How to Get Rid of Spiders – Natural Solutions & Home Remedies

Spiders can be a nuisance in and around your home. While they may not cause structural damage to your home or spread diseases the way some pests do, their presence is unsettling and, in some cases, dangerous. Certain species, such as black widow and brown recluse spiders, have venomous bites that may cause severe reactions. These reactions are usually most severe in children or the elderly, or people with compromised immune systems. It’s easy to see why many people are looking for effective natural remedies to get rid of spiders in their homes.

Chemicals and pesticides are common solutions used by exterminators to kill spiders, but these are often dangerous for your family and pets, and not environmentally friendly since these pests are actually important and are needed to balance our ecosystem. Unlike other pests, spiders do not carry disease-causing bacteria. Arachnids actually help control other pests and reduce the spread of disease by preying on insects like mosquitoes, cockroaches, and fleas, all of which can transmit illnesses to humans.

10 Ways to Get Rid of Spiders – Natural and Home Remedies

Here are some of the most commonly used, effective methods:

1. Clean and remove food sources
2. Clean kitchen messes quickly
3. Clean your basement and storage areas
4. Use a spider deterrent
5. Take out trash and recycling regularly
6. Keep the outdoors tidy
7. Seal entry points
8. Remove abandoned cobwebs
9. Use airtight containers for storage
10. Try home remedies

We go into further detail about these methods below.

1. Keep your Home Clean and Remove Food Sources

A clean home makes it harder for spiders to find both hiding spots and food. Spiders feed on other insects, so it’s important to prevent those pests as well. Cover pet food, take out trash and recycling regularly, and prevent fruit flies. Without reliable food sources and cluttered areas to hide in, spiders will be less likely to settle in your home.

2. Clean Kitchen Messes Quickly

Kitchens are a common hotspot for insects, which can attract spiders. Clean up spills and crumbs right away, wipe down counters daily, and store food securely. Keeping your kitchen tidy reduces the chances of pests moving in and bringing spiders with them.

3. Clean and Tidy Up Your Basement and Storage Areas

Your basement is the perfect hiding place for the most common house spiders. While they would rather live outside in ideal conditions, they often find their way into basements in search of food and shelter.

Spiders prefer cool, dark areas and feel most at home in places with dust and clutter, where they can easily hide from predators. Basements, closets, attics, and other quiet, low-traffic spots also tend to attract insects, giving spiders an easy and reliable food source. Your main living spaces aren’t as appealing because spiders dislike noise and movement.

They are also drawn to moisture, so it’s common to see webs around water heaters, windows, drains, and other damp areas.

4. Use a Spider Deterrent

Spider deterrents, like Stay Away® Spiders, are a simple and effective way to keep spiders out of your home. Stay Away® Spiders works by releasing a scent that spiders find unpleasant, while remaining safe and pleasant for people (when used as directed). Unlike sprays or traps, deterrents focus on prevention, helping to keep new infestations from taking hold.

Spider infestations are often tricky to spot. Many species are nocturnal and stay hidden during the day, making them difficult to locate. They prefer dark, undisturbed spaces, so a bit of searching may be needed to find where they are nesting.

Stay Away® Spiders offers an easy, plant-based solution to repel spiders and prevent their return. Made with fast-acting botanical ingredients like rosemary, lemongrass, and citronella oils, each pouch provides up to 30 days of protection. Just place a pouch anywhere you notice cobwebs or spider activity.

5. Take out trash and recycling regularly

Trash and recycling can easily attract insects like flies, ants, and cockroaches, which in turn draw spiders looking for food. Make a habit of taking out household trash and recycling frequently, even if bins are not yet full. Store bins outside if possible.

It’s also important to keep bins clean, as lingering food residue and spills can attract pests. Rinse recyclables before tossing them in the bin, and wipe down trash cans regularly to prevent odors and buildup.

6. Keep the Outdoors Tidy

A good way to prevent spiders from getting into your home is to make sure you don’t have an environment around your house that attracts them in the first place. They often make their homes outside in plants, piles of leaves or wood, or dark undisturbed places like old tires or buckets.

When these items are close to your house it’s more likely that one of these critters will wander in. Create distance between these materials and your home and regularly clear debris from your yard.

7. Seal Entry Points

Identifying and sealing possible entry points is also important to keeping spiders out. This could involve sealing small holes, baseboards, or cracks with caulk, adding weather stripping, and making sure doors and windows close tightly without any gaps. Don’t forget to check around utility lines, vents, and pipes, as these spots are common pathways for pests to enter.

8. Remove abandoned spider webs

When you see spider webs around your home, remove them to discourage spiders from staying or rebuilding in the same spot. Be sure to check first that the web is not actively in use to avoid disturbing any spiders directly. Take a look around, often these webs can be sucked up in a vacuum cleaner or at least knocked down with an extending duster.

9. Use airtight containers for storage

Storing food, pet food, and pantry items in airtight containers helps prevent insect infestations, which in turn reduces the chances of attracting spiders. Avoid using cardboard boxes for storage, as they can attract pests and provide hiding spots for spiders. Opt for sealed plastic or glass containers to keep items secure and minimize crumbs, odors, and access for bugs.

10. Try Home Remedies

There are other DIY solutions people often try to control infestations, including:

• Using vinegar – Spiders dislike vinegar. You can use a mix of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle for areas like the garage or outdoors. This remedy can work but requires frequent reapplication.
• Using essential oils – Certain essential oils, like peppermint oil, eucalyptus, and citronella, can naturally repel spiders. Mix a few drops of peppermint oil with water and spray corners, baseboards, and other spots where you’ve seen cobwebs or spiders. Since the scent fades quickly, regular reapplication is needed often. These oils can work because spiders use their legs to sense their environment, and strong scents make surfaces unpleasant for them to walk on. While DIY sprays can help, they require frequent upkeep compared to longer-lasting options like Stay Away® Spiders.
• Natural vibrations – Vibrations from sounds truly annoy spiders. Continuous vibrations that aren’t related to a bug landing on their web, agitate them. Loud sounds, like music, can take away their ability to detect prey, and they might think the vibrations are coming from predators. To be safe, they end up running away in fear. Enjoying music throughout your home not only adds a warm vibe to the room, but it also signals these pests to move out!

Other Common Deterrent Methods We Don’t Recommend

There are two other methods often used for spider removal, however, we do not recommend them.

Spider Traps

Spider traps are only effective if you place them in areas where they are traveling. Only the unlucky one that walks across a glue trap will be caught and the others that avoid it will remain. Traps are not usually the most effective method of pest control.

Setting traps around your home lures spiders using an aroma that is pleasant to them but may not be nice for humans or pets. You also need to dispose of the traps when they are spent, an often unpleasant task as they can be full of dead spiders. Traps usually won’t completely eradicate your problem, either, as they don’t contain any insecticide or repellent.

We do not recommend this method for effective spider control.

Poison

Some people may be inclined to look for chemical pesticides and insecticides to get rid of pests. These methods are rarely effective when it comes to spiders. Most foggers are not designed to get rid of spiders. Residual insecticides can be used, but these usually only work if they walk directly through the chemicals after they have been sprayed. If they walk around the sprayed area, the insecticide will not affect it at all.

While spider poisons sometimes use an aroma to attract them, it is often necessary to remove their food source before this method is effective. Once they do take the poison, they often don’t die immediately but instead return to their shelter, leaving numerous dead spiders around your home.

Most pest control services will use sprays or foams that can expose your family to scary chemicals and can be harmful to kids and pets. It is not unheard of for a curious dog to ingest poison and need immediate medical assistance.

We do not recommend this method.

Prepare for Spider Season

Spider season typically peaks in the autumn months when most species are mating. Nearly 80% of the spiders you see indoors are males searching for mates, while females usually stay hidden in dark, undisturbed places inside your home. After mating, spider eggs hatch in early spring. Most baby spiders wander off soon after, but a few may linger, so it is important to stay vigilant.

The best defense for homeowners during spider season and throughout the year is consistent cleaning. Focus on vacuuming corners, crevices, basements, garages, windowsills, behind boxes, and other cluttered areas where spiders like to hide. Also clean the exterior of your home, including outdoor lights, windowsills, woodpiles, and any potential entry points to prevent spiders from getting inside.

For lasting protection, combine your cleaning efforts with an effective deterrent. Botanical pest control products like Stay Away® Spiders provide long-term protection without using harsh chemicals. Made from fast-acting, plant-based ingredients, these pouches help keep spiders and other pests out so you can enjoy a spider-free home. Shop online or in a store near you.