Spiders creep most of us out with their eight legs, beady eyes, and nasty webs that you can never seem to get off you. They are in horror movies, in our nightmares, and we grow up learning to hate them.
Despite their bad rap, they can be beneficial to keep around the house instead of smashing them with a rolled up magazine. Spiders are efficient killers of other pests like roaches and flies. They do a great job of eliminating other unwanted guests, including other spiders in their territory.
The reality is that most people want spiders gone as soon as they see them, no matter the benefit. For most people, a pet spider lurking in the dark is not ideal!
In response, we have provided several home remedies for spiders that do not involve harsh pesticides or other toxic substances.
Table of Contents
Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Spiders
Vinegar
Vinegar is an effective way to get rid of spiders cheaply and without chemicals. This is extremely beneficial if you have children or pets who may not be aware to stay away from a chemically sprayed areas.
Vinegar is mainly composed of acetic acid and water, which spiders hate. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar. Spray spots where you see spiders and any other area you think that they may be entering the home. Use the spray a couple times a month in potential problem areas to deter future spiders.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is mostly known for its cleaning and baking uses, but it is also effective against spiders. Baking soda is non-toxic so it is safe to use around pets and small children. Sprinkle it around wall edges (especially in the basement) and inside window/door frames.
Glue Traps
Glue traps are pretty basic because most are simply made of a board with a glue or adhesives spread on the top. Glue traps can be found commercially for relatively cheap and they are typical non-toxic.
Simply place them near the infested area or along walls where spiders tend to roam. The spiders will crawl into the trap and gets stuck in the glue.
If you are being frugal, you can make your own traps using a piece of cardboard and non-drying glue, Vaseline, or very sticky tape.
Be aware that glue traps are viewed by many as an inhumane option for killing pests, especially mice, rats or other animals. We do not recommend this method because the pest will needlessly suffer on the glue board until it dies. This could take days.
Even if you are okay with killing spiders using a glue board, in most cases, there is nothing preventing a larger creature such as a mouse from also getting trapped.
Fluffy
A cat is a soft bundle of joy who sleeps most of the day. However, wiggle a string in front of a cat’s paw and it can go from lethargic to attack mode in seconds.
Cats are born to hunt and not just mice and birds. They will pretty much pounce on any type of insect that catches their eye, particularly if it is running. This is a natural behavior (albeit, gross).
The obvious concern is keeping the cat away from dangerous spiders or other poisonous insects.
Cats won’t clean the house of all spiders, but they are a good addition to pair with another method to rid of spiders.
Citrus Essential Oils
Spiders dislike the smell of citrus and will avoid areas with this smell. You can make a spray using 2-3 drops of lemon or orange essential oil, 2-3 drops of dish soap, and 16 ounces of water.
Spray the spiders, webs, and around windows and doors. Keep reapplying the spray every one to two weeks to commonly traveled spider areas when they are seasonally most prevalent.
Alternatively, you can use other essentials oil such as lavender, peppermint, citronella, and tea tree oil in place of the citrus oil. However, citrus is believed to work best. Feel free to use combinations of oils if you have them available.
Tobacco
Buy a bag of smoking tobacco and boil it in water for about 10 minutes. Let it cool and add the mixture to a spray bottle.
Tobacco is a good deterrent of spiders, however, if it is genetically modified it may not work as well.
Eliminate Food Sources
Most home spiders eat insects so it is important to create an environment that eliminates bugs from entering your home. If a spider is not catching insects in a particular area, it will move to another area to find food.
To deter spiders, look around your house for spots where they can enter and seal these areas with caulk, spray foam, screens, etc.
Keep a clean house, especially in areas where spiders hide like basements and other dark places. This includes the outside as well. Bushes should be trimmed away from the house, piles of debris or firewood should be moved/removed, and lighting should be reduced at night to not attract insect food sources. Vacuum or broom spider webs and eliminate any potential eggs.
The reality is that you probably are not going to eliminate all house spiders, but you should be able to limit them by not providing an ideal environment for them to thrive.
Cedar
Cedar can help deter spiders away from your property. Line the outside of your home with cedar wood chips to create a barrier between your yard and house. Be certain to mulch areas where they spiders can enter like under windows.
Additionally, you can buy cedar essential oils and use it in a spray mixture just how you would with citrus essential oils (see above).
