Spiders. How do I get rid of and stop spiders coming in my home?
Posted by Dexalon@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 32 comments
Tl;Dr: the title.
I can't take it anymore. I'm becoming a nervous reck. If you like spiders and you aren't bothered by spiders, fantastic, because I am. I wasn't bothered about them until I started to find them in my home absolutely everywhere. Over the last 2 years it's just got worse and worse. Just now I had the fattest bodied biggest "household" spider I've ever witnessed crawl over the back of my hand. It was however interesting to see that I shouted "Jesus!" when I was that kind of startled instead of swearing like I thought I would.
Please. I don't care about the price I don't really care what I have to do but I need to find a way to get rid of all these spiders. I can't move atm but I'm literally trying to, cause of this. This and the fact that the building is so poorly put together that quite a lot of the outside world finds its way in. They are in my shower, they are in my bedroom, they are in in my front room. The only place they never seem to be is in my kitchen. The one that crawled over my hand was when I was lying in my bed. So now that's going to be fun trying to get to sleep tonight.
I'm a big black guy in my mid-30s. I am completely in control of my faculties and I understand the complete lack of logic here. I have literally had a blade held to my throat in my own kitchen that bothered me less than that spider walking over my hand just now. I didn't have a phobia but I can feel it getting to that point.
Please tell me it's a miracle cure, something I can just plug or spray. I will happily choke on chemicals in the air, if I don't have to deal with any more spiders.
moonwillow27458@reddit
they don't like conkers or the smell of peppermint, it's not a guarentee that they will keep spiders out of the house but they do help. i have a really bad phobia and last year i slept with a can of citrus scented fly spray - sprayed my room periodically and it seemed to at least keep them away from my bed
Dexalon@reddit (OP)
I'm willing to try. I don't have a phobia, I just dont like them but it's getting to that phobia stage. I'm itchy all over and everything I see out the corner of my eye I think is a spider. I have a rotating fan in my bedroom and as the air touched my leg earlier, my leg hair obviously moved an I jumped out my skin thinking I was being scaled by spider.
contrabardus@reddit
That's literally what a phobia is.
You have one.
Maybe not a completely debilitating one, but you do have one if this is your reaction to them. There are different levels of phobia, and yours sounds pretty standard. It's not extreme, but not minor either.
It is good to understand that phobias can't be overcome by rationalizing them in most cases.
I don't have a phobia of spiders, but have managed to successfully deal with a mild spider infestation for someone I know that does.
Lavender, mint, eucalyptus, and citronella are all plants with strong smells that spiders don’t like. If you can grow these outside of your home near to entrances and windows, do so.
Controlling spiders outside of your home can help control them inside as well. Don't go overboard and try to nuke your entire yard, it's bad for your yard to be completely rid of them. Just control them near entrance points.
These plants also work in pots, put them by windows or doors if you can grow them in places like that. They do need to be watered and have enough sunlight. A porch is also a good place for this sort of pest control.
Sprays that have these scents can also repel them, but don't last very long.
Put Diatomaceous Earth around doorframes and window sills, under appliances, and in other crevices. Spiders have to get in somehow, and this stuff will kill them [and other types of pests as well]. It is also pet safe when used this way, but don't apply it directly on them to get rid of fleas or ticks.
If you have a basement, put it around any potential entrance point down there as well. Be pretty liberal with the stuff when it is out of sight.
You can also buy spray stuff that will kill them for quite a while when applied to surfaces like windows. This stuff is toxic though so don't apply it in areas your pets like to be if you have them or overdo it, just out of the way potential entrance points that are difficult for you to access regularly.
A good spot for this kind of stuff is around the edge of an attic entrance of the sort you pull down, in the back of cupboards under the sink around drains, or behind large furniture in spaces too narrow for a pet to access.
It's not terribly difficult to de-spider your house for the most part if it's not a major infestation. If it is, you should probably call an exterminator, let them deal with it, and apply what I suggested as a preventative after the fact.
Diatomaceous Earth is probably the most effective long term solution I mentioned, but will need to be reapplied on occasion, especially in high traffic areas like around a front door.
bastionmin14@reddit
holy shit thank you so fucking much, heavy arachnophobe here, i spray my room occasionally with mint but it never really seems top work much, likely cause i dillute it to spray better, but this is gonna help me so fucking much, thank you
DoIKnowYouHuman@reddit
Only one definitive way to solve this, soak the place in diesel, light it, and walk away to a new life in the Antarctic where there probably most likely maybe aren’t any spiders
Dexalon@reddit (OP)
It crossed my mind.
GordonShumwayMKIV@reddit
i will joint you, can't take it anymore. i rather deal with polar Bears then Spiders.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
No spiders in Iceland if you want a more hospitable destination.
Lonely-Conclusion840@reddit
Sold
kingschorr@reddit
Most original joke I’ve ever seen what a big help
alexberishYT@reddit
Lots of “friendly” and “natural” solutions being suggested here. Peppermint isn’t gonna do a damn thing haha.
Basically you want a chemical called permethrin, which shuts down their nervous system.
In the US we had much stronger options available to us, but this is what ive found in the UK that actually works:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rentokil-RKLPS136-Insectrol-Insect-Aerosol/dp/B000TARC7A/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?crid=1N6IG0NDHI7YP&keywords=spider+killer&qid=1660110930&sprefix=spider+%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-11
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spider-Creepy-Crawly-Insect-Killer/dp/B073W2MHWT/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=1N6IG0NDHI7YP&keywords=spider+killer&qid=1660110930&sprefix=spider+%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-12
One says insect killer but I’ve sprayed it on spiders heaps and it kills them instantly. Little spiders die after 3 seconds, giant spiders will start having spasms and then die after 10 seconds max (but most importantly: they can’t move/run away while they’re dying)
Anyway, spray this stuff along anywhere you think they’re coming in and you won’t see any spiders at all for 4-5 weeks. (Because if they walk across it, they will die instantly)
Tbee93@reddit
Came here many years later but I'm going to try this, thank you so much. Looking for INHUMANE LETHAL ish y'know lol peppermint oil did not do a thing for me. Hard to find any other suggestions
SatisfactionThese588@reddit
We used to live in a really old cottage (circa 1720 built) and when we moved in it was a daily occurrence to see spiders the size of a golf ball touring round the rooms as if they owned the place. My wife (who is not a fan of spiders) would be jumping around the place as if someone was setting her feet on fire.
Found a load of conkers- put them in every corner. Never saw them again 👍
Good luck, if it doesn’t work. Move house 👌
elephant_charades@reddit
I'm not British so forgive me - what are conkers?? I tried to Google it but it was followed by spiders and I don't want to shatter my phone
SaulEmersonAuthor@reddit
It's the seed of the Horse Chestnut tree.
The tree sheds these in spiked green balls.
The 'conker' is inside the spiked ball.
(One year later!)
Holiday_Wolf@reddit
Follow
Holiday_Wolf@reddit
Following
CelesteJA@reddit
Use a spray called "zero in clothes moth killer", it's INSANELY good at killing spiders, I accidentally found out. I sprayed that stuff weeks ago, and I'm still finding spiders that have been killed by just walking into the room I sprayed. I think it must linger on surfaces and walls, because I have not found a live spider in my home since.
S0nofaL1ch@reddit
B-but why kill the spoiders 🥺
Any-Dig4524@reddit
It’s hard to understand if you haven’t physically experienced arachnophobia. When I walk around my house, I don’t want to have to risk literally jumping up in the air and running the other direction (yes, like a cartoon)
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Reluctant_Waggle@reddit
How ironic that this thread is one of the top google results...
Karmaisthedevil@reddit
This is a top Google result, good job mods.
Gasper6201@reddit
Gtfo
SpazticMemez@reddit
Move to Antarctica no spiders live in antartica
FallopianTubeRaider@reddit
Thats what the spiders want you to believe
DrZonino2022@reddit
I saw a Reddit post today that said spiders experience REM sleep and could possibly dream. Weaponise this. Create a house of horrors that would give any arachnid nightmares for the rest of its life. Take captives. Disembowel some, dismember others - always leave one witness alive to spread fear. Make tiny chainsaws. Make sure they don’t sleep more than 10 minutes at a time. Make a face mask out of husks and webs. Become terror. Become legend. Your acts of psychological warfare will be passed down from generation to generation until, one day, you will never see so much as cobweb again.
Then the flies.
throwawaychef33@reddit
I like your style.
Bluest_boi@reddit
what worked for me is:
-silicone caulk small gaps around things
-used expanding foam for larger gaps
-Polly filler for cracks in bricks
-draft excluder/bug stopper on amazon
-in places where silicone may not work you can get self adhesive bathroom sealant strips
-mesh window screens/mosquito mesh
-and if the gap in your door frame is large you can get draft sealant foam strips that compress and block gaps when the door is closed
since all of this restricts quite a lot of airflow for one room i also bought a velcro AC seal for windows, allowing fresh airflow without any bugs getting in. Hope this helps!
pastina2@reddit
I hire someone to come and spray spider repellent on all the windows and door frames of the house every 4 weeks in the summer. He uses a product called Terro spider killer. It does seem to really help. I also don’t open the windows at all unless there is a Velcro netting. Good luck OP. I can’t imagine how awful it must be to have so many spiders in the house. I really struggle with fear of spiders since I unfortunately watched the movie “Arachnophobia” when I was about 4 years old. I hate them.
bigcateatsfish@reddit
Spiders are very helpful and safe animals. They help to reduce mosquitos in the home.
WelshRobz@reddit
bruh THIS is the google result... so funny how reddit mods remove posts like this what weirdos lol