HOW TO KEEP SPIDERS OUT OF YOUR HOUSE?

There’s nothing worse than having an uninvited guest taking up residence in your home. After all, it is your space, and you want to feel comfortable and safe in it. However, when the unwelcome visitor is a spider (or several), mild annoyance can quickly turn into fear. Whether you have a phobia of spiders or simply view them as a nuisance, their presence can significantly affect the quality of life inside your home. Not to mention having a swarm of spiders can be a health risk to everyone living in the same household.

Learn how to keep spiders out of your home with this article. Discover the proper techniques on how to keep spiders out of your rooms and property and find out what you can use to repel the eight-legged creatures if they dare to venture too close.

What are spiders?

Spiders are predatory arthropods that are known for their eight legs, their venom and their ability to weave webs to trap their prey. Contrary to the belief that spiders are bugs or insects, they instead belong to the arachnid class.

Australia is home to over 2,000 species of spiders, but most are relatively harmless. Some notable species found in the country include huntsman spiders, black widow spiders, the orb-weaving spiders and wolf spiders.

How to avoid spiders at home

The first step is to remove any existing cobwebs or spiders from your home and dispose of them securely. Read our article on how to get rid of spiders to find out how to do so as effectively.

With the spiders eliminated from your home, the next step is to prevent spiders from entering your home in the future. As for how to stop spiders from coming in your house, some steps you can take are the following:

• Make sure doors and window screens are tight-fitting; seal any gaps if necessary.
• Get rid of spiders in your shed or garage with products that tell you how to kill spiders. For starters, Mortein Naturgard Crawling Insect Control Bombs is the perfect product designed to eliminate spiders and other crawling pests.
• Check around the outside of your home in areas where spiders might establish themselves before straying into your home, such as around pool pumps and air conditioner compressors, under the eaves and behind downpipes. Keep these areas, treated with a outdoor prevention surface spray such as Mortein PowerGard DIY Indoor & Outdoor Surface Spray or Mortein Powergard Crawling Insect Surface Spray Barrier Outdoor, both of which remain effective for up to six and nine months respectively. It is also recommended to use one of these products to establish a spider-free perimeter outside your home by spraying doorways and any other entry points.

How to deter spiders from your property

While the steps above can help stop spiders from entering your home, keeping them away from your property entirely might be an even better solution. Considering the visceral reaction many of us have on seeing a spider, it might be a surprise to learn that the best way to deter spiders away from your property or any area of your home is simply by cleaning it regularly. “How do I keep spiders out of my room?” you ask? Just clean it. It’ll go a long way.

You’d also want to declutter your backyard, garden, shed and patio, including trimming back any overgrown bushes near the house. In fact, make sure anything that spiders could hide away in are placed as far away from your home as possible.  This means keeping objects such as piles of wood, spare roof tiles and bricks, and wheelie bins, and other objects well away from the walls to minimise opportunities for spiders to nest in close proximity to the house.

Why should we get rid of spiders from our home?

For an arachnophobe, the answer to the question above should be a no-brainer. But there’s also a matter of spider’s venom in some instances. Who doesn’t fear a redback spider?

The spiders that are venomous typically use their venom to paralyse their prey. However, with the introduction of antivenom, there have been no confirmed spider bite-related deaths in Australia since 1979. That being said, a spider bite can still pose a health risk to certain people. Specifically, spider venom can cause adverse reactions to infants, children, elderly people and those with existing heart conditions.

Aside from that, some people can also experience a severe allergic reaction from spider bites. Other symptoms of spider bites include itchiness, pain, nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms and falling unconscious. Certain spider bites made by specific spiders can also have other debilitating effects that require immediate medical attention. For this reason, it’s a must to get rid of any potential spider infestations to avoid these dangers. You might be able to withstand the effects of spider venom, but your children, grandparents or other loved ones might not.

If you get bitten by a spider and experience any of these symptoms, call emergency services immediately.

Getting rid of spiders may seem like a tedious chore, but with knowledge of the most effective methods, you can make sure your home is protected from spiders. Keep the tips above in mind the next time you spot a spider inside your house so you can nip it in the bud before it gets to an all-out spider infestation.

• Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.-c). Spiders. Better Health Channel. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/spiders#spiders-in-australia
• Spiders commonly found in Australia. (n.d.-b). School of Biomedical Sciences. https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/departments/department-of-biochemistry-and-pharmacology/engage/avru/discover/spiders/spiders-commonly-found-in-australia
• Hassani, N. (2024, June 23). 14 Indoor and outdoor plants that repel spiders. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/plants-that-repel-spiders-5210893
• Wilson, D.T.R. (2015). The Venom of Australian Spiders. In: Gopalakrishnakone, P., Corzo, G., Diego-Garcia, E., de Lima, M. (eds) Spider Venoms. Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6646-4_21-1