Getting Rid of Spiders

There are over 600 species of spider commonly found in the UK and thankfully very few are poisonous.

Serious reactions to spider bites are incredibly rare in the UK and spiders are generally considered little more than a nuisance.

If you want to know how to get rid of spiders from your home, garage, shed or even your garden, check out these products that I’ve used and tested over the past few years.

I’ll share my take on them, the good and the bad.

1) Critter Kill Traps

I love these traps so much that I’ve deployed them in numerous places around the home.

I’ve even used them to get rid of spiders in the back of our garage – a place where spiders seemed to congregate.

Each trap is made from cardboard and has a super-strong adhesive on one side, any spider or insect that walks over the trap becomes stuck.

These traps work incredibly well and are, in my opinion, the best way to get rid of spiders.

You can use these traps anywhere that’s dry; in the home, under the porch, in the garage/shed, in a greenhouse, in a vehicle or in any sheltered location in the garden.

Here’s the best bit: They don’t contain any nasty chemicals so no aerosols, no powder, no fumigation, no nasty chemicals at all. Use them in the kitchen, around vegetable plants, around children, you can place these spider traps anywhere dry.

They’re also 100% recyclable and can be placed in your garden compost bin if you have one.

My Experience With These Traps

Whenever I move to a new home, I deploy these under the bed, in the fitted wardrobe and at several other locations around the home, I do this to check if there are any nasties like silverfish or bed bugs.

When I moved into my current property, I used them, but I came home from work one day to find our dog Doogie had got the fur around his mouth caught on the glue, and the poor animal had this trap hanging off him for several hours!

From this incident, I learned that while they do work, I had to take care of where to place them.

As you can see from my photos below, the traps did catch some spiders, a moth and a few other bugs too.

I always have one or two of these in my wardrobe to protect my clothes and near my bed as I’m a bit paranoid about having creepy crawlies over my face when I’m sleeping.

I can confirm that they do work, and the glue is very sticky.

My Dislikes

• They will trap all insects and also some pets too!
• I had to put down lots of them and if you have a bad spider or bug infestation, you may need to buy more than one pack.

2) Remove What The Spiders Eat

Spiders eat insects and they can’t get enough of them, from moths to flies and bugs; spiders will eat almost any insect they can get their legs on. 

In fact, spiders are one of the best insect control methods out there and as such they are beneficial.

However, if you’re really determined to get rid of spiders, take their food source away.

While chemical insecticide sprays are rarely effective at killing spider infestations, they do remove the food source.

I’ve used several household insecticide sprays and fumigators over the years to get rid of silverfish, flies, moths and other insects spiders eat.

Remove the prey and the spiders will relocate elsewhere.

3) SpiderEx

SpiderEx is an aerosol containing several chemicals that deter spiders, it was originally used by professionals to keep spiders away from CCTV cameras – a long-standing issue with these cameras is they need to be cleaned of webs, sometimes more than once a week.

SpiderEx is now available as a household product for deterring spiders.

The purpose of this spray is to deter them – to keep them away, rather than to kill them.

My Experience With SpiderEx

When I tested SpiderEx, I found it left a translucent film on the surface, and this contains an insecticide.

I’ve used SpiderEx around my window frames, my Velux window and my door, I do this to stop the spiders from coming into the house, not to kill them. So far, it’s worked really well, and I’ve noticed a drop in the number of spiders entering the home.

Use For: Window and door frames, entrance points, and known hotspots for spiders.

Strength: It contains 0.25% permethrin which is higher than the other products I looked at.

What I Like: It’s effective and very similar to Dethlac, a similar product that leaves behind a lacquer. Also, I found it very easy to use, it’s an aerosol can, and it was as simple as pointing and pressing the trigger.

What I Dislike: It’s more expensive than any other insecticide product I looked at and it did leave behind a film that while translucent, was visible, especially on my brown window frames.

I Suggest: While this product works very well as a perimeter barrier, I had issues with the film, which left a few marks on the window frames. While I was able to wash it off, that defeats the purpose of the product.

Read the full Spiderex review by Daniel Woodley.

4) The Natural Option – RepellShield

RepellShield is an all-natural product, perfect for use in homes where children and pets are present. Also, use this deterrent anywhere you’re growing fruit and veg, they won’t be affected by RepellShield.

This 250ml product contains a natural scent derived from lemongrass, citrus and peppermint and is quite pleasant for humans. 

Apply to any surface, this won’t kill spiders but should deter most of them. Reapply every 2 weeks to keep the scent fresh.

5) Create Your Own Spider Deterrent

Because I have a dog at home, I’m very careful with where I spray chemicals, and I’ve had moderate success with a homebrew deterrent.

I found this suggestion online and made a few changes to strengthen it.

Here’s the mix I created:

• 3% lemongrass oil
• 3% citrus juice
• 3% thyme oil
• 91% even mix of water, alcohol, vinegar

Feel free to add peppermint and clove juice if you wish. 

All of these ingredients are known spider deterrents and can be found in natural/organic products.

I tested this DIY homebrew mixture in 2021 by spraying it onto surfaces at the perimeter, and while it did work, I had to apply it weekly, and it did smell quite strong, perhaps a bit too strong.

Feel free to give it a go; I’m confident that it’s safer than most chemical-laden products.

6) Ultrasonic Deterrent

I’ve personally tested ultrasonic devices such as this in my garden in an effort to deter mosquitoes, cats and even foxes.

A recent Australian research paper proved that cat intrusions into a test garden were reduced by 46% when these devices were switched on.

The results for me have been more mixed with the devices working well at the beginning before cats and foxes got used to it.

I did find that they worked well at stopping mosquitoes but only when used in conjunction with other deterrents.

If you’re plagued by spiders, I think a product like this can help but you’ll most likely need to pair it with the sticky pads or one of the chemical products too.

Conclusion

My favourite products are the CritterKill sticky traps and the SpiderEx surface lacquer. 

The insecticide lacquer stops most of the spiders from entering the property while the traps deal with any that do manage to get through.

The remaining products complement the first two or can be used as natural alternatives.

Do remember that if you remove all the spiders from your home, any insects present won’t have any natural predators so you may end up with more bugs!

Spider FAQs

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