This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter.
For some people, seeing a spider indoors is not really a big deal — rather it is an inconvenience that just takes a few seconds and a paper towel to handle rather than being a serious problem. For others, however, finding a spider anywhere you happen to be breathing the same air can be one of those terrifying call-911-the-National-Guard-and-Obama experiences. If you, like me, belong to this second group of people, the only reason you tolerate the spiders that live outside is because you usually cannot see them, and they actually serve a purpose to the ecosystem (but really it is because it just isn’t feasible to try and destroy all of them).
To keep them out of your living space you could always hire an exterminator once a month, but it is also a good idea (and a cheaper solution) to know some tricks to taking care of an insect problem yourself. Therefore, below I present two scenarios: in the first are some things you can do to kill the spiders that have managed to sneak into your home; in the second are things you can do to prevent future breaches in security.
When there is a spider(s) in your living space and there is no one nearby to take care of the problem for you:
1) Do Not Panic. There is no doubt that spiders are disgusting and for people who are afraid of spiders, it can be pretty scary to suddenly find them in close proximity (meaning anywhere-within-visual-range). However, you should still try not to get too worked up about it. Panicking can and will only make the situation worse.
2) Do Not Blink. While you should not let yourself be consumed by panic, you also should not take your eyes off of it for too long. They do not usually move around too much once they are settled somewhere, but if they know that you know where they are, they may try to hide again. There are few things in life worse than playing hide-and-seek with a spider.
3) Use A Paper Towel. A paper towel works pretty well when killing things like daddy-long-leg spiders. I would not personally use this method against anything larger (or at all).
4) Use A Closed-Toe Shoe (When Attached to Your Foot). Your legs are more than strong enough to kill a spider if you stomp on it. Alternatively you could also hold the shoe like a weapon if the spider is not in an optimal-stomping position. However, like the paper towel, it might bring some people (i.e. me) too close to the spider for comfort. However, I would still use this method (and call everyone on my contacts list) before I would ever use a paper towel.
5) NEVER DO THIS.
5) Use A Broom or Vacuum. I have never tried to vacuum a spider before (does this actually kill the spider, or does it just trap the now-angry spider inside the vacuum?), but using a broom should work pretty well.
Photo Credit: cheezburger.com
6) Use Raid, But Do Not Go Crazy. About a week after I moved into my apartment — my first time living out of the dorms on campus — I found two spiders in my room. One was chilling near the ceiling, and the other was in my closet. Because both were slightly larger than a quarter if you included their legs, I decided that the situation called for Raid. Unfortunately, I did not follow my first tip (Do Not Panic) and ended up using up the entirety of what was left of the can on the two spiders, which would have been catastrophic had there been a third. As it is, I had to leave my room for several hours to avoid poisoning myself (not my brightest moment). So, if you choose to use Raid, make sure you open all nearby windows, turn on fans, and open doors to help disperse the poison that inevitably gets in the air. Also make sure you only spray the spider once or twice — you may be tempted like I was to keep spraying it if you see the spider still moving after you spray it the first time, but this is the panic talking. Trust me, spraying it once or twice is enough. Looking back, a broom may have worked a million times better.
7) Verbally Threaten the Enemy. This won’t actually do anything to the spiders themselves, but it will make you feel better (kind of like yelling in martial arts or as you swing a racket in tennis — it helps to give you power).
After you have killed the spider(s) and you’re ready to move on to preventing further invasions:
1) Clean Your Room Frequently. This is just an obvious a point as the Don’t Kill Yourself With Raid point, but it still needs to be said. Making sure your room is reasonably well organized and clean. This means not having piles of clothes or garbage on the floor and vacuuming your space occasionally. This is a simple way to keep the spiders out (and is also a way to check for spiders without actually saying that you are checking for spiders). I clean my room once every one or two weeks, including my bathroom and closet, and the process only takes me about an hour.
2) Use Pledge Lemon Clean. Apparently spiders do not like the taste/smell/feel against their little hair feelers of Pledge Lemon Clean, so using it to clean your furniture and other wooden surfaces is a quick and pleasantly lemon-scented way to keep spiders away from those surfaces. Of course, you can always use your preferred brand of furniture and wood cleaner, just make sure it’s lemon-scented.
3) Essential Oils Are Essential. Following the same concept as the lemon-scented furniture cleaner, there are certain essential oils that will help keep the spiders out. You can mix five drops of peppermint, lavender, tea tree, rose, neem, or citrus (apparently any citrus works) with 5-7 drops of dish soap and water (some places argue that warm water is best) in a spray bottle, and you have a convenient method for spraying corners and anywhere else spiders might like to congregate. Some people mix a bit of vinegar into the mixture as well, because spiders also do not like vinegar, but that’s optional.
* For pet owners: many essential oils, particularly citrus, peppermint, lavender, tea tree, and any oils that use phenols are toxic to cats. I do not think five drops when diluted with water and dish soap is that bad, but you should probably still ask your pet’s veterinarian. In my research I have not found the same to be true for dogs or other pets, but for all preventative measures that involve any kind of toxin, it is always best to consult your vet or an exterminator to ensure the safety of your pets.
4) Spread Baby Powder. Baby powder apparently also works as a pretty good deterrent for spiders, and other insects, by drying out their exoskeletons, but your room may also consequently smell like baby powder, so it’s up to you whether this bothers you or not.
5) Patch All Holes. By sealing up cracks and holes that may lead to outside, you are basically closing entry points to spiders and other insects. Do this by installing door sweeps to the bottom of your doors leading from outside, fill in cracks around windows with caulk, and patch any holes in window screens.
6) Set Traps. One of the reasons a spider would set up shop in your home in the first place is because they are finding ways to feed themselves. So, by setting up traps (glue traps, ant traps, roach traps, or traps for whatever insect is betraying you and feeding itself to the spider) for other insects, you are providing them with less incentives to stay indoors. Lack of food and a painful death by an angry and fearful human, on top of the other methods you use should work well enough in keeping them away. Glue traps can trap spiders as well, and leave them conveniently immobile for you to get rid of them as you see fit.
7) Adopt A Bearded Dragon.
Most of these tips I use myself and they have worked very well for me so far (though I do not have a bearded dragon… yet). However, if you have a serious spider problem in either quantity or quality (if the spider is too enormous), do not try to wage war by yourself. College is hard enough without having to deal with a spider problem. Immediately call an exterminator and then someone brave to either come wait with you or give you a place to live for the next week. Remember, ladies, there is no shame in a dignified strategic retreat.