There’s nothing scary about the process of getting rid of cobwebs
The presence of spider webs is a sure-fire sign you are sharing your home with arachnids, so you’ll need to learn how to get rid of spider webs. Humanely removing spiders is important, as they help prevent other pests, but you don’t need to provide such luxury to their annoying and sticky webs.
These cobwebs often pop up in difficult-to-reach parts of the home, like the upper corners of rooms and behind furniture. Here are a few tried-and-true methods for removing spiderwebs easily, quickly, and inexpensively.
Seeing one or two small spiders around your home isn't a cause for concern, but if you notice a large number of spiders or dangerous varieties, it's time to call a professional exterminator. Don't hesitate to take pest control action to prevent the infestation from growing.
This one is pretty easy: Spider webs are an indicator of, well, spiders. Spiders spin webs just as sure as cats meow and dogs beg for treats. If you are running into spider webs throughout highly trafficked parts of the home, that indicates an active arachnid population.
Cobwebs, on the other hand, are old and disused spiderwebs, typically located in out-of-the-way areas like ceiling corners, the tops of windows, behind furniture, in basements and attics, and more.
When you see a spider web, it pays to figure out if it’s a spider web or a cobweb. Spider webs indicate that it’s an active spider nest. A bunch of spider webs may indicate an infestation, which you should contact an exterminator to help get rid of them.
Cobwebs are inactive spider webs that the spiders have abandoned. You can identify cobwebs because they have more irregular shapes while active spider webs have a more intricate design. You can clear away cobwebs on your own with a vacuum or duster.
Now the fun part: removing those pesky webs for good. There are a few ways to do this, and they are all pretty easy and budget-friendly, in addition to being absolutely suitable for DIYers.
This one is the method homeowners have used for hundreds of years, and for a good reason: It works and uses just a standard broom or duster and a dustpan.
Make sure to use a broom or duster with a long handle to reach ceilings and corners. Purchase and affix a height attachment for ultra-high ceilings.
Once you have an appropriately sized broom, go to work removing any webs you come across, knocking them to the floor with the head of the broom.
Go slowly and pay special attention to out-of-the-way areas, moving items of furniture when necessary.
Once finished, sweep up the webs into a dustpan and throw them in the trash.
For a more powerful and speedier approach, use a vacuum equipped with a hose attachment to suck those spiderwebs into oblivion.
Again, height matters here, so ensure the vacuum’s hose attachment is long enough to reach those ceilings and corners.
Power up your vacuum work throughout your rooms to suck up any errant spider webs and cobwebs using a hose.
Make sure to vacuum underneath beds, behind doors, and near window sills, as cobwebs like to hang out in all three locations.
Once finished, simply dump the contents of the debris container into the trash.
There are endless uses for duct tape. This handy material is great at removing spiderwebs, particularly webs stuck to popcorn ceiling and anything fragile you don’t want to smash with a broom.
This process involves a roll of duct tape, a paint roller, and a height-extension stick.
Wrap a fair amount of duct tape, sticky side facing out, around the paint roller.
Move the paint roller over any errant spider webs stuck to walls, lighting fixtures, or furniture items. The duct tape pulls the webbing right off.
Once finished, dispose of the used duct tape.
A simple mixture of bleach and water is highly effective at removing live spider webs, though slightly less effective with debris-laden cobwebs.
Wear protective gloves and goggles whenever you handle bleach, as it is corrosive to the skin.
Mix equal parts bleach and water and pour the solution into a small spray container. Use lukewarm water or cold water here, and not hot water.
Spray the webs, shooting for something between a solid stream and a gentle mist.
Allow the sprayed areas to sit for a minute or so, and then wipe them down with a cloth, towel, or paper towel. Reapply the solution and allow it to dry naturally.
Use a cleaning brush on any stubborn webs and avoid spraying electronics, lighting fixtures, and appliances. You’ll want to use a brush for those items.
Note: Never mix bleach with other household chemicals and cleaners to avoid a harmful reaction.
There’s a hack involving WD-40 that helps keep spiders away from spinning their webs on your windows and doors. The odor from the WD-40 is irritating to spiders, making them less likely to return. Plus, the lubrication from the spray makes it difficult for spiders to climb up the windows and nest in small corners.
Seek out the areas in your house where spiders like to gather, including near windows, doorways, and other small crevices.
Simply spray a layer on your windows and doors and let it dry completely.
Active spider webs are easy to spot. In fact, they’ll often find you as you walk throughout the home, particularly in the basement or attic. Before you start the removal process, however, perform due diligence to locate any out-of-the-way cobwebs. Here are some places cobwebs like to hide.
Behind and under furniture: Move large furniture items around to find hidden cobwebs.
Around windows: Look above, under, and around the window frames for cobwebs, as windows also serve as entrances for spiders.
Ceilings and corners: Spiders climb higher than we do, so check your ceilings and pay special attention to the corners, as these ceiling corners are absolute cobweb magnets.
Attics and basements: Perform a deep dive in these locations, as they are rarely visited by people. Move storage boxes to expose hidden webs.
Unused parts of the home: Have an empty bedroom? Check there first. Cobwebs are disused spiderwebs, after all, so pay special attention to under-utilized parts of the home.
Preventing an abundance of spider webs and cobwebs comes down to reducing the number of spiders in your home. Fortunately, there are several ways to prevent arachnids from turning your house into their home.
Clean regularly: Maintain a regular cleaning schedule, as dusting and vacuuming get rid of spiders, nymphs, and spider eggs.
Organize your home: A cluttered home gives spiders, and other pests, plenty of places to hide. Reduce clutter to further reduce spiders and their webs.
Seal cracks and windows: Stop curious spiders by sealing any cracks and windows throughout your home. Also, make sure the window screens are in good shape and that they fit properly.
Keep the lights off: Whenever possible, turn out the lights in your home. Insects are attracted to light, and spiders are attracted to insects.
Deter with scents: There are a few odors that spiders absolutely loathe, including cinnamon and various essential oils. Use scented candles or dilute oils with water in a spray bottle, applying liberally.
Hire a pro: When all else fails, hire a pest control specialist to capture any lingering spiders and to make your home unfriendly to pests.
Getting rid of cobwebs is an extraordinarily DIY-friendly job and should be wrapped into part of your regular cleaning routine. If you’re short on time or if you are moving into a home that has been left vacant for a long time, consider hiring a local cleaning expert. Otherwise, follow one of the above procedures to keep your home free from annoying webs.
Hiring a pro only makes sense if you spot active spiders in the spider webs. This activity may be a sign that your home has an infestation. If that’s the case, a professional exterminator can help remove active spider nests from your home.
While you’ll want to leave the occasional spider alone, if you’re being overrun with spiders and webs, hiring a local pest control expert may be a good option. However, you may see a slight uptick in other pests if you kick spiders out.
Removing spiders from a home costs $100 to $300, depending on the infestation size and the job's complexity. When removing spiders, opt for a humane solution as these “pests” actually provide a helping hand in eliminating roaches, bed bugs, ants, and plenty of other invasive insects.
While vinegar doesn’t get rid of spider webs that already exist, spraying a mixture of vinegar and water in areas where you’ve found webs before will deter spiders from rebuilding there. The acetic acid within vinegar can harm and kill spiders, so they’ll want to stay as far away from this strong-smelling substance as they can get.
Spider web silk is especially hearty and resistant to rot due to bacteria metabolizing nitrogen inside the webs. Standard spider webs last several weeks before showing any signs of rot even left unattended. Cobwebs last up to a year or however long it takes for the silk to degrade completely.
Yes, spider webs are flammable, taking them from minor household nuisance to something more dangerous. Silk boasts no built-in resistance to fire, though it takes an abundance of spider webs to actually catch fire and spread. A cobweb here and there poses no major fire safety risk, so it’s not a cause for concern.
