It’s hard to feel as if you want to use your basement when you go down there and see a bunch of spiders. Many people have problems with spiders in their basements, and this is definitely something that you’d like to take care of.
Basements just so happen to be perfect places for spiders to thrive. This doesn’t mean that you have to accept that your basement is full of spiders, though.
Keep reading to learn about how you can get rid of spiders in your basement. There are actually a lot of different things that you can do to try to solve the problem.
Once you’ve read about all of the options that you have available, it’ll be easy to decide on the best course of action. Soon enough, you’re going to be able to use your basement without having to worry so much about getting freaked out by spiders.
1 – You Could Use Diatomaceous Earth
You might have heard of people using diatomaceous earth to repel insects in the past. This is a type of powder that does a good job of taking care of many different insects, and it’ll work well for basement spiders.
Go around and sprinkle the powder on surfaces such as windowsills, doorways, and anywhere else that spiders might be congregating. It should kill the spiders, and you won’t have to worry so much moving forward.
This powder can be used to help keep spiders from entering your house as well. Some people sprinkle the powder around the perimeter of the house to try to keep spiders from entering, and it actually works pretty well.
If you use this idea, then it’ll likely be able to kill the spiders in your basement, but it isn’t a perfect method. Since this is a powder, it can blow away in the wind, and it’s also a little bit costly to buy it.
Those who don’t want to spend much money might not find this powder to be the ideal choice. That doesn’t mean that it can’t work well, though, and it’s certainly worth your consideration.
2 – Use a White Vinegar Spray
If you’re looking for a safe and easy homemade option to kill basement spiders, then you should consider using white vinegar spray. All you need to do is pour white vinegar into a spray bottle with an equal part water to get things going.
Vinegar is acidic and it’s going to be able to kill spiders in the basement swiftly. You can just go around spraying vinegar wherever you think spiders might be, and it should allow you to get rid of them rather quickly.
This is a nice idea because you can do this without spending a ton of money. Many people already have access to white vinegar and will be able to make this simple spray without spending a dime.
You could use white vinegar in another way to try to repel spiders in your basement, too. Some people leave bowls of vinegar out near areas of the basement where spiders like to congregate.
If this works as intended, then you might find that the spiders will try to flee the basement. This might not work in every single case, but it’s hard to deny the convenience of being able to kill spiders with something as common as white vinegar.
3 – Clean and Secure Your Basement
It might be a good idea to take the time to clean the basement thoroughly to get rid of spiders. You’re going to want to dust, sweep, and wipe down the walls with cleaning products.
This can help you to eliminate spider webs so that spiders won’t be as likely to want to stick around. It’s also going to make your basement a lot nicer since you’re going to need to clean after the spiders are dead anyway.
Cleaning is a great idea because it helps to keep other bugs from wanting to come to your basement as well. Spiders are going to want to hang out in the basement if they have food there that they can eat.
Spiders eat insects such as ants that enter homes trying to find food. If the basement isn’t dirty, then these insects are going to be much less likely to want to enter the basement.
When spiders don’t have food to eat, they’re going to have no reason to stay in the basement. Simply keeping your basement clean is one good way to deter spiders from sticking around.
Once you’ve cleaned the basement as thoroughly as you can, it’s wise to try to secure the basement so that spiders won’t have an easy time getting back in. Spiders are likely entering the basement through cracks, holes, and gaps that exist.
You can do the best that you can to eliminate these entrances so that spiders will have to turn elsewhere when seeking shelter. Get a caulk gun and try to caulk cracks to keep insects, arachnids, mice, and bats from entering your basement area.
Once that is handled, you can turn your attention to any holes or gaps that might be allowing pests to enter. You might need to make some minor repairs or fill holes with expanding foam to keep pests away.
This is a good idea because it can help to protect your home from other pests, too. For instance, if you have holes that are allowing spiders to enter your basement, then it’s very likely that mice could be entering your home as well.
It might take some time and effort to make these changes, but securing the basement as good as you can is smart. Combine this with a thorough cleaning and you’ll be in a much better position.
4 – Cats
This might seem to be a strange idea at first, but cats are actually known to hunt and kill spiders. When you think of cats, you often think of them hunting and killing mice, but they will do that with spiders as well.
You could get a cat and ensure that it has access to the basement. This will make it so that the spiders will have something to fear, and the cat will likely kill the spiders over the course of time.
It might not be a good method for eliminating all the spiders from your basement right away, but it can keep the spider population numbers down on your property. Whether this is a worthwhile idea is up to your discretion, but it’s true that cats do a good job of killing spiders.
5 – Peppermint Essential Oils
Did you know that peppermint essential oils will work as good spider deterrents? You can actually get some essential oil diffusers and place them around the basement to make spiders want to flee.
For whatever reason, spiders just can’t handle peppermint essential oils and they’re not going to want to be around them. Peppermint is a very nice scent that can make your basement more pleasant as well.
If you’re not a peppermint fan, then you could also try to utilize eucalyptus essential oils. Eucalyptus is also capable of deterring spiders from wanting to be in an area, and it’ll be just as easy to use as peppermint.
6 – Vacuum the Spiders
Do you have a vacuum with a hose attachment that you can utilize? Well, you could decide to try to vacuum the spiders up so that you can get rid of them that way.
This is kind of convenient because it makes it so that you won’t have to get super close to a spider to eliminate it. The vacuum might be able to kill the spiders, but even if it doesn’t, it will give you a chance to round them up in one spot.
Once you’ve vacuumed up the spiders and eliminated the spider webs, you can then take the vacuum cleaner outside and open it up. You can choose to just try to release the spiders that lived through the vacuuming process somewhere away from the house or you could try to kill them now.
7 – Spider Killing Sprays
Of course, there are a number of different chemical sprays on the market that are designed to kill spiders. If you’re having a tough time getting the above methods to work when trying to kill basement spiders, then you can turn to professional sprays to get things done.
These sprays are going to cost you a bit of money, but they should do a great job of killing spiders right away. You can wear a mask when spraying things so that you don’t have to breathe the stuff in too.
Generally, these spider sprays aren’t directly harmful to humans, but this doesn’t mean that they’re pleasant. These sprays smell kind of bad, and you’re probably going to want to air the basement out somewhat after the spiders have been killed.
What most people do is spray the basement thoroughly and then leave the area for a while. After a few hours, you can clean the basement and then try to air things out so that the smell will go away.
This will probably work out very nicely if you choose to go this route, but not everyone likes using chemical sprays. If you’re against the use of chemical sprays such as this, then some of the organic methods mentioned above will be more to your liking.
8 – Spider Traps
Did you know that you can actually trap spiders so that you can remove them from the basement? Not everyone considers trapping spiders to be the best or most convenient choice, but it can certainly work.
You can go out and buy spider traps that will work pretty well to capture the spiders that are in your basement. Once the spiders have been trapped, you’re going to be able to grab the trap and then release the spiders wherever you think it’s appropriate to do so.
Of course, you won’t want to release the spiders too close to your house or they might just find their way back to the basement again. Most people will release the spiders somewhere down the road to put some distance between the spiders and the house.
This is something that people turn to when they aren’t comfortable with the idea of killing spiders. If you’re not into killing the spiders and would rather trap them, then that’s something that you can look into.
The problem with this is that it’s not going to make things easy on you if you have a large spider infestation in your basement. This is likely more convenient when you have three or four spiders in your basement.
9 – Hiring Exterminators
Hiring exterminators is another possibility that is going to take care of your spider problem easily. If you notice dangerous spiders in your basement, then this might actually be ideal.
It isn’t going to be fun if you get bit by a black widow spider or a brown recluse. Exterminators have protective clothing and years of knowledge that allows them to eliminate pests such as this without it being a big deal.
When you call in the professionals, they’re going to be able to get rid of all of the spiders in your basement in a timely fashion. They can also help you to figure out how the spiders are getting in so that you can take the necessary actions to protect your home.
This is likely the simplest way to eliminate spiders in your basement, but it’s also going to be the most costly. Paying for professional exterminators will set you back a good bit, but it might be worth it depending on your circumstances.
If you want to solve your spider problem permanently, then having professionals help is a great idea. They understand what needs to be done, and their years of expertise will give you the information that you need to secure the basement for the future.
Eliminate the Spiders However You Want to
You now have a lot of options when it comes to eliminating the spiders in your basement. It isn’t that hard to take care of an issue such as this when you have the right tools to do the job.
Some spider infestations are worse than others, though. If you have many spiders in your basement, then calling in exterminators might be the sensible choice.
Just use your best judgment to determine how you should move forward. After all is said and done, it should be much easier to enjoy a spider-free basement.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and over 10 years of experience working in IT. As a homeowner, I love working on projects around the house, and as a father, I love investigating various ways to keep my family safe (whether or not this involves tech). I’ve also played guitar for almost 20 years and love writing music, although it’s hard to find the time these days.