A Simple Guide to Protecting your Home from Spiders

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The only time that spiders are really invited into your home is when Halloween rolls around, and your kids have decided to decorate with fake cobwebs and plastic spiders. Why is that, though? Well, spiders3 are typically rather creepy, uninvited guests. 

If your house is suddenly home to more than just your family members, and you’ve noticed some little creepy crawlies nestling into their corners, take these steps to get rid of the 8-legged creatures. (Yes, spiders4 are great outside, but not so wanted indoors.)

• Invest in spider traps. While spiders5 are busy trapping their prey in their webs, you can play devil’s advocate by nabbing them in a trap of your own. Place the sticky spider traps along baseboards or in corners where you’ve seen the 8-legged creatures scuttling by. Be sure to keep the traps away from pets and kids though, since glue traps are incredibly adhesive. 
• Make it difficult for arachnids to get into your home. 
  • Make sure every window has a screen. If you leave your doors open to cool it down during summer evenings, make sure you’re closing the screen door. Also, check to see that the window screens are in good condition, without any tears or rips in them. 
  • Go along the foundation of your home to see if there are any obvious cracks, holes, or problems where spiders6 are congregating. Fill in any of these cracks.
  • Go beneath your home and check to see if there is substantial insulation or spray foam protecting your home foundation from any possible cracks. This is a common place where spiders7 lurk, and can easily crawl into your warm home when cooler weather hits. 
• Limit the other pests that are invading your home. If your have fruit flies, house flies, gnats, sugar ants, or other pesky insects, then the spiders8 have a constant feast waiting for them. Why wouldn’t they want to hang out? Eliminate these pests, and your spider problem should gradually decrease as well. You may need to contact a pest control company if you’re struggling to get rid of other insects as well.  If you are concerned there is an underlying pest issue, don’t wait to deal with it yourself. Hire a professional for peace of mind.
• Remove any shrubs or tree branches that physically touch your house anywhere.
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There are some plants that spiders9 are less likely to want to hang out, so if you consistently have problems with spiders10 coming in along a specific wall or area, you may want to replace plants with things like lavender, mint, or eucalyptus. This is not a fail-proof method, but may reduce some of the spiders11 that are invading your house.

• Keep your doorway areas clean, and turn off the porch light as often as possible. Where moths and small night bugs congregate around bright lights, so will spiders12. Removing the light reduces the number of moths flying near your doors, and the late-night dinner is no longer easily accessible to spiders13 right outside your entrances.