Spiders hate chemical compounds called monoterpenoids, which are naturally found in essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, and lavender. They also strongly dislike acetic acid (found in white vinegar) and citrus-based compounds like limonene.
To get rid of spiders permanently, you must eliminate their food source (other insects) and remove their hiding spots. Combine rigorous decluttering with perimeter chemical treatments, sealing exterior cracks, and natural deterrents to make your home a hostile environment for arachnids.
Killing a spider eliminates a built-in, chemical-free pest control system. Spiders are voracious generalist predators that eat hundreds of nuisance insects—including disease-carrying mosquitoes and flies. Rather than smushing them, use the cup-and-paper method to safely relocate them outside.
To kill a spider instantly, you can squish it, use commercial aerosol insecticides like TERRO Spider Killer, spray it with soapy water (like Dawn dish soap), or blast it with liquid gas from an inverted canned air duster.
How to Get Rid of Spiders
Squishing a spider is generally discouraged because it can actually worsen pest problems, release harmful bodily fluids, and unleash baby spiders into your home. Instead of killing them, you can easily catch and release them outside using a simple cup and a stiff piece of paper.
The most effective homemade spider killer is a spray made of white vinegar, dish soap, and peppermint essential oil. The acetic acid in vinegar acts as a contact killer and burns spiders, while the strong scent of peppermint actively deters them from returning.
Yes, Dawn dish soap diluted in water is an effective, non-toxic way to kill spiders on contact. The soap breaks down the spider's waxy exoskeleton, allowing the water to penetrate and causing them to drown or dehydrate within seconds.
Vinegar works better as a natural spider repellent than an instant killer. While the acetic acid can be lethal, standard household vinegar rarely kills spiders on contact unless they are completely submerged. Its strong odor is highly effective at deterring spiders from specific areas.
Critterkill Spider Freeze spray is an efficient product, freezing spiders and killing them instantly. Freezing spiders is the most humane way to kill them, and it doesn't require you to introduce any harmful chemicals into your home.
Killing a spider will not inherently attract more spiders. Spiders are solitary hunters and do not use pheromones to signal each other. However, if you see multiple spiders, it usually means your home has an appealing environment with plenty of the insects they feed on.
Whether spiders feel pain when killed is a subject of scientific debate, but experts agree they do not experience pain in the same emotional way humans do.
Yes, spiders can hear you talk, even though they do not have ears. They pick up sound waves in the air using the tiny, ultra-sensitive hairs on their legs and bodies. These hairs vibrate in response to your voice and transmit those signals to their nervous system.
One-Time Treatments Have Limited Impact. A lot of DIY and over-the-counter sprays only affect the spiders you see. They don't eliminate eggs or reach hidden spiders in cracks, attics, or crawl spaces. Many species lay hundreds of eggs at a time, meaning a single missed nest can restart the cycle all over again.
Spiders are most active in late summer and early fall. While spiders live around your home year-round, this specific timeframe—often referred to as "spider season"—marks their peak mating period.
Yes, you can spray for spiders using commercial insecticides or natural repellents. For best results, target the product in the exact areas spiders hide, spray them directly when you see them, and use a residual spray to prevent them from coming back.
Yes, Windex can kill spiders. The ammonia and surfactants (soaps) break down their protective exoskeleton and block their airways, suffocating them on contact.
Yes, spiders do lay eggs in houses. Female spiders are drawn indoors seeking shelter, warmth, and abundant insect prey. They deposit their eggs into carefully constructed, silk-wrapped sacs that protect the developing offspring from predators and harsh environmental conditions.
Yes, rubbing alcohol can kill spiders on contact. It works by dissolving the protective wax on their exoskeletons and disrupting their breathing through their book lungs.
Yes, Lysol can kill spiders on direct contact because the active solvents and alcohol break down their exoskeletons and block their breathing pores. However, Lysol is not a registered pesticide, so it leaves no lingering residue to prevent other spiders from returning.
Other bugs tend to gravitate toward bright colors, like yellow, white, or orange. So while green attracts spiders, it repels their food sources. The color that spiders tend to hate is light blue. People don't just paint their porches light blue for the aesthetic.
To get rid of spiders permanently, you must eliminate their food source (other insects) and remove their hiding spots. Combine rigorous decluttering with perimeter chemical treatments, sealing exterior cracks, and natural deterrents to make your home a hostile environment for arachnids.
Squishing a spider is never a good idea because it can unleash hidden egg sacs, release foul-smelling pheromones that attract other bugs, and destroy a natural, free pest-control system that targets disease-carrying insects in your home.
With dual protection, TERRO Spider Killer provides instant knockdown and delivers long-lasting residual control. In addition to spiders, the spray killer also protects against these creepy crawlers: ants, cockroaches, scorpions, ticks, silverfish, Asian lady beetles and bedbugs.