12 Simple Ways to Kill Spiders (2024)

Our homes are our refuge from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Unfortunately, dangerous spiders can sometimes invade that refuge and make you feel unsafe. Knowing how to kill spiders and having a few winning recipes handy is essential for today’s homemaker.

When you know which options are the best natural spider killers, you’re ready for any eight-legged arachnids that scuttle in your direction. This article provides a rundown of what kills spiders in your home and shows you how to use them.

You’ll discover how to tell dangerous spiders from benign ones, which recipes will get rid of them, and how to keep them from returning. By the time you finish this article, you’ll be prepared to play exterminator and take on the toughest hobo spiders or brown recluse without batting an eye.

Ways to Kill Spiders – Identification and Prevention

Before you start chasing down every spider you see and try to kill it, you should get a better idea of which spiders pose a threat and how to keep them out of your home. It’s not enough to know how to kill spiders; you also need to know how to keep them from returning.

When you know which spiders to look for and what steps you can take to prevent them from visiting you, you’ll be more confident and less fearful of every critter you see. This section shows you how to tell the mean spiders from the nice ones and what you can do to stop them from getting inside your home.

We let you in on how to spider-proof your home, too. You’ll be able to use this guide to identify the venomous spiders and can move on from there to one of our outstanding and effective spider-killing recipes.

1. Learn How to Identify Dangerous Spiders

Not all of the arthropods you encounter will be out to injure or kill you. Most spiders you run across are beneficial creatures that kill flying insects and other household pests and bear you no ill will. It’s crucial to know how to separate the dangerous critters from the peace-loving ones so that you don’t harm an innocent spider who couldn’t hurt you.

The goal is to avoid spider bites. The way to do that is to know which spiders can bite you. The most common venomous spiders in the United States are the black widow and brown recluse spiders.

The black widow has a shiny black coloring, with the larger female displaying a red hourglass on her back and the smaller male displaying white dots. The brown recluse is a little, sand-colored spider with a body shaped like a violin.

The brown recluse likes hard-to-reach corners, and the black widow spider likes cluttered, dusty, and unpopulated areas such as wood piles and sheds. You can learn more about these two spiders and many other dangerous species of spiders such as wolf spiders, house spiders, and cellar spiders by visiting the CDC’s site on venomous spiders (..).

2. Prevent Spiders from Entering Your Home

The best way to eliminate any spiders is to keep them from showing up at all. You can do a lot to spider-proof your home and enjoy a house free of spiders. A few simple steps can prevent a lifetime of fear and exposure to danger, so it’s worth taking the time to seal up your home before you investigate what kills spiders and how to go about using it.

One popular and effective solution is to use peppermint essential oil to repel spiders. Make a natural spray to repel spiders by filling a spray bottle with water. Add 25 drops of peppermint essential oil, shake well, and spray entry points and the corners of each room in your home.

You should also try to seal up any openings around your window sills and doors with caulk to stop spiders from getting into the house. Repeat the spray every couple of days to ensure no new spiders are checking out the area.

What Kills Spiders?

Once you’ve determined that the spider you’ve encountered is a dangerous one, you need to decide how to kill it. Choosing the best natural spider killer is a serious business and requires some thought. One person’s foolproof method is another person’s bane, so you need to find out what kills spiders in the way you prefer and fine-tune that process.

Your best bet is to personalize your spider control. This section covers how to kill spiders. We introduce you to methods of eliminating spiders that range from simple physical actions to the deployment of traps and insecticides. You’re sure to find a way to kill spiders that works for you.

3. Natural Spider Killer – Step on the Spider

We’ve included lots of excellent options for how to get rid of spiders, but we’re kicking off this section with the Old Reliable. Your shoe is one of the most effective spider killers in your toolkit and will get the job done most of the time. Nothing beats a shoe and gravity when you find yourself facing off against spider infestations and need a solution you can use immediately.

It’s the number one indoor spider killer. Using your shoe is an excellent option if you’re not squeamish about stepping on crawly things. It’s a great natural way to get rid of spiders.

Try to do the squishing on a hard surface that’s easy to clean rather than on a wall. Walls might be prone to staining and challenging to clean up. You can also take off your shoe or use a broom to squash spiders or co*ckroaches.

4. Hit the Spider with Hairspray

Hairspray is a versatile product that you can use for all kinds of tasks. You can use hairspray to clean floors or get stains out of clothes, and it will eliminate spiders quickly. The hairspray coats the spider and suffocates it.

Don the gloves, and spray the spider with the hairspray. The spider should die within moments. Use a clean paper towel to scoop up the dead spider and throw it away. If you use this method when the spider is standing on a wall, make sure to clean the hairspray residue off the wall.

5. Defeat the Spider with Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth might be the best natural spider killer around. This fine powder comprises microscopic fossils and is doom for spiders. The tiny fossils in the dust cut open the spider’s legs and abdomen, and the spider then loses its moisture to the diatomaceous earth and dies.

Diatomaceous earth is a natural co*ckroach killer, too. This method takes a little time to work, but it lasts for as long as the diatomaceous earth stays dry.

Wipe down any surfaces upon which you plan to sprinkle diatomaceous earth. Put on the gloves, and sprinkle the powder near doors, windows, and any areas where you’ve seen spiders or webbing. If your region has high humidity, sprinkle fresh powder every so often to keep it working.

6. Use Commercial Killers to Knock out the Spiders

If you don’t like the notion of sprinkling diatomaceous earth on your spiders, or need a faster method of killing them, reach for a commercial spider killer. There are lots of insecticides and traps you can purchase that will take care of any spider you encounter. Commercial killers will get the job done well and get it done quickly, too.

You can use dust applications to get at spiders in their crawl spaces and hidey holes. Use a soft brush to spread one of these applications in the attic, under the stairs, or other preferred spider hangout spots in your home. Refresh the dust from time to time to maintain its effectiveness.

There are also plenty of liquid spider killers such as Cynoff EC and Demon WP that will take care of spiders in a flash. Spray the liquid killer in corners of the room and under your beds. Respray every once in a while; check the manufacturer’s instructions for specifics.

7. Vacuum Up the Spiders

You might occasionally run across egg sacs and tiny spiders that can be difficult to kill. When you encounter this situation, your vacuum is your best friend. Use your vacuum to suck up spiders and their offspring. It’s perfect for getting rid of spiders that are too small to squish with your shoe.

Don gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. Use the vacuum to get into narrow areas and crevices on your walls and baseboards where spiders might be hiding.

The spiders will either die from trauma during the vacuuming or quickly die of thirst in the vacuum bag. When you’ve finished vacuuming up the spiders, throw the bag away and replace it with a new one.

8. Drown the Spider in Water

Not all spiders will be in spots convenient for laying traps or hitting with a vacuum. Many spiders show up in your sink or bathtub. When a spider surprises you near water, you can use that water to take care of your infestation. Some spiders can live in water, but the dangerous ones in your home will drown if you drop them in water.

Slip on the gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. Bring a glass of water near the spider, and use a paper towel or piece of cardboard to push the spider into the water. Cover the glass. The spider should drown in a short time.

9. Take out the Spider with a Vinegar Solution

You don’t have to rely on hairspray and water to take care of your spider woes. Make an effective spider spray using vinegar and soap. The soap coats the spider and impedes its respiration, and the vinegar’s acetic acid tears the spider apart.

You can also use vinegar to make an effective DIY gnat trap. It might be the best spray to kill spiders you’ll find.

Fill the bottle with the ingredients, and shake well. Spray any spiders you see and hit all areas of the house that have cobwebs and spider webs. Respray every few days to keep the liquid active and working.

10. Kill the Spiders with Essential Oil

Essential oils do more than make things smell wonderful. They also are natural spider repellents and can even kill them. When you combine peppermint oil with a Borax solution, you create a potent spider killer. Give this method a try to kill spiders while giving your house a fresh, peppermint scent.

Fill the spray bottle with the liquid ingredients and spray all areas in the house where spiders frequent. Respray the house every week to keep the spray working.

11. Remove the Food Supply

Perhaps you’re not an impulsive person and want a spider-killing strategy that will pay off in the long term. You can play the long game by trying to remove the spiders’ food source. The spiders are only around because they have lots to eat in your home, so if you cut off the food supply, the spiders will starve.

Give professional pest control a call to find out what you need to do to fly-proof your home. You’ll need to make sure that all of your windows and doors have screens and that you’ve added caulked up any potential avenues for flies to use. When you’ve eliminated the flies and other insects, the spiders will vanish.

12. Lay out Glue Traps

You don’t need to use poisons or prevent flies from entering your home to kill spiders, of course. Glue traps are a fantastic way to take care of your spider problem without resorting to harmful chemicals that could pose health threats to your family. Make a DIY glue trap to eliminate any spiders that scuttle around your home.

Add the corn syrup and water to a baking pan, and cook on the stovetop until the water boils away, leaving a sticky glue behind. Cut construction paper into pieces about a foot in length and a few inches wide.

Use a brush to apply glue to each piece of paper and lay them around spider traffic areas. Weigh the spider traps down with a few pennies to keep them from blowing away or turning over.

We hope you had a fantastic experience exploring our suggestions on how to kill spiders. Our homes are our castles, but sometimes, a venomous spider can venture into the castle. Our guide helps you find the best natural spider killers and shows you how to eliminate your spider problem for good.

Thanks for reading our exploration into what kills spiders. If you found these spider killing tips useful, please share our suggestions on how to kill spiders with your family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook.