Seal cracks, reduce clutter, and remove insect food sources to keep spiders out of your house. Use vinegar sprays, yellow lights, and trimmed landscaping to deter them.
Hoffer Pest Solutions has spent more than 40 years helping South Florida homeowners control spiders and other pests. Our Home Shield Packages cover spiders plus 20+ other invaders, giving you peace of mind all year long.
If you’re ready for the full breakdown, keep reading, we’ll walk through proven prevention strategies, natural repellents, and solutions that work in Florida homes.
Step-by-Step Guide to Keeping Spiders Out of Your House
You don’t need harsh chemicals or complicated routines to keep spiders from taking over your home. By making small changes room by room and season by season, you’ll create an environment that’s far less inviting to them. Follow these steps to reduce webs, pests, and unwanted nighttime visitors.
Step 1: Eliminate Food & Hiding Spots
Spiders follow their food. If you cut down on flies and roaches, you’ll see fewer spiders. That means sealing trash bags tightly, rinsing recyclables to avoid sugary residues, and keeping outdoor bins away from doors and windows. Pet food bowls left uncovered can also draw flies, which in turn draw spiders.
Inside, decluttering closets, boxes, and corners goes a long way. Vacuuming works better than dusting because it removes webs, eggs, and spiders in one pass, leaving fewer chances for re-webbing. If you only wipe surfaces, egg sacs often remain behind.
Some homeowners worry that removing spiders will let other bugs surge since they lose a natural predator. In truth, balanced pest control keeps everything in check. By keeping your home clean and dry, you reduce both insects and spiders at the same time.
Step 2: Block Entry Points
Most spiders don’t just appear out of nowhere, they slip inside through tiny cracks and gaps. Start with the basics: install weatherstripping around doors, seal window gaps, repair torn screens, and caulk cracks in exterior walls. In Florida, where humidity and pests are constant, this also improves your energy efficiency.
Don’t overlook the less obvious entryways. Chimneys, crawlspaces, and attic vents should be covered with fine mesh. Plumbing penetrations and utility openings are other common spider highways into your home. Hoffer Pest Solutions specializes in exclusion work, sealing these problem spots to keep out not just spiders, but rodents and other pests too.
Some people ask whether diatomaceous earth is safe to use indoors along baseboards. While effective outside along the foundation, it can be risky indoors with children or pets. Outdoors, it forms a natural perimeter that dries out crawling insects before they can slip inside.
Step 3: Lighting & Outdoor Attractants
Spiders don’t flock to lights, but the insects they eat do. Porch lamps and floodlights act like dinner bells for flies and mosquitoes, which in turn attract spiders to your entryways. Swapping to yellow “bug” bulbs or putting outdoor lights on timers helps cut down on this nighttime traffic.
Keeping trash and recycling bins sealed and stored away from doors is equally significant outside as it is indoors. In Florida, maintaining the yard makes a big difference, overgrown shrubs and untrimmed vegetation against the house create bridges and hiding spots for pests. Pools, standing water, and thick landscaping fuel mosquito and fly populations, so consistent yard care helps reduce the food source spiders rely on.
Step 4: Natural Repellents
Natural deterrents can be helpful, but they come with caveats. Peppermint oil is often recommended because spiders detect strong odors with their feet. However, real-world experiences show mixed results, some homeowners even report seeing more spiders after trying it, and it can be toxic to cats and dogs.
A safer DIY option is a simple mix of vinegar, water, and dish soap sprayed on webs and spider-prone corners. It won’t kill spiders, but it makes your home less attractive to them. Other folk remedies like rubbing Irish Spring soap on window frames or leaving citrus peels in corners also surface often, with anecdotal success.
For those wanting something longer-lasting, diatomaceous earth works best outside along the foundation, under siding, or beneath eaves. Indoors, it’s less ideal due to the fine dust.
It’s necessary to remember that no single scent or spray eliminates spiders entirely. Results vary by species and how consistently you apply the method.
Step 5: Sleep & Safety Habits
Few things feel worse than worrying a spider might crawl across you at night. While it’s rare, simple adjustments make your bedroom less inviting. Keep your mattress off the floor and pull it away from walls and curtains. Close drapes at night to cut down on insects drawn to indoor lighting.
Vacuum corners and ceilings weekly so webs don’t accumulate. Avoid eating in bed since crumbs attract pests that, in turn, attract spiders. These small routines don’t just reduce spider sightings, they also help restore peace of mind for anyone who struggles with arachnophobia.
Step 6: Maintain Attics, Garages, and Basements
Spiders love quiet, undisturbed areas where they can build webs without interruption. Attics, garages, and basements are common trouble spots. Store items in sealed plastic bins instead of cardboard, which spiders and other pests can easily inhabit. A quick vacuum or dusting every few weeks goes a long way toward keeping these spaces pest-free.
Step 7: Manage Moisture Around the Home
Many of the insects spiders feed on are drawn to damp conditions. That means moisture control is an indirect but powerful way to limit spider activity. Repair leaky faucets or pipes, run a dehumidifier in musty rooms, and keep gutters clean so water doesn’t collect near the foundation. By reducing moisture, you cut off both insects and the spiders that hunt them.
Step 8: Stay Consistent With Seasonal Maintenance
In South Florida, pest control is year-round. Spiders may surge during mating season, but prevention should never stop. Sweep away webs from exterior eaves and doorframes, refresh natural deterrents like vinegar spray, and inspect weatherstripping on windows and doors every season. Consistency is the secret to keeping spiders from gaining a foothold.
Why Spiders Come Inside in Florida Homes
South Florida’s climate means spiders are active year-round, unlike colder regions where infestations ease during winter. Homes here often experience seasonal spikes, especially during the fall mating season, when more spiders wander indoors searching for mates and shelter.
Cluttered corners, excess storage, and unnoticed entry points give them perfect hiding spots. Add to that an abundance of prey insects, mosquitoes, flies, roaches, and you’ve created the ideal environment for spiders to thrive.
For many homeowners, the problem is about the fear they trigger. Arachnophobia is serious, and for families moving into a spider-heavy home, that fear can spike quickly. Tackling prevention is about peace of mind.
Helpful Resource -> Black and Red Spiders in Florida: ID, Dangers & Prevention
When DIY Isn’t Enough
Sometimes the problem goes beyond a few stray webs. If you’re finding multiple new webs daily, spotting egg sacs, or seeing spiders return no matter how much you clean, it may be time to call in professionals. High spider counts often signal structural issues or other pest infestations that feed them.
Our team uses integrated pest management, combining residual barrier treatments, web sweeping, and targeted exclusion to reduce both insects and spiders around your home. For South Florida residents, we offer Home Shield Packages that cover spiders along with more than 20 other common pests. Same-day service is available in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties, so you don’t have to wait while the problem grows.
Why Choose Hoffer Pest Solutions
We’re a family-owned business that has proudly served South Florida for over 40 years. Generations of homeowners have trusted us because we live in the same communities we protect. That means we know firsthand the unique pest challenges our region faces, from the year-round humidity that fuels spider activity to the constant pressure of ants, roaches, and termites.
What sets us apart is our commitment to long-term solutions, not quick fixes. Our technicians are trained to identify the root causes of infestations and provide eco-friendly treatments that are safe for families, pets, and the environment. We specialize in exclusion work, sealing off entry points so pests can’t return, because preventing the problem is always better than treating it again later.
We also stand behind everything we do. With our satisfaction guarantee, if spiders or other pests come back, so do we, at no additional cost. That level of reliability has earned us more than 1,000 five-star reviews from homeowners across Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties.
Take the Next Step
You don’t have to live with spiders taking over your home. Simple changes like sealing cracks, managing food sources, and adjusting lighting go a long way, but when infestations persist, professional support makes the difference.
Call Hoffer Pest Solutions today for a free inspection and same-day service if you contact us before noon. Protect your home, your family, and your peace of mind with the local pest control who care about South Florida as much as you do.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I use soap-and-water sprays indoors safely?
A mild soap-and-water spray can kill spiders on contact, but use caution. It can leave residue on surfaces, and spraying too heavily may create an unpleasant clean-up. Always test a small area first.
Are there country-specific rules for spider prevention?
Absolutely. What works in Florida may not work in Australia or the UK, where different species respond differently. That’s why local expertise, like Hoffer Pest Solutions in South Florida, makes all the difference.
Are there professional products stronger than DIY sprays?
Yes. Licensed pest control companies use products like residual barrier treatments that last longer and target multiple pests at once. These are not available for retail purchase and must be applied safely by professionals.
Is elimination really impossible?
Spiders are part of the ecosystem, and a home can never be permanently spider-free. The goal is prevention and control, keeping numbers so low they don’t disrupt your comfort or peace of mind.