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Plus, what to do when you see a spider in or around your bed
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If you’re trying to keep creepy crawlies out of your bed at night, we’ve got good news for you—spiders want nothing to do with you at night either! People move around while they sleep, and even the movement of your chest as you breathe can scare a spider on its way. However, if you’re trying to maximize the odds that spiders leave you alone while you get your beauty sleep, we’ve got a bunch of scientifically proven tips and tricks to keep spiders out of your room and away from your bed. We’ve even interviewed pest control experts Chris Parker and Hussam Bin for their tips on keeping spiders out of your home.
How to Get Rid of Spiders in the Bedroom
Clean your bedroom frequently and remove clutter under or around your bed. Spiders are drawn to hiding spots where they can hunt for food, so eliminating these spaces makes it more likely that spiders will stay away while you sleep. You can also place spider repellents like chestnuts and mint oil around your bed.
Steps
Section 1 of 5:
How to Keep Spiders Out of Your Room
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Deep clean your room and wash bedding regularly. Get your clothes off the floor, throw out any old stacks of newspapers, and deep clean your room by vacuuming, mopping, and dusting. Wash your sheets frequently, ideally about once every one to two weeks (or more often if you keep seeing spiders in your room). [1] X Research source
- Make sure to clean away any cobwebs, spider webs, or dead insects that you see. Clearing a spider’s web makes it more likely that they’ll look to hide elsewhere where they feel safe, and cleaning out dead insects reduces the likelihood that a spider will see your bedroom as a place to hunt food.
- Cleaning your room regularly is especially important if you ever eat in your room. Food scraps and crumbs will attract spiders (and other bugs that spiders hunt), so avoid eating in your room (especially in your bed) and clean up thoroughly when you do.
- This isn’t to say that you should freak out about keeping your room perfectly immaculate. A single crumb or loose sock is unlikely to attract a bunch of spiders.
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Remove items from under your bed. Keep the area under your box spring totally open if you want to minimize the odds that spiders end up crawling around you while you sleep. If your room is clean but there are a bunch of shoeboxes under your bed, a spider is just going to hide under your bed. If you’re using this area for storage of any kind, it’s going to attract spiders. [2] X Research source
- If you’re worried there are dozens of spiders hiding under your bed, remember that spiders are mainly motivated by finding bugs to eat. Unless you find tons of bugs around the skirt of your bed, there probably won’t be any spiders down there.
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Move plants out of your bedroom at night. Some spiders will hide in houseplants to hunt mites and aphids that are attracted to houseplants, and many spiders will hide in houseplants just because they’re safe. Before you go to bed, pick up any potted plants in your room and move them to another part of your home. This action should minimize the number of arachnids you run into on any given night. [3] X Research source
- The one exception would be any variety of mint. Mint is one of the few scents that spiders actively avoid, so growing a mint plant in your room should help. [4] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
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Turn your bed into an island without any walls or furniture near it. Move things around so that there are as few connections between your bed and the floor or wall as possible. Pull your bed 8 inches (20 cm) away from the wall so the headboard isn’t touching anything. Lift bed skirts and excess blankets so that nothing is hanging over the side of the bed or touching the floor. Push side tables away from your bed so that the sides of your bed aren’t near them. [5] X Research source
- If you’re really scared of spiders , rest assured that turning your bed into an island like this is going to be enough to deter the vast majority of spiders.
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Keep the thermostat below 70 °F (21 °C) at night. Many spider species want it to be 70 °F (21 °C) or warmer, so a cool bedroom may deter them from poking around in the night. If it’s fall or winter, crack the window a bit and close your door to keep the room cool . Otherwise, turn the thermostat down so that it stays nice and chilly at night.
- If your bedroom is the warmest part of your house, this may have the unintended effect of attracting spiders to your warm bed.
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Keep your outside lights off. While spiders themselves aren’t necessarily attracted to light, bugs and insects most definitely are. Since spiders feast on bugs and insects, they’ll come near any light sources in order to look for food. Keep your outside lights off so that fewer flies, moths, and other creepy crawlies come into your home and bring spiders along with them.
- Parker also suggests putting curtains across all of your windows “and blocking light from leaving your home…[in order to] really reduce spider activity.” [6]
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Expert Source
Chris Parker
Pest Control Specialist Expert Interview. 21 April 2021. - If spiders learn that the lights of your home attract insects, continues Parker, they’ll learn that “your windows are a place where they can build webs and hang out and catch food.” [7]
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Expert Source
Chris Parker
Pest Control Specialist Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
- Parker also suggests putting curtains across all of your windows “and blocking light from leaving your home…[in order to] really reduce spider activity.” [6]
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Expert Source
Chris Parker
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Pour diatomaceous earth around your bed. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a dust-like insecticide that doesn’t pose any danger to humans, but it does do damage to spiders. Before you go to bed, sprinkle a thin layer of DE around the perimeter of your bed. If any spiders wander near your bed, they’ll either crawl away in the opposite direction or become critically injured by the DE and die. [8] X Trustworthy Source National Pesticide Information Center Organization run by Oregon State University providing objective, science-based information about pests and pesticides Go to source
- Vacuum up the DE the morning after application.
- DE is generally nontoxic to humans and animals, but it can still pose a health risk if ingested. Avoid using diatomaceous earth if you have kids or pets in the home.
- To be completely safe, consider wearing a safety mask while applying the DE.
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Place chestnuts around your bed. Toss a chestnut or two into a few bowls and lay them out around your bed. For reasons that we still don’t entirely understand, some species of spiders don’t like chestnuts and are scared away by their scent. While this method won’t work for every spider species, it may help most spiders stay away from your bedroom area. [9] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
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Diffuse mint oil or place oil-soaked cotton balls around your bed. Pour a dash of mint oil into an essential oil diffuser and turn it on before you go to bed at night. If you don’t have a diffuser, soak a few cotton balls in mint essential oil and place them around your bed. Or, dilute a few drops of mint oil in a spray bottle filled with water and spritz it all over your box spring.
- If you prefer, you could simply keep some mint plants in your room. The effect should be relatively identical.
- Mint is often used as an insect repellent because it’s the only essential oil that definitively appears to repel spiders. [10] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
- However, some people have found anecdotal success with other scents like cinnamon , lavender , citrus , and cedar essential oils , but the effects of some of these products are not scientifically proven.
- One downside of this method is that the scent of mint tends to keep most people awake at night. If you have trouble falling asleep, you may want to skip this approach or try a more calming oil like lavender or cedar.
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Dilute vinegar in water to create a natural spider repellent. Vinegar has an extremely pungent smell that could repel sensitive spiders away from your room. Mix 8 fluid ounces (240 mL) vinegar into an equal amount of water. Use the DIY spider repellent as a room spray and spritz it around your bed, or let it sit in an open container in your bedroom. [11] X Research source
- Vinegar also repels fruit flies, mosquitoes, and ants. Not only will you see fewer of these critters in your home, but you’ll also be limiting a spider’s food supply and making them less likely to hang around.
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Use cedar wood furniture and cedar oils in your home. Cedar has been proven to be a very effective insect repellent, particularly against ants, ticks, and moths. [12] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source The smell of cedar is very pungent to arachnids, so consider buying cedar-lined side drawers and wardrobes, or even a bed made entirely out of cedar wood .
- You can also try using cedar oil as a liquid product to repel spiders—dip a few cotton balls in cedar oil and place them around your bed before going to sleep.
- “Some people use bags of cedar chips,” comments Parker, “as they’re a natural repellent. They’ll put them in canoes that they’ve stored over the winter and things like that.” [13]
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Expert Source
Chris Parker
Pest Control Specialist Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
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Use a plug-in ultrasonic spider repellent. Purchase an ultrasonic pest repellent and plug it into an outlet in your bedroom. Although you won’t be able to hear it, the electronic device will begin to emit electromagnetic waves and make all insects (including spiders) flee the nearby area. [14] X Research source
- This device is a great option for individuals who don’t want to kill spiders or use chemical insecticides but also don’t want them in their homes. Plus, this product is safe to use around kids and never needs a refill.
- However, these insect repellers can sometimes distress pets with sensitive hearing. Most dogs, cats, and other household pets will be unbothered by the noise. However, keep an eye on your pet’s body language when you turn on the device. If they cry, avoid your bedroom, or put their ears down, they may be negatively affected by the noise.
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Set spider traps around the legs of your bed frame. If you really want to keep spiders out for the night, set multiple glue traps out around each of the legs of your bed frame where it meets the floor. If you pull your bed away from the wall, this will be the only access point for nighttime creepy crawlies, and there’s no way a spider is outwitting a glue trap . [15] X Research source
- Just don’t forget about the glue traps when you wake up in the morning! There’s nothing worse than stepping out of bed half-awake to discover a glue trap stuck to the bottom of your foot.
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Seal any cracks or openings to your room. Minimizing the number of entry points for spiders to enter your room (or home) will keep spiders away while you’re sleeping. If there are any cracks in your wall or along your baseboard, seal them up with caulk . Install weather stripping on your windows and a door sweep on your bedroom door. [16] X Research source
- Put screens on your windows if you don’t already have them or if they have tears in them—especially if you sleep with the window open at night.
- Keep in mind that spiders can crawl in through some very tiny holes. This method isn’t going to keep every spider out permanently, but it will definitely minimize the odds!
- If you have a persistent spider issue, Parker recommends hiring “a pest control company…to do air gap sealing in your [attics or crawl spaces] in order to eliminate a lot of the spiders coming in from those areas.” [17]
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Expert Source
Chris Parker
Pest Control Specialist Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
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Adopt a pet. For a more long-term solution for dealing with spiders and other insects in the home, consider adopting a dog or cat. Many pets will take on the role of hunting insects around the house and getting rid of them for you—including flies and spiders. While a pet won’t prevent spiders from getting into the home , they may help reduce the amount of creepy crawlies wandering around your living space.
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Call an exterminator. If you have a persistent issue with spiders in your bedroom or identify a potentially venomous spider, call a professional for help. If you think you have an infestation, contact a trusted pest control service as soon as possible and explain the problem to them. If you spot a dangerous spider, call an exterminator immediately.
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Section 2 of 5:
What to Do If There’s a Spider in Your Bedroom
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If the spider doesn’t bother you, you can usually ignore it and go to sleep. The spider is unlikely to do you harm, so if you think you’ll be able to sleep with a spider near your bed, you can just go to sleep as normal. However, you may want to identify the spider first to make sure it's not venomous or potentially harmful (which is rare). Here are the possible types of spiders you might see in your home: [18] X Research source
- House Spider : Large and easy to spot with brown heads and tan abdomens with a herringbone pattern. Generally harmless.
- False Widow Spider : Resemble Black Widows with dark bodies and light markings. May bite, but generally harmless.
- Missing Sector Orb Web Spider : Have bodies and legs with silvery markings. Make asymmetrical webs with missing parts. Generally harmless.
- Daddy Long Legs : Have tiny gray bodies with extremely thin and long legs. Generally harmless.
- Zebra Jumping Spider : Small with black and white stripes, Zebra spiders move in a jerky, jumpy way. Generally harmless.
- Lace Web Spider : Medium-sized with a brown body and yellowish markings. Weave lace-like webs. Generally harmless.
- Wolf Spider : Large, long, brown or black bodies with stripes, or gray with various markings. Generally harmless .
- Brown Recluse : Light brown with dark, violin-shaped marking on the back. Venomous—call an exterminator.
- Black Widow : Black or dark brown, sometimes with a red or orange hourglass-shaped marking on their underside. Venomous—call an exterminator. .
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If you’re bothered by the spider, kill it or remove it from the room. To get the spider out of your house without killing it , trap it under a glass or cup and slide a piece of paper or cardboard under the mouth of the cup. Take the cup (and spider) outside and release it. Alternatively, you can kill the spider by sucking it up with a vacuum cleaner, spraying it with a chemical insecticide or household cleaning spray, or squishing it with a shoe or other heavy object.
- Bin recommends using “over-the-counter [insecticides] like Raid, or something like that.”
- However, Bin continues, “the problem with these over the counter products is that they don’t have any residual effects. It kills on contact…but it will not cause a residual effect” and keep spiders away. [19]
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Expert Source
Hussam Bin Break
Pest Control Professional Expert Interview. 28 June 2019.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow can I prevent spiders from entering my house?Chris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. Since 2016, Chris has been specializing in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.Have all plants one foot away from the house. Put curtains on the windows so that insects are not attracted to the light. Seal all the crawl spaces and entry points from where the spiders can enter the house.
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QuestionWhat can I do to keep spiders away from outdoor areas?Chris Parker is the Founder of Parker Eco Pest Control, a sustainable pest control service in Seattle, Washington. Since 2016, Chris has been specializing in Integrated Pest Management and doesn’t use any chemicals for pest removal. He offers removal services for ants, rodents, fleas, spiders, wasps, and more. Chris is a certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator in Washington State and received his bachelor’s from the University of Washington.Try switching to low-frequency light bulbs. Use bags of cedar chips, as they are a kind of natural repellent. You can use insecticides that make the surface infeasible for attaching spider webs.
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QuestionIf I have holes in my drywall. Is that gonna be a problem, like right above my head when I'm sleeping and various other places in my room?Naava Brown-PopeCommunity AnswerI used to have a few, but it depends on how much light there is in your room. I would recommend patching the holes, because while most spiders don't like a lot of light, this will attract other insects, and some spiders will come in, light or not.
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References
- ↑ https://spiders.ucr.edu/how-avoid-bites
- ↑ https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef623
- ↑ https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/pests/spiders
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29309619/
- ↑ https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/pests/spiders
- ↑ Chris Parker. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
- ↑ Chris Parker. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
- ↑ http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29309619/
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29309619/
- ↑ https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/natural-pest-repellent-vinegar-257668
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24690252/
- ↑ Chris Parker. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
- ↑ https://www.nachi.org/ultrasonic-pest-repellers.htm
- ↑ https://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/ipm/what-is-a-sticky-trap/
- ↑ https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef641
- ↑ Chris Parker. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 21 April 2021.
- ↑ https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/habitat/waspiders.aspx
- ↑ Hussam Bin Break. Pest Control Professional. Expert Interview. 28 June 2019.
- ↑ https://emoyer.com/blog/pest-control/top-five-things-that-attract-spiders-in-the-house/
- ↑ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-people-swallow-8-spiders-a-year-while-they-sleep1/
- ↑ https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/News-Events/The-Buzz/Myth-Buster-We-Don-t-Really-Swallow-Eight-Spiders
- ↑ https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/arachnology-and-entomology/spider-myths/myth-spiders-bite-sleeping
- ↑ https://theconversation.com/should-i-kill-spiders-in-my-home-an-entomologist-explains-why-not-to-95912
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