Spiders are tiny insects that attract universal hatred. Some people are outright scared of being bitten one, primarily because the after effects can be so deadly. Or so they have been led to believe.
Most people have seen on TV and read on different platforms that a bite from specific spiders can prove to be quite deadly. Naturally, the average person assumes that all spiders can be deadly, and try to avoid them as much as possible.
Some people suffer from a genuine case of arachnophobia, which is the fear of spiders. It’s not the fear of getting bit by one that motivates them, but they are generally scared of spiders. It’s a psychological disorder.
The bigger problem with spiders is that they tend to weave their webs in and around the house. These require a thorough cleaning, and if they end up laying eggs and spider babies, it’s going to look like something out of a horror movie.
The good news here is that most of the spiders that you see in your house aren’t really harmful. Their bite won’t even sting you as much, and in most cases, you don’t have to worry at all about any kind of venom in their bites.
Now, while it’s still easy to get rid of spiders in the house, especially if you focus on cleanliness and like to deep clean your house every few days, it’s a whole different issue when it comes to the garage.
The garage is one of those places that is not usually cleaned on a regular basis. At the most, you will probably sit in the garage to work on a project or work on your car. Therefore, you can probably expect quite a few spiders up in your garage, weaving their webs in the corners or behind the shelves.
By their very nature, spiders prefer places that are dark, and this makes the garage an ideal choice. Most garages have quite a bit of stuff inside, and this makes it an ideal spot for a spider to call your garage its home.
As you can see, most spiders are going to have a field day moving around the garage and weaving their webs any place they want.
Now, imagine your surprise as you walk into the garage late one night to pick up an old box of photos or to pick up a tool kit, and you suddenly notice these eight legged creepy crawlers brushing by your skin.
It’s enough to scare the most confident of people. You might end up screaming, dropping whatever that was in your hand, and rushing back into the house.
Needless to say, you might want to start looking at ways to keep spiders out of your garage. But, before you can do that, it’s important to understand exactly what attracts the spiders to your garage.
Why Is the Garage Such an Attractive Choice?
There is a reason why you are likely to see more spiders in your garage as compared to your house. First and foremost, it’s the dark.
The garage remains closed for almost the entire day, and most people only turn on the lights when they have to park their car inside, or when they have something to do. If you aren’t really working on a pet project in the garage, the only time you are going to open it is when you need to pick something up.
Needless to say, this makes it prime real estate for the spiders. On top of that, there’s lots of food for the spiders to eat. Spiders love to eat mosquitoes and flies. They create these large webs, where they trap these tiny insects, and then eat them up.
It’s really the ideal place for any insect because they get food, water, and shelter.
More importantly, most people don’t really bother cleaning up their garages all the way from the inside out regularly, and that’s understandable. However, this creates the prime place for spiders to call home.
So, how do you get rid of them? Unfortunately, completely getting rid of spiders and keeping them at bay is going to be a bit difficult.
Here are some strategies that you can use to keep them out of your garage.
1 – Use a Peppermint Oil Solution
One of the best ways to kill spiders and keep them out of your garage is to make use of a peppermint oil solution. Not only does peppermint oil work on spiders, but it also works just as effectively for all other kinds of insects.
Basically, all you have to do is use five drops of peppermint oil, and mix it with five drops of standard dishwashing soap. Then, add at least two cups of water and mix it thoroughly. Transfer the solution into a standard spray bottle, and you are good to go.
A glass spray bottle is the best choice, because essential oils tend to break down in plastic containers over the passage of time. If you want, you can also mix the solution in the spray bottle directly.
Once you have put everything inside, shake it very carefully. You have to make sure that the solution mixes itself well before you start using it.
Then, all you need to do is to spray the solution anywhere you think the spiders might be hiding. It’s best to start by covering the dark corners and the tiny crevices. Places that are hard to reach should be your first choice, especially on the top of shelves and other areas.
You should always keep a bottle of the peppermint mixture on hand, because it’s not just effective at killing and keeping spiders at bay, but it also helps in keeping various other insects at bay too.
2 – Get Rid of the Clutter
If you are like most people, you probably wouldn’t have bothered with cleaning the garage in a long while. And, that’s fair. But, if you notice the insect population increasing rapidly, you might want to take a few steps.
Getting rid of all the clutter is the first and most important thing that you need to do. Most people tend to use their garage as an additional storage space, and don’t bother cleaning it up.
Over time, all of the things that you continue to throw in your garage are going to cause cluttering, and this is a serious problem.
To limit the extent of cluttering in your garage, you need to carry out a deep cleaning after every few months. Basically, sift through all of the items that you have and look for things that you haven’t used in a long while. This is of vital importance, because otherwise, you won’t be able to get rid of anything at all.
The next thing you need to do is buy some storage bins. Keeping everything neatly in different storage bins is a wise idea, and is going to help you get rid of all the loose items that are lying around.
Once you have cleaned up the garage, you will notice that clearing up the cobwebs will become much easier for you.
Another important thing that needs to be added here is the fact that you need to clean your garage as regularly as possible. You might not be able to clean it once a week, but at least once a month is suitable. If you can, set a bi-weekly cleaning schedule so that you can get rid of all the dirt and clutter in the garage.
Start by using a vacuum cleaner to get rid of all the dust and debris that is cluttered around the garage. You need to do that, because the vacuum will be able to suck up all of the dirt and debris, as well as the cobwebs in certain parts of the garage.
Spiders tend to lay eggs in clusters. Getting rid of these egg sacs before they are allowed to hatch is vitally important. Spider feces and egg sacs may look like small dots on the surface, but you have to keep a lookout for them.
Keep in mind that spiders usually avoid building their houses in areas where humans might come and knock it down. If you maintain a regular cleaning schedule, you will notice that most spiders won’t enter your garage at all.
3 – Avoid Cardboard Boxes
Cardboard boxes tend to decay over time, and because they have way too many openings. This makes it the ideal habitat for your average home spider.
When you do open the cardboard box and get rid of all the items inside, you are probably going to find a bunch of spiders hiding underneath, or worse, egg sacs. You don’t want this to happen.
Instead of using cardboard boxes, you should consider using sealable plastic bins. Sealable plastic bins are commonly available from your average home store, and you can use those instead of cardboard boxes.
Compared to the average box, these bins are also more durable and more effective in getting rid of the spider infestation.
4 – Look for the Egg Sacs
If you don’t want a spider infestation in your house, you have to keep a lookout for egg sacs.
Basically, these egg sacs tend to look like ink stains, but if your garage has white walls, and a reasonably clean floor, you will be able to notice them quite easily. As long as you have proper lighting in the garage, it won’t be a problem for you to identify these egg sacs.
As soon as you see them, crush them and get rid of them right away. Egg sacs are easy to get rid of, but you have to make sure that you take action right away.
If even a single egg sac hatches up, it’s going to lead to hundreds of spiders spreading throughout your garage, and ultimately finding their way into your house. Sincerely, you don’t want this to happen.
5 – Using a Fogger
Another excellent tactic to get rid of spiders in your garage is to make use of a fogger. This option is only suitable when the spider infestation is getting out of hand, and you feel that there’s not much that you can do about it. The only solution in such cases is to be ruthless and to kill as many as you can.
While homemade repellents such as the peppermint oil solution are a wise move, they are not going to work in keeping the spiders away. These repellents can kill quite a bunch of spiders, but if there are too many, you will have to revise your strategy altogether.
One of the best things that you can do apart from calling an exterminator to deal with the problem is to make use of a fogger. A fogger, also known as a bug bomb, is an excellent choice for use in the garage.
The reason? It’s an adequate distance away from your living area, and you can use it safely without having to worry about the smell seeping into your house.
It really doesn’t matter what brand of fogger you choose; you just have to check the labels put on by the manufacturer. This is going to give you a better idea about whether the fogger was designed to get rid of spiders or other insects.
6 – Cover the Holes
Are there any holes in the ceiling or the walls of the garage? These tiny holes might be where the spiders are getting into the garage.
You have to patch them as best as you can to prevent them from entering your house. There might be tiny cracks in the windows or the structure that need to be covered up.
You need to spend a bit of time checking all the holes and cracks and then covering them up. It is of vital importance that you take these measures to get rid of the spider infestation, otherwise it’s only going to spread in the future.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.