How to Get Rid of Spiders: A Complete Home Control Guide

Written by Paul Hayes

Most spiders you find indoors are harmless, and they actually help by eating other pests. But “harmless” does not mean “welcome,” and a house full of webs is a fair reason to want them gone. The good news: getting rid of spiders is less about spraying and more about making your home a place they cannot find food or shelter.

The short answer: remove their hiding spots and food supply. Declutter and seal the gaps spiders use to get in, vacuum up webs and egg sacs, cut down the insects they hunt (especially around outdoor lights), and use sticky traps or a targeted spray only where you still see activity. Do those things together and spiders have little reason to stay.

Spider Control at a Glance

Step What to do Why it works
1. Declutter Clear boxes, piles, and debris indoors and along the foundation Removes the dark, undisturbed harborage spiders hide in
2. Seal up Caulk cracks, add door sweeps, repair screens Blocks the gaps spiders and their prey use to get inside
3. Remove webs Vacuum webs, spiders, and egg sacs regularly Takes out the current generation and the next one
4. Cut the food Reduce other insects; manage outdoor lighting Spiders follow prey; no bugs means no reason to stay
5. Spot-treat Sticky monitors in corners; targeted residual spray if needed Catches wanderers and treats only the problem areas

Why Do You Suddenly Have So Many Spiders?

A sudden jump in spiders almost always means one of two things: there is plenty of prey for them to eat, or it is mating season. In late summer and early fall, many spiders mature and males roam looking for mates, so you simply notice them more. This is the seasonal surge people call spider season.

The bigger driver is food. Spiders are predators, so where there are spiders, there are other insects feeding them. Flies, gnats, moths, and beetles drawn to your home become a buffet. Clutter, moisture, and gaps around the foundation give spiders somewhere to set up. Contrary to a common belief, most true house spiders are indoor-adapted and live inside year round rather than “coming in from the cold.” If you are seeing more of them, look for the insects they are eating first.

How to Get Rid of Spiders, Step by Step

1. Take away their hiding places

Spiders love quiet, cluttered spots. Indoors, clear out cardboard boxes, stacked storage, and the corners of basements, garages, and closets. Store belongings in sealed plastic bins instead of open boxes. Outside, pull woodpiles, leaf litter, and dense vegetation away from the walls, since these are launch pads for spiders moving toward the house.

2. Seal the ways in

Walk the outside of your home and seal cracks in the foundation and siding, gaps around pipes, vents, and cables, and spaces under doors. Add door sweeps, repair torn window screens, and screen vents. Sealing keeps spiders out and, just as importantly, blocks the insects they hunt. For trouble spots, see how to keep spiders out of the garage and how to stop them from webbing your porch.

3. Remove webs, spiders, and egg sacs

A vacuum is the single most useful spider tool you own. Use the hose attachment to suck up spiders, webs, and especially egg sacs from corners, ceilings, window frames, and under furniture. Removing egg sacs is what breaks the cycle, since one sac can hold dozens to hundreds of eggs. Empty the canister or bag outside afterward. Our guides on getting rid of spider eggs and a spider nest walk through this in detail.

4. Cut off the food supply

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that actually keeps spiders away. Reduce the insects in and around your home: fix leaks and damp spots, keep food sealed, and stay on top of flies and gnats. Lighting matters a lot here. White outdoor bulbs near doors and windows pull in clouds of insects, which pull in spiders. Switch exterior fixtures to yellow “bug” bulbs or warm LED tones, and aim lights away from entry points so the insect magnet sits farther from the house.

5. Use sticky traps and targeted treatment

Place glue boards or sticky monitors flat against walls and in the corners of basements, garages, and closets. They catch wandering spiders, including ones that do not build webs, and they tell you where activity is heaviest. If you still have a problem after the steps above, apply a residual insecticide as a spot and crack-and-crevice treatment along baseboards, thresholds, and the exterior perimeter. Spraying open surfaces by itself rarely solves a spider problem, so target the cracks where they travel. Skip total-release foggers and bug bombs, which are largely ineffective against spiders and leave the egg sacs untouched. A dedicated outdoor spider spray on the foundation perimeter is the most useful chemical step.

Do Natural Spider Repellents Actually Work?

Home remedies are everywhere online, but the science behind them is thin. Here is an honest read on the popular ones.

Method What the evidence says Verdict
Peppermint oil One lab study found it deterred two of three test species, but the effect is mild, fades as the oil evaporates, and only keeps spiders from entering rather than driving out ones already settled in Mild helper at best
Lemon and other oils Lemon oil, the scent most recommended online, showed no effect in the same study; most others are untested Weak to none
Vinegar Little solid evidence it repels spiders; useful mainly as a cleaner that wipes away webs and scent trails Not reliable
Diatomaceous earth Dries out many insects on contact, but spiders hold their bodies off the dust on long legs, so exposure is limited and slow Minor, in cracks only
Chestnuts and conkers An old folk tale with no reliable evidence; spiders walk right over them Myth

The takeaway: no scent or powder reliably keeps spiders out of a home. If you want a low-toxicity route, lean on the physical steps, declutter, seal, vacuum, and reduce prey, and treat natural sprays as a minor add-on. For the details, see whether peppermint oil repels spiders, our take on vinegar as a spider repellent, and our full guide to getting rid of spiders naturally.

When a Spider Is Actually Dangerous

The vast majority of spiders in US homes are harmless and beneficial. Only two groups are medically significant for most people, and both prefer to be left alone.

  • Black widow: a glossy black spider with a red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. Widows hide in undisturbed spots like garages, woodpiles, and crawl spaces. Their bite is rarely fatal but can cause painful cramping and other symptoms, so seek medical care if bitten.
  • Brown recluse: a tan to brown spider with a violin-shaped mark behind the head and, unusually, six eyes arranged in three pairs rather than the typical eight. It is established mainly across the central and south-central United States. Most bites heal on their own, but some cause a slow-healing wound, so watch the site and see a doctor if it worsens. Our guide covers brown recluse identification and control.

If you are bitten by either, wash the area with soap and water, apply a cool compress, and elevate it if it is on an arm or leg. Seek prompt medical care for a widow bite with spreading pain or muscle cramps, or a recluse bite where the wound darkens, expands, or will not heal, and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance. Do not cut, suck, or burn the bite.

Many spiders get mistaken for these two. If you are unsure what you have, compare against our guides to the false black widow, the wolf spider, and common regional spiders. When in doubt about a bite, the safe move is to keep the spider if you can and have a professional or doctor identify it.

How to Keep Spiders From Coming Back

Prevention is just the control steps done on a schedule. Keep up a simple routine and spiders rarely get a foothold:

  • Vacuum corners, ceilings, and window frames every week or two, and knock down new webs as they appear.
  • Keep clutter down indoors and store items in sealed bins rather than open boxes.
  • Re-check door sweeps, weatherstripping, and screens each season and recaulk gaps as they open up.
  • Keep outdoor lights insect-friendly with yellow bulbs, and move fixtures away from doorways.
  • Trim shrubs and move mulch, woodpiles, and debris back from the foundation.
  • Stay on top of the other insects in your home, since fewer bugs means fewer spiders.

When to Call a Professional

Handle most house spiders yourself with the steps above. Call a pest control professional if you repeatedly find black widows or brown recluses, if someone in the home has a serious reaction to a bite, or if spiders keep returning no matter what you try. A pro can confirm the species, find the entry points you missed, and apply targeted treatments where they matter.

Related Spider Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What instantly kills spiders?

A direct hit from a contact spray, soapy water, or simply vacuuming them up kills spiders on the spot. The catch is that killing the ones you see does nothing about the eggs and the prey drawing more in, so pair it with web removal and sealing.

What smell do spiders hate?

Spiders are often said to dislike strong scents like peppermint, citrus, and tea tree oil. There is some lab evidence for certain essential oils, but the effect is mild and fades fast, so treat scents as a minor helper rather than a real solution.

Why do I suddenly have so many spiders?

Usually because there is plenty of prey to eat, or because it is late-summer mating season when males roam and become easy to spot. Reduce the insects in your home and seal entry points, and the spider numbers fall with them.

Are house spiders dangerous?

Almost never. The large majority of spiders found indoors are harmless and even helpful, since they eat other pests. Only black widows and brown recluses are medically significant, and both are uncommon in everyday living spaces.

Should I kill house spiders or leave them alone?

A stray spider or two is doing free pest control, so many people relocate them outside rather than kill them. If webs and numbers bother you, focus on prevention, declutter, seal, and reduce prey, so spiders stop choosing your home in the first place.

Paul Hayes
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