How to Stop a Spider Infestation Yourself

Even if you already know that many spiders are completely harmless little critters, you still might not want them lurking around inside your home. But when the end of summer is here and cooler weather and fall foliage arrive, inevitably they show up. So, how do you get rid of spiders yourself?

In this blog, our spider experts will share some tips you need to know to keep your arachnophobia from flaring up this fall.

7 Ways to Get Rid of A Spider Infestation

1. Keep your house neat and tidy. Cutting down on the clutter in your house will give spiders fewer places to hide. Keep your food sealed so that it will not attract other pests, which will in turn attract spiders. Keep your floors swept clean, wipe down your surfaces, and vacuum regularly.  You can even vacuum spiders, their webs, and egg sacs.
2. Seal the cracks in your home: Don’t give spiders a way to get into your home. Patch up any cracks, holes, or gaps in doors and windows to prevent spiders from sneaking inside. Mend torn window screens and cover your vents with a fine mesh. Spiders are typically found in kitchens, bathrooms and basements where it’s moist.
3. Remove vegetation from the perimeter of your residence: Spiders love to hide in shrubbery, under rocks, woodpiles, in compost, etc. but when the weather gets cooler that is when they start to move inside your home. By removing plants from the side of your home, you make it farther and more difficult for them to get inside.
4. Apply a residual pesticide: Spray corners or cracks of your home with a commercial pesticide containing some form of pyrethroid. Make sure you understand the limit of residual insecticides. These sprays only work if spiders drag themselves through it after it is sprayed. If a spider manages to avoid the spray, the insecticide will have not have an effect on it.
5. Keep outdoor lights off: Do not attract a spider’s next meal. Spiders are not attracted to the light, but many of the insects they feast on are.
6. Scatter dichotomous earth around your home: Distribute a fine layer of it around the cracks and corners of your home. The powder, made from fossils, cuts a spider up when it walks across it, which eventually kills it.
7. Use natural oils and vinegar, or drive them nuts with… nuts!: Spiders despise the smell of peppermint, tea-tree, citrus, and eucalyptus oil. Fill a standard spray bottle with water and mix in 15 to 20 drops of the essential oil of your choice. Spray down all the cracks and corners of your house. If that doesn’t work, select the more aggressive approach of spritzing the offending spider with vinegar. Chestnuts, walnuts, and the fruit of the Osage orange trees are said to deter spiders. Place a few horse chestnuts in each corner of the house and in any area of the house where you frequently run across spiders.

Need Help? Call Our Experienced Spider Exterminators

If you have spiders in your home and you want them gone, don’t delay – call us. While many people prefer DIY spider control first, it’s impossible to replicate the high-level service of a professional spider exterminator. 
The technicians at Lookout have the knowledge and experience to treat a spider infestation correctly. Call us today to schedule your appointment, or for a free quote.