Spider Season Is Here: 10 Ways to Stop Spiders Taking Over Your Home

September! The start of autumn and arguably the beginning of one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. The weather has cooled to comfortable, but there’s still a little warmth in the air. The leaves are turning, the air is permeated with those changing autumn scents and we’re all getting ready for cosier times.

Open fires, cinnamon-scented candles, a warming plate of comfort food — and then there’s the ever-so-comforting sight of a horny eight-legged beast roaming across the carpet like he owns the place.

Do not get me started on spider season.

I have a huge conker tree in my garden and every year I collect those bad boys and stick them in every corner of every room in the hope that I’ll repel these amorous monsters from strolling around my pad like it’s their personal Tinder account.

Last year I bought those stinking spider-repellent balls too. My house smelt like a very bad dog bed for months, then the things disintegrated and made a mess everywhere. I’m not convinced Boris and his mates were remotely bothered.

This year, I’m armed with a spider catcher in practically every room. I cannot continue vacuuming Boris and his extended family because I feel bad, and there is absolutely no way I’m getting close enough to attempt the glass-and-paper strategy.

So, after researching this annual conundrum, I found a few things that might actually be worth trying if, like me, you don’t fancy turning the telly up to drown out the sound as these bad boys thunder across your ceiling.

Why Do So Many Spiders Come Indoors in September?

First, the slightly horrifying explanation.

Those enormous spiders you suddenly notice sprinting across the living-room carpet in late summer and early autumn haven’t necessarily just invaded your house. Some species of house spider live indoors for much of the year, tucked away somewhere you’d rather not think about.

The reason they suddenly become much more noticeable around late summer and autumn is largely mating season. Mature males leave their hiding places and wander around looking for females.

So yes, when one marches across the carpet while you’re watching television, there is every chance he’s essentially out on the pull.

Wonderful.

The good news is that there are sensible ways to make your home less welcoming and reduce the chances of seeing quite so many.

1. Seal the Little Gaps Around Your Home

If there’s a route inside, something small enough will eventually find it.

Check around windows, doors, skirting boards, pipes, vents and anywhere cables enter the house. Small cracks and gaps can be sealed with an appropriate sealant, while worn weather stripping around doors and windows can be replaced.

Pay particular attention to exterior doors. A noticeable gap beneath one is effectively a welcome mat for spiders and the insects they feed on.

You probably won’t make your house spider-proof, but reducing the number of easy entry points is a sensible place to start.

2. Fit Insect Screens to Windows You Regularly Open

September creates a bit of a dilemma. It’s still warm enough to want the windows open, particularly during the day, but that’s also an obvious route into the house.

Fine insect screens allow you to keep some fresh air flowing while creating a physical barrier against spiders, flies, moths and other insects.

And that’s important because keeping insects out can also make your home less interesting to spiders in the first place.

No dinner, no date night, no reason to stay.

3. Reduce the Insects Around Doors and Windows

Spiders go where the food is.

Outdoor lighting can attract flying insects, particularly around doors and windows, and those insects can in turn attract spiders.

You don’t necessarily need to sit in complete darkness from September onwards, but think about where exterior lights are positioned and whether lights are being left on unnecessarily.

Keeping curtains or blinds closed when indoor lights are blazing can also reduce the amount of light spilling outside and attracting insects towards windows.

Essentially, stop accidentally opening an all-you-can-eat buffet beside your back door.

4. Vacuum Webs and Egg Sacs Regularly

This is perhaps the least glamorous item on the list, but regular cleaning helps.

Vacuum webs from corners, ceilings, behind furniture and around window frames. If you spot an egg sac, remove that too.

Spiders particularly like quiet, undisturbed areas, which is why the corner behind the cabinet you haven’t moved since 2019 is considerably more appealing than the middle of your kitchen.

Regularly disturbing and cleaning these areas makes them less suitable places to settle.

Just check what’s actually attached to the web before enthusiastically approaching it with the vacuum cleaner. I speak as someone who doesn’t need that sort of surprise.

5. Declutter the Dark, Quiet Corners

Cardboard boxes, piles of clothes, bags, stacks of magazines and general clutter provide plenty of places for spiders to hide.

This is particularly relevant in garages, lofts, cupboards, utility rooms and sheds, where things can sit undisturbed for months.

Where practical, use sealed plastic storage boxes rather than old cardboard boxes and keep floors and corners reasonably clear.

I’m not suggesting you need to Marie Kondo the entire house because you saw one spider. But if you’ve created a luxury gated community of cardboard boxes underneath the stairs, don’t be surprised if somebody moves in.

6. Keep Vegetation Away From the House

This one made me look slightly suspiciously at my own garden.

Plants, shrubs, climbing plants, log piles and general vegetation immediately beside the house provide shelter for insects and spiders.

You don’t need to turn the perimeter of your house into a barren wasteland, but trimming vegetation away from windows, doors and external walls can help reduce the number of convenient hiding places immediately beside potential entry points.

Firewood is another one to watch. If you have a log burner or open fire, avoid keeping large piles of logs immediately against the house where possible.

And give logs a quick inspection before carrying them indoors.

Preferably from several feet away with somebody braver standing beside you.

7. Try Peppermint — But Don’t Expect Miracles

Peppermint is probably one of the best-known natural spider deterrents, and you’ll find endless homemade recipes online involving peppermint essential oil and water.

There is some research suggesting certain essential oils may deter some spider species, but this isn’t the same as peppermint creating an invisible force field around your home.

If you want to try it, a diluted peppermint solution can be applied around likely entry points such as window frames and doorways, provided the product is suitable for the surface and safe around everyone living in your home, including pets.

Think of it as something worth experimenting with rather than guaranteed spider kryptonite.

At the very least, the house will smell considerably better than mine did after last year’s mysterious dog-bed balls.

8. Don’t Rely on Conkers

This one pains me.

Conkers have long been touted as a natural way of keeping spiders away. Every autumn, people put them on windowsills, beside doors and in the corners of rooms.

I am one of those people.

Unfortunately, there isn’t good evidence that scattering conkers around your house will reliably repel spiders.

Considering I have access to what is essentially an industrial conker-production facility in my back garden, this is extremely disappointing news.

Will I still put a few around the house this year?

Probably.

Am I now aware that Boris may simply be walking past them on his way to meet Sandra behind the television?

Also yes.

9. Make Your Home Less Damp

Some spiders and, importantly, many of the insects they eat thrive in damp environments.

Deal with obvious leaks, ventilate bathrooms and kitchens properly and keep an eye on particularly damp areas such as basements, utility rooms and garages.

A dehumidifier can be useful where excessive moisture is a genuine problem, although there’s little point buying one purely because you saw a spider on Tuesday.

The broader goal is simple: make your home less appealing to the little insects spiders are hoping to eat.

10. Have a Humane Spider Removal Plan

Even after doing absolutely everything on this list, you’re probably still going to encounter the occasional spider.

This is where my new weapon comes in: the long-handled spider catcher.

These devices allow you to pick up a spider from a distance without squashing it and release it elsewhere. For somebody who cannot physically get close enough to deploy the traditional glass-and-piece-of-paper manoeuvre, they’re a revelation.

Keep one somewhere easily accessible rather than buried at the back of a cupboard. Personally, I’ve gone one step further and strategically positioned them around the house like emergency fire extinguishers.

Because when Boris appears at 10.30pm, this is not the moment to discover the spider catcher is upstairs.

Can You Completely Spider-Proof a House?

Probably not.

Spiders can enter through remarkably small spaces, and some of the house spiders we see in autumn may already have been quietly living indoors without bothering anybody.

It’s also worth remembering — through gritted teeth — that spiders are useful. They eat flies, mosquitoes and other insects, and the overwhelming majority of spiders you’re likely to encounter in a UK home aren’t interested in you whatsoever.

I know this.

You know this.

It makes absolutely no difference when one the size of a small spaniel suddenly gallops out from underneath the sofa.

The best approach is therefore not to declare chemical warfare on every eight-legged creature within a five-mile radius, but to make the house less inviting, reduce obvious entry points and have a humane way of dealing with the occasional visitor.

As for my conkers? I suspect I’ll still collect them.

Not because I’m convinced they work anymore, but because after years of doing it, September wouldn’t feel quite right without bowls of them strategically positioned around the house.

And if Boris does decide to come in looking for love this autumn, he’ll find me waiting.

Spider catcher in hand.

From a very safe distance.

Joanne Brook-Smith is a writer and editor with two decades of publishing experience. She launched Crave Magazine during the Covid period to create a fresh, inspiring space for food, travel and lifestyle content.