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming on a regular basis and washing every surface with hot and soapy water often so that your house will not turn into a spider’s habitat.
Pay extra attention to spots where there are crumbs and food. You also have to take out the trash frequently. Never let wastes pile up. Ensure that trash bins are carefully sealed and bring the garbage outside.
Let Your Pet Do the Job
Most pets, particularly cats, change everything that moves, including spiders. Since cats, as well as other pets, chase everything that moves, they can act as natural spider repellents.
Although pets may not really get rid of all the spiders in the house, if they see one crawling on the floor, they can always catch it for you.
You just need to be careful if your home has poisonous spiders as these can pose a threat to animals.
Keep Basements, Attics, and Garages Clutter-Free and Clean
Many spiders look for undisturbed and secluded spots where they can build spider webs for catching their next meal. Thus, a basement or attic left unused for a long time might harbour these pests without you knowing it.
Don’t leave shoes and clothes on the floor and store them in plastic containers. You also need to shake every piece of clothing left in the hamper for a long time before you wear or wash it.
Turn Off Your Outdoor Lights
Light attracts insects and as you probably guessed, an insect attracts spiders. Luring bugs to your home is similar to preparing a banquet for these 8-legged guests. Switch off your lights outdoors to prevent spiders from getting near anywhere your home.
Inspect Items like Grocery Bags and Boxes of Decorations before Bringing Them Inside
Packages delivered when no one is at home are usually left on your front steps while groceries can be placed on the driveway during unloading. These give spiders as well as other insects the chance to crawl into the boxes and bags and be carried inside. Reduce this risk by checking packages and boxes before you bring them inside your home.
Spray Vinegar
Aside from being an important item in the kitchen pantry, white vinegar is a great repellent to get rid of spiders. All you need to do is place a mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle, shake it well, then spray the solution in crevices and walls, doorways, and windowsills. If it is humid and hot outside, you might want to apply the anti-spider spray on a daily basis.
Vinegar can also help in repelling those insects spiders love to eat so you will also want to spray this vinegar solution in places around your house where mosquitoes, scorpions, and other types of insects often gather.
It is important that you mix exact parts of vinegar and water. When spraying, make sure you stand back because vinegar contains that will burn the spiders and leave a pungent smell that acts as a natural repellent.
If you are worried that your home will smell like vinegar when you use this natural remedy, there is no need to worry since the vinegar’s pungent smell will go away once the solution has dried up.
Essential Oils Can Do the Trick
Strong scents repel spiders and many of you are already using these scents as fragrances around your home. In particular, peppermint oil is a popular remedy. You just need to add 15 to 20 drops of this essential oil combine this with water in a spray bottle then spritz around your house.
Some other great options you can try are lavender, cinnamon, rose, and tea tree. Regularly changing the oils you use can ensure the continued effectiveness of this remedy.
Garlic to Ward Them Off
It turns out that not only vampires but even spiders are not big fans of this pungent smelling bulb. You can put either crushed garlic cloves or whole cloves in a water-filled spray bottle. This will depend on the level of scent you can handle. Use the solution to scent floors, skirting boards, and corners of rooms prone to having unwanted guests.
Grow Eucalyptus around Your Property
Spiders don’t like eucalyptus’s smell as much as you do, making them a great remedy to prevent spider infestations. To keep your home spider-free, you can grow eucalyptus as a houseplant or have one outside to deter them from getting inside your home. You can also use eucalyptus oil if you find planting the plant inconvenient.
Keep Spiders at Bay with Cedar
Spiders are also not fond of the smell of cedar. If you like to ensure that spiders will not get into your house at all, you can put cedar mulch around your home’s perimeter to stop these insects from getting inside where they are not welcome in the first place.
Just make sure that you choose a high-quality cedar. Proper maintenance is also required for it to stay effective.
Use Lemon to Your Advantage
Finally, spiders hate the citrus smell. The mere scent of lemon can stop a spider right on its tracks. Mix water and lemon and use this as a natural repellent spray to keep spiders at bay.
You might also want to use those lemon-flavoured liquid soaps, floor cleaners, and hand wash soaps to prevent the entry of spiders in your home. After drying lemon peels under the sun, grind these to produce a powder. Spray the powder at specific areas for your home to be free from those creepy spiders.
Calling for pest control services can be done if none of these methods work in getting rid of the pests.
