Nobody wants spiders in their bathroom — to wash their face and feel something crawling on them while they have their eyes closed. Your bathroom should be a safe space for you to carry out your ablutions, but spiders, through no fault of their own, can intrude into your bathroom. This is not only an annoyance but in some rare cases, can put you you at risk of spider bites. Here are some ways to get rid of spiders in the bathroom.
Bathroom spiders fast facts
- You have spiders in the bathroom because it has food, water, and shelter. Pests invade human homes because of three reasons — food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, your bathroom has a lot of these. Your bathroom obviously has a lot of water and moisture. It also has a lot of nooks and crannies where spiders can hide, mate, and nest. Spiders are hunters. They feed on insects. And insects are inherently common in bathrooms because of the availability of water and shelter opportunities. Some insects such as cockroaches also feed on organic matter, like hair and soap residue. These insects then become the food items for spiders.
- Spiders get into your bathroom through cracks, holes, and other passageways. Spiders are small creatures. The common house spider is just about a quarter of an inch small. This means that these creepy crawlers can get into your bathroom through the smallest passageways, such as cracks in your walls, gaps between your doors and windows, and holes in your pipes. If you want to stop spiders from getting inside your bathroom, seal these potential passageways.
- Certain spider species like your bathroom more than others. Different spiders have different characteristics and habits. For instance, some spiders prefer dry areas. Black widows and brown recluses come to mind. But there are also others that prefer moist areas, such as cellar spiders. The habits of some spiders, like how the common house spider feeds exclusively on insects, make them more likely to be found in bathrooms. You may see common house spiders in your bathroom as they search for insects that are attracted to the moisture in that part of your home.
How to get rid of spiders in the bathroom
1. Clean your bathroom regularly
If you don’t clean your bathroom regularly, it will have a lot of dust, hair, and residue from shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. Spiders are not necessarily attracted to your bathroom because of these. They are attracted to the other pests that are attracted by these organic materials. Ants, cockroaches, fleas, and mosquitoes are all part of the spider diet. And these are the very pests that you attract if you have a dirty bathroom.
There is also a need to “disturb” cabinets, dark corners, and often overlooked areas like that space behind your toilet. They can be great hiding and nesting spots for a variety of pests, not just spiders.
2. Get rid of other bathroom pests
You may have an active pest infestation in your bathroom. The pest population may be attracting new spiders and sustaining spiders that are already there. Get rid of these pests to take away the food source of the spiders in your bathroom.
Usually, cleaning your bathroom regularly and closing passageways such as cracks and holes are enough to get rid of bathroom pests. But if these methods are not enough, consider hiring pest control professionals or using commercial pest control products like insecticides.
3. Seal all potential passageways
As small creatures, spiders can get in and out of your bathroom through cracks, gaps, and holes. You will often find cracks in walls, gaps between doors and windows, and holes in plumbing. Seal them with caulks, sealants, or other appropriate materials. You can get help from someone more knowledgeable in construction and plumbing if you think the task is beyond you.
4. Use commercial spider control products
Most commercial spider control products come in the form of bug bombs, foggers, and liquid solutions. They have toxic ingredients like carbaryl and pyrethrin that attack the nervous system of spiders.
But these ingredients are toxic to you and your family too. They may put your household members in danger if you don’t use the pesticides as instructed. If you want to get rid of the spiders in the bathroom on your own with commercial products, make sure to read the instructions and follow them without fail.
5. Try DIY methods
Commercial pest control products are very effective in killing off spiders. But they can be dangerous because of their toxic ingredients. Natural products are generally less dangerous, but they are also generally less effective. Many of them can’t even kill spiders, just repel them.
- Use scents that spiders hate. Spiders hate certain smells because of their obnoxious odor, such as cayenne pepper, garlic, and vinegar. You can mix these with water to create a solution you can spray around your bathroom.
- Try spider-repelling plants. Basil, eucalyptus, citronella, lavender, marigold, mint, and rosemary are known to repel spiders. You can put them in your bathroom to help drive away the pests. You can even use their essential oil versions, such as peppermint oil, as they are just as effective.
6. Get rid of the spiders in your bathroom manually
If you are only dealing with a handful of spiders and not a full-blown spider infestation in your bathroom, manual methods may be enough. In these methods, you won’t even kill the spiders. You will simply bring them out of your bathroom.
- Use a broom and a dustpan. Simply use a broom and sweep the spiders into a dustpan. And then release the spiders outside. You may even let the spiders thrive outside of your home, especially if you have a garden. They may help kill off garden pests.
- Learn the cup and paper method. In this method, you will contain the spiders by putting a cup, glass, or jar over them. And then you will slide a sheet of paper inside, so the spiders can’t get out when you turn it over. This method is particularly effective if the spiders are on a horizontal surface.
Get rid of bathroom spiders ASAP
You don’t want spiders in your bathroom. Most of them are venomous. They can make unsightly spider webs and trigger arachnophobia. Get rid of spiders in the bathroom by taking away the things that attract them there in the first place — food, water, and shelter.
If you want to actively get rid of them, try commercial spider control products, DIY products like peppermint oil sprays, and manual methods like using a broom and a dustpan.