Keep Spiders Away

If you don't want to deal with spiders but hate the idea of exterminating them after they already invade your space, there are several tactics you can use to keep spiders away altogether. Some techniques will limit the number of spiders hanging out in your yard while others simply discourage them from finding their way indoors. Keep reading to learn more.

Steps

Keeping Spiders Away Outdoors

1. Remove debris from your yard. Most spiders like to hide in dark places, and yard debris provides the perfect hiding spot for any arachnid wanting to set up camp in your yard.
   • Remove piles of dead leaves, grass clippings, piles of wood, boxes, tires, plywood, and empty containers from the yard.
   • It is especially essential that your remove debris from around the perimeter of your home's foundation in order to keep spiders out of your house. If you want to keep spiders away from your yard as much as possible, though, you should remove these items from your yard altogether.
2. Keep tall grass and weeds out of your yard. If debris is not available, the next place spiders will look will be shrubs, tall grass, and tall weeds. Trimming your weeds and cutting your grass short will reduce the number of spiders in your yard by creating a less appealing habitat.
   • You do not need to get rid of your shrubs and bushes completely, but you should at least avoid planting them next to the foundation of your house to limit the number of spiders wandering inside.
3. Limit your outdoor storage. Boxes and bags of items stored in outdoor sheds and garages are another appealing spot for spiders. Reducing the number of items you store outdoors will also reduce the number of spiders you spot.
   • If you do plan to store something outside, put it into a sealed plastic container instead of a cardboard box. Sealed containers prevent most spiders from squeezing inside, so you will have fewer unpleasant surprises to deal with when you open the container later on.
   • Check boxes stored outdoors before you bring them into the house.
4. Remove webs when you spot them. When you see a spider web on the side of a building or somewhere in your yard, physically remove the web to discourage the spider that built it from returning.
   • In most instances, you will need to remove the web with a broom, mop, or garden hose.
   • If you are near enough to an electrical outlet, you can also use a vacuum to remove webs and egg sacs you spot outside.
5. Avoid using outdoor lighting. While outdoor lighting has nothing to do with spiders directly, outdoor lights will attract many insects, and the increased number of insects will also lead to a spike in your spider population.
   • Use your outdoor lights as little as possible.
   • Direct the lights away from your house to draw the insects and spiders further away from your foundation.
   • Switch to yellow bulbs. The softer light is less appealing to insects and may not draw as many as a bright white light does.

Keeping Spiders Away Indoors

1. Seal cracks in your walls. Apply silicone caulk to any cracks around your windows and doors or along the foundation of your home.
   • Most spiders will sneak into a building through these various cracks and unintended openings. Sealing the cracks will prevent the spiders from coming in.
   • You can purchase caulk from a hardware store. Follow the instructions provided on the label to prepare and apply the caulk correctly.
   • When you apply the caulk, make sure that the cracks are completely filled and covered.
2. Install tight-fitting screens, weather stripping, and door sweeps. These are the other types of passageways spiders use to invade your home.
   • Weather stripping and door sweeps will seal the gaps left at the bottom and sides of your doors and windows. Door sweeps are especially important because you cannot use caulk to cover the crack at the bottom of the doorway, making a properly fit door sweep your only means of cutting that path off from spiders.
   • A tight-fitting screen is also an essential tool. Spiders can slip in through the gaps left by loose screens, and so can many insects spiders like to feed on. Install screens over your windows and vents.
   • Repair any holes in your screens as soon as you spot them. If you spot a hole in your screen, repair it or replace the screen. Otherwise, spiders and insects may find their way into your home through that hole.
3. Clean away clutter. Spiders gravitated toward clutter inside a building as readily as they do outside a building.
   • Do not let piles of clothing, papers, towels, linens, or shoes sit on the floor.
   • If you do leave a pile of clutter on the floor, shake out each piece of material as you clean the clutter up to shake off any unwelcome spiders.
4. Place storage items in sealed plastic bins. Spare clothing, holiday decorations, extra linens, and other objects that belong in long-term storage should be stored in sealed containers to prevent spiders from sneaking in.
   • Do not use cardboard boxes. If you must rely on cardboard boxes, however, cover all exposed openings with packing tape.
   • Good storage methods are especially important for items stored in a dark basement or attic.
   • Consider storing outdoor tools and sports equipment in sealed storage containers, as well. This includes roller skates, gardening tools and clothing, ski boots, and team uniforms. If you do not want to store these items in plastic bins, store them in a large plastic bag with a tight seal and no holes.
   • Cover all sources of pet and human food. Spiders are not interested in human and pet food, but insects that spiders feed on are very interested in these food sources. As a result, keeping food hidden away in sealed bags and containers will attract fewer insects, thereby attracting fewer spiders.
5. Dust and vacuum regularly. You should regularly clean your general living area, but every couple of weeks, you should also clean around the areas where spiders like to dwell.
   • Vacuuming and dusting removes both full-grown spiders and egg sacs, preventing the latter from hatching and producing a vast quantity of baby spiders.
   • Vacuum under furniture, inside closets, under heaters, and around all baseboards.
   • Dust high wall corners and other areas prone to little human or pet activity.

Spider Repellents

1. Use essential oils. There are a number of essential oils that are touted as spider repellents. If you mix these oils with dish soap and warm water, you can create a repellent that may ward away most common house spiders.
   • Peppermint essential oil is the most popular option, but you can also try tea tree oil, citrus oil, lavender oil, or neem oil.
   • The idea is that the above mentioned essential oils have potent smells that are unappealing to spiders.
   • You need to add dish soap to make the solution more effective. The soap breaks apart the oil molecules, allowing the oil to mix more consistently throughout the water.
   • Use 5 to 10 drops of essential oil. Put the essential oil in a 16-oz (500-ml) spray bottle and fill the bottle to the brim with warm water. Place the cap back on the bottle and shake to combine.
   • Use this spray along openings spiders may squeeze in through, including window frames and door cracks. Reapply every few days, or as the odor fades.
2. Coat entry points with the scent of lemon. You can accomplish this by rubbing lemon peel around the area or by spraying diluted lemon juice.
   • Cut a lemon and remove the flesh. Rub the peel around door and window frames so that these areas are thoroughly covered by the scent.
   • Alternatively, you could mix equal parts water and lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray any exposed cracks, door frames, or window frames with the solution.
   • Like essential oils, lemons are thought to repel spiders due to their potent scent.
3. Scatter horse chestnuts around the perimeter of your home. The seeds of the horse chestnut tree, also called "conkers," have been used as spider repellents for ages.
   • Gather a few handfuls of horse chestnuts and line them up around the perimeter of your house on the interior and exterior walls. Doing so should discourage spiders from breaking the barrier and coming into your home.
   • Change out the horse chestnuts every other week to prevent them from rotting and causing more problems.
4. Let the scent of cinnamon drift through your house. Burn cinnamon scented candles or cinnamon oil in an oil burner.
   • As with many other home remedies, this fix relies on the notion that spiders find the strong odor of cinnamon repulsive.
   • As a result, anything that puts the smell of cinnamon in the air qualifies as a potential spider repellent. This includes cinnamon baked goods, cinnamon oil, cinnamon candles, and cinnamon bath and body sprays.
5. Make a solution of coconut oil and vinegar. Fill a spray bottle with this solution and spray it around suspected entry points and hide-outs.
   • Combine one part coconut oil with two parts white distilled vinegar in a spray bottle. Cap the bottle and shake well to mix.
   • Spray this solution around door and window cracks and dark places where spiders may hide out.
6. Only use chemical insecticides to get rid of possible food sources. Most insecticides and chemical repellents do not work against spiders.
   • You could try a chemical repellent labeled for use against spiders, but if you opt for a chemical treatment, you might have better luck if you use a chemical to kill off the spiders' food, instead.
   • Determine what the most prevalent food source around your yard and home is and purchase an insecticide or repellent labeled for use against that source.
   • Read the package instructions carefully so that you apply the chemical properly. Wear protective gear when applying poison and do not let animals or small children come in contact with it.

Warnings

• Wear gloves when moving boxes and containers located in dark areas, like your storage shed or basement. Spiders may be hanging out in these areas already, and a pair of thick gloves may help prevent you from being bitten.
• Note that natural spider repellents may only have limited success. There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that natural repellents work against spiders, and these tactics are generally considered to be folk remedies.

Tips

• Walnuts can be used as a substitute for Chestnuts

Things You'll Need

• Lawn mower
• Weed trimmer
• Plastic storage containers
• Gloves
• Soft outdoor lights
• Garden hose or broom
• Silicone caulk
• Tight-fitting screens
• Door sweeps
• Weather stripping
• Duster
• Vacuum cleaner
• Spray bottle
• Essential oils
• Dish soap
• Warm water
• Lemon or lemon juice
• Horse chestnuts
• Cinnamon oil
• Coconut oil
• Vinegar
• Insecticides or insect repellents

Related Articles

• Get Rid of Wolf Spiders
• Get Spiders Out of Your House Without Killing Them
• Get Rid of Spiders in the House
• Kill Black Widow Spiders

Sources and Citations

See also

• Kill Spiders
• Make Spider Repellent at Home
• Kill a Venomous Spider
• Get Spiders Out of Your House Without Killing Them
• Get Rid of Spiders in the House
• Make a Decoy for Spiders
• Get Rid of Black Widow Spiders
• Kill Black Widow Spiders
• Identify a Brown Widow Spider
• Identify Spider Egg Sacs

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