Once the weather warms up it is common to find your house has become a spider habitat. Alternatively when the weather starts to get a bit colder they seek refuge and the issue arises. Now this is not necessarily a bad thing because spiders are very useful in eating bugs. So unless the spiders that have taken up residence in your house are of the dangerous variety like the Brown Recluse or the Black Widow it may be wise to just live and let live. By trying to eliminate spiders from your house you may just be making it a more hospitable place for numerous other creepy crawlies.
That being said this is a tough situation for me personally because I am borderline arachnophobic after being bitten eight times by Black Widow spiders when I was a child. I won’t go into the heinous details but it was not a very pleasant experience. I am less then thrilled when I see spiders in the house so I am very sympathetic to those who do not want to share their house with eight legged friends. I like to leave the web spinners alone but I usually will try to get rid of hunter spiders, like the Brown Recluse. If you absolutely cannot live with them or they pose a danger to your small children here are a few natural ways to get rid of spiders.
1. Clean house! Spiders like cardboard and clutter, so clean up all cardboard and make sure closets and underneath beds are clean and without places to hide. And do not leave clothing, towels, and other debris on the floor where spiders can find refuge.
2. Clear out unwanted vegetation from around your house, including Ivy or other vines, which are a haven for them. Seal all cracks that may lead spiders indoors.
3. Keep trash bags and bins away from the house where spiders will lay in wait for bugs that are attracted to the garbage.
4. Cover pet food.
5. Use natural deterrents wherever you see spiders (spiders HATE them!):
- Orange Oil
- Peppermint Oil
- Eucalyptus leaves
- Hedge Apples or pieces of Hedge Apples, also called Osage orange
- Pennyroyal on a scrap of cloth
- Baking soda
All of these remedies are cheap, easy, and effective. You may even be able to find Hedge Apples for free if you happen to live where they grow in the public areas. Mix up the essential oils with some vinegar or soapy water and put inside a spray bottle. Spray liberally in the areas where you see spiders (ie around their webs and along walls and corners). You can also mix the EOs with the baking soda and then sprinkle it where you see spiders. Good luck!
Natural deterrents for other pests:
Ants: Bay leaves, cucumber peels sprinkled with salt, Cayenne pepper, chili pepper, dried peppermint, paprika, cinnamon, dried sage.
Flies: Whole or ground cloves in a small muslin teabag, flypaper made with honey.
thanks for the spider info-I have been looking for a remedy for a long time-My mother has spider webs in her garage-even on the ceiling!!!!I can’t wait to tell her.
Question about Pennyroyal. Just looked it up as a single word. It looks very dangerous. Thought you might want to check it out further for this site. Thanks.
Good reading, this is a cheap and easy way to get bugs out of my house for good.
We bought a house that was so infested with spiders we couldn’t go to the bathroom without spiders crawling up the wall beside us, or put on makeup without spiders crawling up the walls. I learned a “new” way to remove spiders (actually an old way–old-timers have known this trick forever) – it’s a safe bug killer (if you must kill them) and works because it sticks to the “slick” legs of insects. It’s Borax (a/k/ 20 Mule Team…) and can be sprinkled in corners, doorways, etc. It’s safe for animals (dogs/cats) and people, but it will kill spiders, ants, crickets, flies, etc.
How can anyone say Borax is harmless for people. It is so dangerous. imagine a small child getting it on their skin. It causes severe alergic reactions and irreversible lung damage and chest problems.
Borax has many many useful uses. Check out earthclinic.com for way to use for health.
After living here 2 1/2 yrs, roaches decided to infest my home! Turn on the lights and they were everywhere! I boiled 4-5 eggs, took the yolks and mixed them with sugar and borax. It makes a lol clay. Placed that in cabinets and I have NO roaches! Not one!
Seriously – all cleaners are harmful if swallowed or used wrong. His point is use it properly and kill the bugs – the bugs are more harmful to your kids. We use it on all laundry and many other things. It is good for septic tanks, your pipes in your house and toilets. But like other cleaners – don’t ingest it and keep from kids. Do you homework first berfore making dumb commments.
Okay, be nice. Maybe this person doesnt have small children so for her it is just fine for people that wont be curious to touch or ingest it. No need to be mean!
Borax will also kill flea larvae and stop an infestation. First vacuum well, sprinkle borax into the carpet and sweep it into the nap with a broom. You have to do the entire carpet and under furniture. Don’t vacuum for a week. The fleas will hatch and eat the borax and it kills them. You have to treat your pet and house for live fleas but borax will stop an infestation in it’s tracks by killing larvae before they mature to adult fleas.
While Borax does have many beneficial uses, including being used as a pest control (excellent when mixed with coarse salt for eliminating fleas), it can be extremely harmful to both humans and pets (dogs and cats) when you haven’t taken the appropraite precautions. With that said, please allow me to explain what type of situation could make it extremely harmful to you, your family and your beloved furry babies! When using it for pest control, in order for it to be completely effective, you need to use a lot of it! You can’t just treat one area of your home and think you will not have any more problems with whatever pests you are trying to get rid of. If you don’t want to be chasing down more pests again later, then you should treat you whole home and (I would recommend, because I have done it and it worked 100% for me) your front and back yard as well. Treating everything in one go is so much better than retreating over and over. When treating your home, and / or yard, you will be using a lot of Borax. A lot. You will also be inhaling a lot of it if you don’t make sure you cover your mouth and nose with a mask, cloth, etc. When you inhale Borax, your lungs get irritated. This can lead to coughing, possibly scratching your lung wall and making you cough up blood, causing permanent damage to your lungs. Now think about your little furry babies lungs. Theirs are so much smaller than yours. It isn’t safe for them to breathe it in either. Sometimes what may not be deadly to us can be deadly to them (example- a kidney / bladder infection in a human sucks, but it’s an easy fix. It is a death sentence for a cat. Made even worse because they can’t tell you when they are starting to get symptoms, and time is imperative in saving their life when it comes to that kind of infection). Sorry! Off point! Anyway – yes, Borax has many handy dandy uses. Yes, Borax can be used as a pest control. Is Borax harmful to people and pets? Yes. It most certainly can be, depending on the manner in which it is being used, and in the steps you take to protect yourself and your loved ones. We treated our home (we have 2 indoor cats) for fleas, that were EVERYWHERE, and roaches that started coming in during the hot summer days in search of water (according to the website that identified the type of roach we were seeing). We asked a family member to keep our cats for 2 days, bought 4 boxes of Borax, 4 boxes of coarse salt, 2 Mason jars, 2 packs of gloves, and 2 packs of throw away surgical masks. We popped holes in the lids of the Mason jars (made a salt shaker, just with bigger holes) mixed half Borax and half salt. Swirl it around really good to make sure it is evenly mixed. Put on gloves and our masks, got to work. It was extremely labor intensive, and time-consuming and I’m sure there is an easier or faster way to do it, but we didn’t know of one. Since money is extremely tight in our house we couldn’t afford a professional, and all the bottled insecticides that you can get never seemed to really work for all pests. Some would work for these pests, then you had to buy another for the other pests, etc. Borax and salt kills them all. We started in our yard – all around our porch and between the cracks of the porch floor, all around the perimeter of the house, and the driveway, as well as the footpath. Be careful though! It will kill grass and flowers (weeds too!), so watch where you sprinkle it. Don’t get it on the grass / flowers you want to live. After sprinkling our yard thoroughly, we did nothing else, we let it stay. We moved into the house where we sprinkled the rugs, let it sit for about 2 hours, vacuumed thoroughly and repeated again. Then we worked room by room (we have hard wood floors throughout the house), we swept the floor of the room, moved the furniture to sprinkle Borax / salt mix into the floor cracks under the furniture and put the furniture back, then sprinkled the rest of the floor in the room, we used a pretty thick layer (probably way more than we should have, but hey, it worked so who cares?), we moved on to the next room and repeated the process. We did this for every room in the house. Lunch break! Then we went back to the first room we had done. It was time to clean up the layer of Borax / salt that lay of the floor like snow covering a road! We swept, then swept again, to sweep one more time. We didn’t vacuum the floor because we wanted the Borax to stay in the cracks of the wood. Oh, I forgot! We paid close and special attention to the base of the floor, you know that rim that runs around your room, at the bottom of the wall?, it has the tiniest edge where you can shake some mix into it, bugs of all kinds LOVE hiding there! We also left the mix in there as well. Once we would sweep 3 times, to make sure we got it all up, we scooted across the floor on a towel, we don’t have a swifer, or anything like it, we had to use our imagination! We did this process for every room in the house. Once it was all swept up, we went back and dusted the house from ceiling to floor, therefore causing us to sweep the whole house again. We didn’t realize at the time that when we were shaking the mix out, the dust from it was floating to the nearest surface. So, everything looked like we had never dusted, like ever. I would definitely recommend buying a cheap drop cloth, or something like it, to drape over your furniture, or other items you don’t want to get the mix dust on. We used to mix on our couch, chairs, mattresses and other furniture with upholster / fabric on it where fleas or other pests could hide, then just vacuumed thoroughly. After completely dusting the whole house, you guessed it, we had to sweep the whole house, again. It took all day, and even though we wore our masks, our lungs felt heavy and scratchy. We coughed for about 3 days and (even though we wore gloves) the skin on our hands was really dry and raw. But, 100% flea and roach free for 4 months now! We haven’t had to do any other thing! Just that one day, that was all! We don’t even see any ants, spiders, ear wigs and all the other pests that frequent Florida homes! We had our family member keep our cats for 2 days – one day to clean, and we wanted another day to allow any unsettled dust that might be floating around to settle. Right before our cats came home we swept again, real quick. So, like I said before, yes, it can be harmful, but it depends on how you are using it, and the safety measures you are taking. It is extremely effective though, for sure, in dealing with pests! Thanks for reading this crazy, long and ridiculous comment! I really hope that it helps at least one person! Love to all!!!
I was wondering where you could get a cheap bottle of eucalyptus and I was also wondering if you get a eucalyptus plant – will that work with the spiders.Thank you for the great tips on how to keep spiders away.
Eucalyptus is a tree.
So glad I found you while searching how to naturally get rid of spiders! I have started using more and more natural ways in my home and love the benefits of going natural. Very nice and informative site.
Omigoodness!! I love this page. I had a major spider problem in my own bedroom, since I keep so many things in it. Even though I clean it everyonce or so, spiders are still on the walls of my bedroom This oage was very helpful! I cannot wait to try all these remedies!! Love this website by the way!
I just read up on Pennyroyal. Be very careful when using this product. It is said that it’s highly toxic and should not be used around pregnant women. I would assume, based on what I read, that is should not be used around anyone. Be Careful!
pennyroyal grows around springs where i live.. It smells amazing and is poisonous to ingest. But you could make an herb pouch with mint, pennyroyal, eucalyptus leaves, lavender, dry orange peel and maybe some sage and put it in beds, under beds behind bookshelves, in closets and other places in the home to keep spiders away.
pennyroyal grows around springs where i live.. It smells amazing and is poisonous to ingest. But you could make an herb pouch with mint, pennyroyal, eucalyptus leaves, lavender, dry orange peel and maybe some sage and put it in beds, under beds behind bookshelves, in closets and other places in the home to keep spiders away.
Iam new to site. Borax is not safe around pets or children…..June entry used on blog. Vet does not approve Borax near in pet home. KIAY
My daughters bedroom is in a refinished basement which is also near the laundry room. I would love to hear someones effectives ideas, my daughter is 13 and she is starting to get to the point that she doesn’t want to sleep in her room. Please I need some ideas and cheap ones, natural if they work. Do the ones about the Lemon Oil, Rubbing Alcohol, And how do you go about using the cedar chips and hedge apples? Someone HELP ME please!!!!!
How do you use baking soda to get rid of spiders? Also, how do you use eucalyptus oil? Do you dilute it with water or use it full strength? Is it expensive to use?
Borax also works well for centipedes – I’ve put it along baseboards and never saw one again. Thanks for the helpful tips about bugs in the house!
Betty, sprinkle baking soda around wherever you want to detract spiders. Eucalyptus oil is not very expensive and you can put a couple drops on cotton balls and disperse.
Thanks for the excellent tips! I have a sun room that the spiders love as much as I do. :=)
i have a spider and moth problem. Where would I sprinkle the baking soda?
I already have killed one yesterday and see another in corner of the ceil as we speak- I just sprinkled baking soda around the front door. What I would if they are on the ceiling?
I have went to tunr my daughter’s bed and have found spideres in her bed on 2 diff times this spring. What can i do to keep them out of her bed; will these things work for that. She gets scared and comes to get in my bed, but h ave been bittne 3 diff times on same arm and hand by spider that is small, light brown w/ black strip on it.. I have tremedous fear of a spider getting on me; which they have, but the fear is always there.
Thanks for the tips. I live in a small house and I hate spiders. There isn’t enough room for the both of us so one has to leave.
I have a daughter who is pregnant (4 months) and has a spider in her bed that bites her almost every night…her husband sleeps in the same bed & doesn’t. What can she use to get rid of this spider?
KILL IT!
We were not making a big deal of the really small house spiders, but they started getting bigger. Harboring in the kids rooms, so we made them get all shoe boxes, old school papers, and anything else that showed a clutter. I was told to use cider blocks, or moth balls. That spiders hate the smell as well. Is that true?
I would appreciate any tips anyone can give me. We are in a house only a couple of years old. Six months after moving in we encountered a spider nest under the front door stop. We sealed all the cracks around the door as much as we could, but they still get under the door. We have used double sided sticky tape around the door which manages to catch some but not all. Eighteen months on and although we eradicated the original nest, the spider problem is relentless. Every time the front door is open one shoots out. We find about 3-4 at least every day, mainly in the hall, but sometimes even crawling up the shower screen! I have been round the front of the house with boiling water, but to no avail. My neighbour’s front door is about ten feet from mine, he’s had about one spider in six months! I have also tried one of the plug in sound and electric pulse spider deterrers, but two months on, and it has no effect whatsoever! Please help, they are driving me insane, but i don’t feel its bad enough to get an exterminator! Also it isn’t one particular variety of spider, about 4 different types we get in. The only plus side is i used to be terrified of big spiders, but see so many now that my fear has reduced dramatically!
Ok I live in Black Forest(Colorado Springs) CO and have a major spider problem pretty much every spider this state has. All my life I’ve lived outside city limits in the “country” up in Washington and have never had spiders like this. It seems like everytime I kill one 5 more show up. It scares me because we have black widows and other poisionous spiders out here and I have 2 small children that like to get into things I dont want them to get biten. Last year its wasnt this bad seems like every where I go in my house theres a spider errr. I cant stand them I dont care what kind they are I just cant stand them I would rather have mice running around eating things than spiders crawling around and not knowing where they are. I have cedar chips if I put that around the house would that keep them out or at least lower the number of them creeping around here???
There are spiders in our house and at first they did not annoy us, however over time they have started to go everywhere. You have spider droppings and cobwebs all over. I have reached my breaking point and really going to try some of these tips. Hopefully this gets rid of them.
Hi Guys, i wrote earlier about my house being overrun with spiders, well…. the good news is i appear to have found a solution, and have been spider free for 2 weeks! i know it is working because i get at least 3-5 big spiders every day normally.
Okay, so i knew they were coming in through the underneath of the front door, and various attempts at sealing the door prooved unsuccessful as they could still get in! Although i’m sure it helped with the cracks in the front door step. I would definitely recommend going around your front door and windows and sealing any cracks that they might be getting through.
Like i say, i knew they were getting in through the front door. I read they hate citrus, so i went to the store and brought an anti-bacterial spray, in citrus scent. I had also read spiders don’t like fumes. So I get home and wipe around my door with a lemon scented floor wipe. Then i vigorously spray the citrus anti-bacterial spray onto the wooden front door step, and all around the door frame.
Instant success! In the first couple of days i still got some, but only one or two. But for the past 10 days, spider free! I spray the doorstep every day now, and one squirt in each of the top corners of the door.
I’ve had the odd beetle and woodlouse come through, but no more spiders! My front door was covered in little red spiders before too, now they don’t cross the boundary, because you can still see them on the pavement running around.
I hope this brings success to other people! I know how horrible it is waiting for the next one to show, and i now feel confident they are gone.
Many Thanks for the great tip on my way ou the door to buy some Citrus Spray of some sort…..
Fingers Crossed
Many Thanks Jane
What kind of citrus spray? I wonder if you can make your own by putting lemon or orange peel in water?
Hi Charlotte thanks for the info what was the name of the citrus spay that you used to kill the spiders we have been seeing big brown spiders crawing up the stairs of the basement my daughter is scared of them and so am i and my husband please help me thanks elsa
Great article, and a wonderful blog you have here! I will pass it along.
Im gonna have to try the citrus thing. Its hard to seal off a old trailer so I think using something around the doors and windows might work best. Thanks for that tip.
This is a great site! I found a spider in my bed tonight, I will be using every tip!
I tried it with ants & I closed the area where they were coming from with baking soda & It worked?? They did have wings. I have now ? If anyone has any info on ticks/Lyme Disease,I just moved to the country & the town paper doesn’t say much I do have a dog but I’m close to some woods.
Maria
I am growing to hate God’s creation, the spider. I know they do some good but yuck. I don’t think I’d rather have mice but I don’t like finding them under my bed pillows. I am glad to find this information….thank you for sharing everyone. I just moved back to Washington from Arizona & I used to brag that Washington has no bugs whatsoever. No so, this time back I have encountered spiders which really surprised me. I am living in a basement type apartment so that could be a big part of it but I am working on sealing cracks and things and I too will be trying the citrus thing. Thank you again and keep sharing…please.
Thanks so much! I have found 4 very large hobo spiders crawling across my floor in my room in the past week. I’ve done my research on them and am not sure how they are getting in my room being that i live on the second floor and Hobo’s cant climb up walls. I have extensively cleaned my room and set off a bug bomb. However i just found another one tonight. I wouldnt care if these were just regular house spiders but these are dangerous and i’ve already been bitten once. Im really hoping these ideas work.
Hi again…. Just writing to say ( I wrote about using a citrus spray), that two months on and I am completely spider free! I only spray every other day now too on the door step! Very happy – spiders no longer rule my life! Good luck everyone!
Hi Charlotte and thank you for sharing again. What is the name of the citrus spray that you use? Also, is your house pretty sealed up so that you are thinking the only way they are getting in is the front door? I think I’ll buy the spray you speak of and spray all around the baseboards. The other night I leaned over on the side of my bed and a spider with long legs was crawling up the bed skirt toward my head…oh my gosh…needless to say, I didn’t sleep all night. Not discounting God as the Creator but just need to redirect these little critters :)
Hi Regina, it is by ZoFlora, it’s an anti-bacterial spray, in citrus scent. It isn’t an aerosol, it is like a liquid spray pump. As long as it is in citrus flavour, and it is a spray it will work, as spiders hate fumes as they can’t breath, and i they hate the smell of citrus, which they taste with their legs. But yes, they only seem to come in through our front door. On our second level we have balcony doors that we open daily, yet only the odd one ever decides to climb through. I think maybe three in two years, so we only concentrate on our front door. I used to see them crawling in, and they were hard to miss, every time i opened the front door as well they dropped off the door, so i was lucky in the fact i knew which entrance they were using. It’s quite funny, my neighbour never had a problem with spiders, but when we spoke to him the other week (after we had not long been using our spray), he said he seemed to be getting a lot of spiders coming in his house, which he has never had before. I said I think they are now bypassing our door and going to his! He he! So he had to go out and buy some spray too! :-)
Have you heard of mixing vinegar and cocunut oil? Lillian
I haven’t. Have you had success with that?
Awesome, I need to know what you did/used!!
I’ll tell you what works for me. Monthly, I spray a perimeter all around the outside of the house, being sure to get the doors and window sills, with Demand CS. It’s a long lasting pesticide that is considered quite safe around food and people. I only use it outside though. Inside, I use food-grade diatomaceous earth. It’s so safe, you can and some people do, eat it. I dust it into baseboards, behind cabinets, under furniture, above drop ceilings, etc. You only need to dust once the entire time you live in the house, in most places. You can also use it as a deodorizer in your carpets and sprinkle it on your pets to de-flea. Feed it to them to de-worm. I have had ZERO crawling insects in the house since I started doing this.
Hey tom what are the name of the things you used to get rid of spiders
I’m wondering, if after 2 years you still feel diatomaceous earth is effective…I have used this last summer and find I still have recluse spiders–not as many,but they are still here! Do you know what is there about this substance that can kill a recluse spider?. It seems so soft, like powderyet now harmful enough to hurt an animal….???I have also read about Demand CS and have been thinking about trying it. A rep from Syngenta(the manufacturer) actually told me it was very good.
Thank you everyone..We thought it would be a great idea to build a koi pond. It turned out beautifully. Unfortunately, we didn’t take into account that the 3 ton rock we used to build it would be a perfect spider habitat. Namely Black widows. Las Vegas is already known for these creatures, but now they are everywhere. The biggest problem is we have 3 dogs, one of which likes to chase any and all critters that move. Due to the 5 koi fish in the pond we are very limited as to products we can use. Any thing harmless to them is out of the question…Any suggestions please help. I’ve been reading a lot about vinegar and lavender oil mixed together….Appreciate any suggestions
A few people mentioned cedar chips and lavender oil. I have large brown and black spiders in my garden and around my house. I’m absolutely terrified of spiders and have a young son, so I wanted to do everything I could to get rid of them. I bought lavender and planted them every couple of feet around my house and in my garden. Then I spread a thick layer of 100% untreated cedar wood chips through my garden and around my house. I still have just as many spiders as I did before. Neither helped a bit. I’m going to try the citrus spray that others have talked about. I hope that works!
Hi, Thanks for the Info. I need to try something,I bought a 8 in 1 climber for my Granddaughter an I can not believe all the SPIDERS. I kill tons of them every Day.I took it apart and cleaned it with Bleach spray then hosed with water, let it dry before I put it back together.AND they are back.She is only 15 mo. and crawles around so I can not use any pesticides…I will try backing soda, What else can I use outside that won`t hurt the baby??? Please help.
ALSO any natural way to get rid of Pantry Moths??
THANKS
It is very difficult to get ride of spiders, they can lay 200- 600 eggs per sack… maybe more. I am constantly finding black widows around my house. I read that a natural way to keep spider population down is to raise Praying Mantis they are Natural Enemies to Black Widows. You can buy them online through mail order. BUT be careful or they can become a pest probblem as well. Do not release them in doors, use them preferably in gardens and bushy areas.
um seriously the article said CLEAN YOUR HOUSE.. how is that new?
people should always clean there houses its kind of the way the world turns thats extra gross if u don’t.
“um seriously” should not let fifteen year-olds post. I believe the article was referring to cardboard and clutter, either of these things can be found in the house of someone who has recently moved or has small children.
I have big spiders around my yard, house, garage and in my basement. Some are as big as a half dollar (body and legs) I guess they are wolf spiders??? I am absolutely terrified of spiders…i often scream that there is a tarantula! I have them under and on my front porch this time of year. Any suggestions? I clean inside often and mow the lawn often…i will try baking soda. I would like to try moth balls but we have a pitbull and i am afraid she will get into them. I often find dead spiders too in dusty basement corners…do they kill each other? UGH! I will let you know how it works for me :)
I recently moved into a house that was affected by the floods of Georgia. Unbeknownst to me I have a spider issue..It seems they like my stone tile floors because they are cool. But I also had a lot of cardboards boxes stored because of the recent move.
Well I removed the boxes and my house is immaculate but I still see the spiders on the tile near the fireplace or on the kitchen tile. I have an industrial spray but all they do is roll and play dead and when I come back to get it they are dead, So I am going to get the citrus spray today!!! Hopefully I can get rid of these. I dont have any small children but I have a teen and he says he’s seen them as well. Wish me luck!
Plz someone help me. I have house spiders everywhere!!!!! They are taking over my ceilings, doorways basically every part of my home. They have even taken over my shower area wich is very disturbing. I need some answers fast or I feel like I’m going to have a break down. Half of the time I dont even want to be in my home. I’ve read a few comments andwould like to try some remedies out just not sure how to go about it all. Any safe,cheap and effective ways please help. Thank You!
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Thanks I am going to try all of these. I have a LOT of spiders in my house. You can clean all the cob webs and kill all the spiders and the next morning the spider webs are back and so are the spiders. We have been seeing your norm spiders but also the really big long legged black spiders the size of a wolf spider but black. what is it…..I let you know how it works out….I have a 2 year old grandson and he loves to get into things and I don’t want to take the chance with pesticides
Just tried mixture of lemon and water and sprayed around
heat drafts. Will see what happens. Have large spiders.
I live in the English Countryside, and unfortunately there are a lot of spiders about. I mixed lavender soap and water and sprayed it around the window-frames, and have sprinkled baking soda around and under the bed. The worst thing is that I know there is a big one somewhere, but I can’t find it. It’s been hiding for a day now. I hope this all works and I don’t have to feel disgusted and uneasy in my own room!
I don’t have a problem in the house, but we do have a serious problem around & under our deck. During the day, they are the tiny red spiders. At night we see much larger gray ones. I can’t tell you how many times I have been bitten all over my feet & ankles. Can someone help with that?
Mix some coconut oil with white vinegar (two tablespoons to 8 ounces of vinegar) and when you see a spiderweb, take it down and spray this in that area. The oil will coat the spider and the vinegar is like acid to them. They will leave and never come back. This also works for ants and crawling bugs.
Thank you so much. I have been finding black widows outside and inside for weeks now. We live in Central California, and we are plagued by these. I bought an all natural citrus spray called Orange Guard online and just sprayed it outside around the perimeter of the house. I hope it works. I found a black widow in the bathroom in the middle of the night when I went in, next to the toilet, and way too close to my leg! The blog is wonderful…..
Hi Caroline, I just moved to San Joaquin Valley in California. I’ve never seen so many big creepy spiders. How did the Orange Guard work for you? Someone told me to mix bleach with water and spray around all perimeters of my house and outside as well. Please let me know
Thanks for the tips for gettnig rid os spiders! i can hardly wait to try some since I have some huge spiders at my home that are HALF the size of a large adult palm!!! Creepy!! I have not been able to sleep in my bedroom downstairs since I was not fast enough to squash that monster–I appreciate the info and would hope other readers will keep in mind that NONE of the items listed should be consumered by people or animals so use common sense/precautions when using.
It all sounds safer and less placing the suggested and I started wondering about all the ones I had not yet seen. gererally poisionous than calling out the pest control company or fogging up you home with the do-it-yourself spider bombs.
Keep up the good work – BTW I found your site when searching for ways to get rid of spiders. Glad I found your other interesting posts as well.
Cheers!
Thank you for these ideas. I am a teacher who is in a new classroom this year in a rural community. I have been cleaning and setting up my classroom the last few days and there are spiders everywhere! I need to get rid of them before school starts but didn’t want to use anything toxic around my first graders. I am going to try the baking soda and eucalyptus!
Wow thank you all so much for these tips. Just tonight I killed 4 large wolf spiders in a 5 minute period. My husband and I live with my mother-in-law and she LOVES spiders. I am deathly afraid to the point that I have nightmares about them. Will a mixture of lemon water work at all as a type of citrus spray? I really need to find a way to get rid of these things because they are HUGE in Texas. At the same time though I don’t wanna end up killing my mother-in-laws hermit crabs.
how can i get rid of spiders in my room
what kind of spray can i use on the floor
or what is the best way to kill and prevent them coming back in my room
PS. IM THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS THE SPIDER PROBLEM BAD !!
i thought i had it bad when they were on my floor but i just recently had a spider come down on his string just 4 inches from my head I STAYED UP TILL 2AM THAT NIGHT I WAS AFRAID AND WOULD NOT GO TO BED UNTIL I COULD FIND A WAY TO KILL THEM FAST
PLEASE HELP ME
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned as a low toxicity pesticide that’s been effective for me in the past is dish soap and water. Works with all kinds of insects (and spiders), so long as you use a surfactant (like palmolive) — couple squirts in a spray bottle filled the rest of the way with water. The surfactant gets on exoskeletons and kills the animal. Not sure how it works in keeping them from reinfesting, but can spray cobwebs and baseboards.
I’m looking forward to trying eucalyptus oil for prevention of reinfestation.
Hi I’m 19 I live with my mother and we have a 5 pound yorkie we live in a condo that’s basically on the ground so quite easy for bugs to crawl in when the weathers nice we get bugs such as spiders all different kinds my mom once had a huge brown one in the corner of her bedroom, we also get crickets, earwigs, the cousin of centipedes once, small little black bugs that are smaller than ants, and rolie polies. Now I know all those bugs sound super crazy but the place we lived in used to be the model so no one lived here but the bugs, but now we do and I was just really hoping someone could help me out pleaseeeeeeee I was wondering what’s a good cheap and safe way to kill these bugs that won’t harm me and my mother or dog
Thanks !!!!
I live in a condo at ground level as well and have the same problem with bugs. I’m sure there are plenty of cracks in the concrete floor, which doesn’t help the issue. I know the seals in the doors and windows are terrible because in the winter I can feel the cold air pouring in. We get a ton of spiders and earwigs and we are super-clean. I think the earwigs breed under our deck which is next to our slider that connects to our kitchen. Not sure if spiders are attracted to this?
Every weekend me and my husband spend the whole weekend scrubbing floors, cleaning windows, etc. I’m going to try the lemon/orange oil idea around the seals of the doors and windows and hopefully this will help deter them. In New England we luckily don’t have too many poisonous spiders, but I don’t care how big or small they are. I don’t like anything that’s got that many legs or eyes…
Most insects or spiders will not walk across dishwashing liquid. It strips the protective coating from their body and leaves them without defense. Wipe down oour baseboards with vinegar and diswashing liquid, put across door openings, anywhere you think the little “devils” may travel. It’s also easy to reclean these areas when you need to.
Does anyone ever post anwers???? There seems to be so many stories that are, IF not the same…answer some of the questions dammit, I frekkkkken hate spiders. In the last two days, it was a redback, today 2 whitetails!!! coming out of the shower tonight, another frekkin redback!! ive bombed up 2 main living areas in my home, and doing this, I think ive encouraged the spiders to come out….so now im going to try eucaluptus oil, citrus spray, and of course loads of general insect spray….does anyone have a successful story yet? i will try my next home project this weekend while my little one is away, than try again. Note to all: I will post my results ….. feeling your luck lol
im in melbourne also and have had quite good success with dousing all my floors (wood) with earth care wood floor cleaner and 3 -4 caps of eucalyptus oil , and bombing each room with bositos tea tree and eucalyptus sprays (woolworths ) – redbacks in side? eeeek! i get them outside and have dogs, so would love to get rid of of them for good. I’m currently visiting sydney at my mothers, who has who has a leave and love approach to spiders but the are EVERYWHERE hence i stumbled on this forum. I’m about to try the eucalyptus treatment here
Ack, I hate spiders! Thanks for the tips!
I tried lemon scented pledge and sprayed this around the windows in my basement and it seems to work as long as you spray it every week or so. I sprayed it inside as well as on the outside. I am not sure where the spiders get in but figured the windows are a good bet
Hedge apples are great at detering spiders, problem is you can only get them in the summer and only some states they grow in. I get them off ebay every summer and they do work for about 2 to 3months then they turn black and you have to get rid of them.
How do you know if it is a black widow or brown recluse spider? While I see your point about spiders being useful to clear out any other unwanted bugs, I found one near my and my partner’s bed this morning, naturally on my side! Our flat is not particularly cluttered and is definitely not dirty or dusty. So I am at a bit of a loss.
Like so many others, while I am much more inclined to just go ahead and kill another type of bug, I am hesitant to do so to a spider, partially because of the aforementioned, and partially because I have heard that this brings about some bad luck! (Yes, I am a bit of a believer in this…but perhaps I am over-thinking it all.
Basically, will the spiders pretty much leave us alone if we leave them alone? Will they breed and bring in more spiders or what? If so, I will have to of course get rid of my creepy crawly house guest.
Samantha, Better Kill’em all before they try to kill you. They are uninvited guests and might return if they are just caught and put outside. The recluse is smart….kill quickly…maybe even torture before killing…If you were ever bitten by one, you would know their bite will provide you with great torture!!
C’mon, torture the spider?…get real people! I live in rural Australia, where a huge number of the worlds most venomous snakes and spiders live; it’s absolutely impossible to live here and not have a certain number of bugs and spiders in and around your home- and trust me, the vast majority of the population don’t die or suffer greatly from spider bite. Most of us have been bitten by spiders at some point, and yep, they itch or sting for a while. But we still go camping, sleep on the ground, run around in bare feet, live a normal outdoor lifestyle. In general spiders do a lot more good than harm and I’m certain that those of you who drown your home with poisonous insect sprays are putting yourselves at more risk than an occasional spider will ever do. Please lighten up and give nature a chance of surviving.
you should try checking out a brown recluse bite and see how pleasant it is
ours are about 9 inches big when I see them zapping across the ceiling. I like spiders generally, but these – sheesh – I am not sure that they are not able to sting, but am afraid of finding them on my face when I wake up, so going to sleep is scary. Any ideas of what to do. Cleaning, I can cope with, orange stuff I will find; but how to deter them altogether or to deal with phobia. Any comments?
ours are about 9 inches big when I see them zapping across the ceiling. I like spiders generally, but these – sheesh – I am not sure that they are not able to sting, but am afraid of finding them on my face when I wake up, so going to sleep is scary. Any ideas of what to do. Cleaning, I can cope with, orange stuff I will find; but how to deter them altogether or to deal with phobia. Any comments?
Thank you so much. I am a little kid and I am completely terrified of spiders :S I found 2 GIANT spiders in my room in 2 DAYS, I am looking forword to trying all these ideas. :)
Thanks so much for posting this. I didnt’ know about spiders and mess. They have been getting worse and worse, and while they are just little jumping spiders, I can’t be seeing them 20 times a day. And one actually crawled up my arm. EEEK! Tonight i was worried i was going to end up not sleeping. but i pushed back the clutter and sprayed with lemon pledge like crazy… i even surrounded my bed with a “forcefeild” of baking soda. Maybe i’ll get some sleep now. I’m going to try to de clutter everything tomorrow and then, there’s going to be a definite lemon sent to my house. lol. I may even talk to management about my door, because i know at least half get in that way (it has a crack in it about a mile wide) thanks again!!! :D
Hi charlotte, I have a car that has been sitting due to costly repairs until we can repair it my problem is I washed it the other day and there where spiders on it unfortunately I spotted 2 black widows fall from the bottom I sprayed bug spray in all the areas I could outside if it my concern is now if they are on the inside how can I kill them? Please assist if you can.
For ants, baby powder works too.
For ants, baby powder works too.
thank you i’m goin to be a new mommy soon and hunter spiders isn’t what i want my baby around
Everyone is saying thank you they’ll try it… why don’t someone try it then post if it works or not?? “Ill try it” isn’t very informal.
The cinnamon does work for ants. This summer has been torture and we had been using an expensive spray on the outside of our house, but it wasn’t working. We had dozens of ants in the kitchen and bathroom. I really get freaked out by them. We didn’t know what else to do because we have cats and didn’t want to use anything harmful inside. I saw the cinnamon suggestion and thought I’d try it. I put ground cinnamon from a jar (the kind you use for cooking) in every window sill and the next day all the ants were gone. They refuse to cross it. Cinnamon is also safe for cats and dogs (they don’t like it much but if they accidently eat it they’re okay).
Thanks Amber – I am going to try this cinnamon sprinkle right now on my ants. I love the little cirtters, but they are everywhere!
Thanks for all the nice tips, I’ll be trying them out… I’ve witnessed around 6 spiders in my bedroom, and atleast 10 outside of my bedroom, but I am in the basement… I guess that can’t be helped, but thanks for the nice easy tips.
Thanks for all the nice tips, I’ll be trying them out… I’ve witnessed around 6 spiders in my bedroom, and atleast 10 outside of my bedroom, but I am in the basement… I guess that can’t be helped, but thanks for the nice easy tips.
Hedge apples do NOT work. I had a house spider build his web right on one.
Okay so I have found and killed at least EIGHT very large brown hobo looking spiders in my home in the past couple weeks. I have children and I feel like the spiders are invading!! Our local hospital does NOT carry anti venom, the nearest hospital that does is over an hour away as we live in a rural part of the inland pacific northwest. I am concerned for the safety of my family, one even dropped on to me the other night while I was laying in bed. There are no pest control companies where we live and paying one far away to come would cost more than we can afford. What do I do?!?
Jennifer,
I use those “Sticky Pads” everywhere. One under each leg of my bed. I also spray lemon spray around baseboards, everywhere, to discourage spiders. They hate the smell of citrus and they taste with their feet I’ve read…..once they taste citrus or vinegar, they steer clear!
I also have mixed liquid soap, vinegar, and lemon oil together and squirted it under the house.I even pur sticky pads in the light fixtures in case small spiders come in from the attic!!
omg i dont want to even attempt cleaning out the underside of my bed
I guess I should clean my room, I am absolutely terrified of spiders and found one about a week ago crawling ON MY BED RIGHT BY MY ARM, he was kinda big, and it freaked me out so bad I had a panic attack, that same spider was found again just a couple days before, as we tried killing him he got away and couldnt be found, when he resurfaced the other day he got away again, this is the first night Ill be sleeping in my bed again and Im terrified. Spiders never bothered me until my mom was bitten by a brown recluse!
If you don’t mind me asking, which region of the country do you live in? I’m terrified of spiders, especially brown recluses and black widows, so i would just like to know if they live in my region. Thanks!
Is it really spider stuff I find around windows in garage??? not really webs but little black stuff, and sorta webby, but not the king that go out in star pattern. hard to explain, does anyone know what i mean. really want to know should I try that citrus idea?
I have been told conkers in all corners near doors and windows does the trick and I am about to try it out. As we are getting some really big ones in at the minute and a lot of friends are saying the same ! My friend was told about conkers and they worked for her last year ! Will let you know
Hi,do you know how to get rid of the female black widow.It’s because I’m terrified of spiders and I found it in my trash bin.I am scared that if it escapes it might just bight my family,please email me on how to get rid of the spider without any spray products.My email is pont.win@gmail.com , Thank You
I need something to kill these horrible spiders some are big and black and some are brown and BIG
we are VERY clean – but due to foundation shifting, are getting increased # black widow and other types non poisonous spiders in bedrooms.. any pet safe chemical we can get to get rid of spiders?
kritzbergkaren@yahoo.com
omg they are awfull we get atleasy 2 wolf spiders a day in my house and we conkerz which is sposs to help and it has a bit but im going to try these other idears cos im a teen aged girl so my room is a tip so im going to be clean from now on and hopfull spider free !!
omg they are awfull we get atleasy 2 wolf spiders a day in my house and we conkerz which is sposs to help and it has a bit but im going to try these other idears cos im a teen aged girl so my room is a tip so im going to be clean from now on and hopfull spider free !!
Dear Ffwrh, I don’t think you mean ‘informal’. Don’t you mean ‘informative’?
i wonder if this works im petrified of spiders i saw 3 spider in my room in the past couple of days !!
using a mixture of coconut oil and white vinager in a spray botle works well to. It’s fume free and chemical free. If you have asthmatics in your home try this. you just spray in around the ceiling walls and floors. There is something in this mix that just keeps them away! good luck all!
how do you mix it is hafe ana hafe ..white vinager and coconut oil
I need help every so often my son and i wake up with spider bites i hate bugs i clean up the bedrooms big time vaccum every thing and every where its good for a while but they come back how do i get rid of them is there anything i can leave in the rooms that isnt harmful and is cheap or i can make at home please please help
Hello, just came across this site. We have some pretty large spiders in our house. Some are brown and some are black with striped legs. We just killed a brown one today. To make a long story short, my son was apparently bitten on the shoulder by a spider while sleeping. It (the bite) got very red and was infected, we had him put on oral antibiotics and the bite got alot better but is not yet completely gone. Could this be a hobo spider bite? I am going to try the citrus spray and baking soda….
Brax is natural but it contains arsenic. Be careful if you use it.
would like some help i have spiders size of nail polish bottels just there bodys are , killed 4 just today..live in leaf river ill..have a dog she dose not like them at all need help
I HATE SPIDERS! I live in a very old house…lots of cracks and plenty of places for creepy crawlys to get in….well…Spectricide…it’s an out door spray, I spray it around the doors, windows, and along the base of the house, creates a nice little barrier, spiders walk through it and within moments…they aren’t crawling anywhere anymore. I spray every other day just to keep the barrier up, I have a toddler and I have seen quite a few brown recluse outside…not something I want to see inside. I found this at walmart and it was one of the cheaper brands…I can only imagine what one of the more expensive ones will do!
Spiders are our friends. Wish them well and leave them in peace.
My husband refused to kill spiders as he claimed they ate the mosquitos but I spent years trying to avoid the big webs they made, our house is a 250 year old clap board colonial, so about 20 years of this I remarked to my husband that I thought carpenter ants were infesting our house, he told me I did not know what I was talking about so after 2 rotted sills that he had to replace, his friend told him it was carpenter ants eating our house and then I found out why we had so many ants.. carpenter ants fed on protein and spiders are there favorite protein..
You forgot to mention treating any unfinished basement and/or crawlspace areas with whatever natural deterrant you use. Spiders lay eggs there in the summer and fall to hatch in the spring. Cleaning and removing webs and eggs from that area in the winter will also help.
Excellent tip!
Packing tape, sticky-side up, laid on the floor, and at entrances to rooms, like a threshold, will catch spiders an keep them stuck until you throw the tape, and the spiders, out.
Ladybugs (which are a beetle) kill and eat up spiders. If you like ladybugs, and have a lot of spiders, just go to a garden center and buy some and turn them loose in your house/garage/yard/attic.
Diatomaceous earth is a powder that kills insects when they come in contact with it, it would be like you rolling in broken glass. Garden centers carry it. But if you have kids or pests, don’t use it, and whatever you do, DO NOT breathe it in, it can mess up your lungs.
Honestly, the thin packing tape thing works best. They can’t get off it, but it doesn’t kill them, which can be a drag, waking up to the sounds of a dozen spiders frantically writing around on packing tape. On the upside, you can take the tape to a specialist if you have a severe problem and easily get them identified. I used this in the basement for years to keep them under control.
Seal your house up. Use foam seal and stuff. If they can’t get in from outside you’ll get them under control easier.
Good luck !
I know that one day, God is going to let me see my grandson and spend
some time with him! I have been waiting 2 years!I heard about using
chili pepper for an ant repellant so I tried it almost a week ago. I
sprinkled some organic chili pepper around a vent on the floor that the
ants were coming in and out of. They started walking on the chili pepper as though they found it very interesting! So I thought, “So much for THAT idea! I will have to try something else!” which I have not done yet.
CHEAP AND EASY RELIEF TO SPIDERS IN THE HOUSE
I live in the southeast in a rural area and spiders are everywhere. After months of constantly having to shake my slipcover before sitting on the sofa and cleaning, what I thought, everywhere I realized I hadn’t cleaned under my furniture that had legs or decorative bases that allowed for spiders to crawl into for a nice cool, dark place to reside. When I turned over my lingerie chest and dresser I noticed that there were various spider webs and spiders residing there. After completing that I invested in some essential oils (lavender, tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus). I choose those oils based on my preference of scents I like. Washing all my bed linens in a few drops of eucalyptus and lavender not only makes them smell dreamy but I have not seen an spiders since. I repeat the cleaning and spraying under the furniture on a monthly basis. Also, I laundered my sofa’s slipcover in eucalyptus and lavender as well; haven’t seen any spiders there anymore. I vacuum weekly and use the attachments to clean any spider webs that may be starting in the corners near the ceiling. Monthly I clean all the walls in my home as well.
Interesting, Tiffany–I love finding natural ways to ward off pests, although I have to admit that for spiders, I just capture them and bring them outside. This has become a sort of game with my children–they run to tell mommy that there’s a spider in need of rescuing. I don’t mind spiders, but stinkbugs in the house? The worst! Also, those creepy-crawlies with tons of legs (whatever they are)–yuck! I just can’t bring myself to “rescue” those critters!
We capture as much as we can also. :)
I made up a spray of water, dish soap and pepperment oil and spray around my windows and door and in the basement right on their webs. It has been 3 days and the webs are still empty and I haven’t seen any spiders. Cheap and easy.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
I had spiders that were camping in my kitchen and bathroom cabinets even getting in my food so I took a spray bottle and poured a whole bottle of pepermint extract and mixed with watered vacuumed my cabinets out and sprayed very well and it has worked so far
Quick question what do we think of a baking soda, borax, citrus spray. Literally mix the three with water to make a spray, do you think it would have the same affect or no???? Thoughts?
Sounds like a great recipe to try!
I tried bay leaves to deter the ants, but it didn’t work. I am going to try cinnamon or cucumber peeled next.
Im kinda freaked out to take a shower cause I was giving my dogs a bath and I looked up and there was a big spider
Being a website for helping people with for people with arachniphobia like myself, i hated the picture of the big spider at the top of the page. considering this I don’t think you care about people with it.
I just sprayed my rocks that are spider infested with some vinegar and peppermint extract mixture. We’ll see how it works but I’m standing behind my sliding door watching them crawl away from where i sprayed. Hopefully this works.
I sprayed white paint on the LEADER waited 30 minutes to see if it would move and lo and behold it was trying to die while allowing further reproduction,it played dead and then I used a grill lighter to make things end.
Peppermint Oil will keep mice/rats away also. Doesn’t take much peppermint, but I sprayed it all outside of my house and garage. No more rats/mice
My husband happens to love spiders, so I was actually looking for ways to attract them. Also, I really hate flies and our house sort of facilitates their presence somehow? Anyways, spiders work just perfect in pest controlling flies, so I was wondering if any of you can share wisdom or just describe what kind of habitat they have at your home? For now I’m just following the advice of this article, which is also on how to remove spiders from your home, but it also explains what attracts them: http://bit.ly/1QG5edk
I’d be happy for any kind of input, really.
Thanks and greeting from London
Mika
Okay. So yesterday I came to put the trash in the garbage container outside my house and I saw this big web with a black spider near it. I don’t know if it’s a black widow or a house spider. Please help asap
Simple syrup and Borax is like Napalm for ants.
I use peppermint eo and water in my shed, and it works BEAUTIFULLY at keeping pretty much all bugs, except flies, out. Went 2 weeks without, and had some visitors. 10 drops eo in a 2oz spritz bottle of water is all I use, every couple days.
How do I mix up these oils,, altogether in 1 bottle with some water?
I just posted, more info. I HAVE A CAT RUNS IN & out the door, want what use to be safe for him. Also if I just run the spiders off from the closet or under the sink, won’t they run somewhere else in the house, like in my bed! I have been bitten by recluse several years ago. Devastating! I do want to kill the ones in my house.
Spiders are really creepy crawlers.
One good way to organically treat your house for pests is to use D.E. aka diatomaceous earth alone or with borax. D.E. is just a ground up mineral, shells I’m told making calcium carbonate. It dries up or does other things to kill bugs. It can be used on rugs & furniture for fleas. That is what flea powder is made of. There is also a food grade form of it, so it will be completely non-toxic. It can be put around baseboards or best, put behind them for long lasting protection. I use it outside along the perimeter of my home and have very few bugs that make it in and live. I see an occasional dead one. I have been invaded by ants as we have 60 years of fruit trees in this area, so I will also use it along baseboards and window sills, particularly if the ants get in. I am due to resprinkle my exterior perimeter, which may be the reason I have had ants get in. Aside from doing that every 3 to 4 years I do not do any other pest control. I just use the D.E., my patio gets messy, so there may be an occasional spider if I don’t spend time out there. I’ve done this and it works.
There are still millions of ants in the yard, I will try planting mint to make them go away.
I am arachnophobia because when I was a kid a 3 foot spider was in my room when I was playing with cars Knight a stink bug was in my room and now a spider I’m only 12 its 11:20 PM
How do I keep tarantulas out of my vegetable garden. I know they kill many dangerous and annoying creatures, but reaching for a handful of wax beans and comint almost eyeball to eyeball with a tarantula is not my idea of a good day. I don’t want to kill, can’t use pesticides and am watching my was beans and peas and die. Help. please