Are you troubled by spiders roaming freely around your home?
If your answer is “yes,” you’re not alone. Spiders are some of the most feared creatures in the world.
Even if you don’t fear spiders, keeping them away from your pets and children is a good idea.
In this article, you’ll learn how to kill spiders, even if the thought of common household spiders makes you squirm.
Let’s get started.
How to instantly kill a spider?
If you despise the sight of venomous spiders and want to kill them instantly or from a distance, there are a few quick and easy ways to do it. However, be aware that most spiders are harmless to humans and keep the tiny insects and fly population in control.
If there are no poisonous spiders, it’s best to catch and release them outside the home. But if you have children or pets around or have arachnophobia, this may not be the option, and you may have to eliminate it immediately. Here are some ways to instantly kill a spider.
#1. Use insecticide
The insecticide is the best way to get rid of spiders. If you see them crawling around the corner, spray it on their body.
Choose an insecticide containing pyrethrin (Amazon link), a chemical derived from the chrysanthemum flower. When sprayed, it irritates the spider’s delicate exoskeleton and blocks its pores that suffocate and kill.
To further deter the spiders from entering your home, you can spray insecticide in high spider activity areas, such as dark corners and near doorways.
#2. Vacuum the spider
Vacuuming the spider is the best way to eliminate them from a distance. Vacuuming effectively removes spiders, eggs, and webs, which will help reduce the population of spiders in your home.
If you see a spider on the floor, quickly vacuum it before it has a chance to get away. Vacuuming also helps remove them from the corners or behind furniture. Empty the vacuum cleaner in a dustbin afterward to ensure all the spiders are gone.
#3. Use natural spider killer
If you don’t like synthetic insecticides, you can use a natural insecticide repellent made of essential oils to deter and eliminate spiders. Spraying it directly over the spider overwhelms them and kills them instantly.
Another way to kill spiders naturally is to use Diatomaceous earth powder. As they walk through it, it cuts the spider’s skin and sucks up moisture from their body, killing them instantly. You can also mix vinegar and essential oil and spray them on the spider to kill them quickly.
#4. Squish the spider
Squishing the spider through a foot or some object is the quickest and most humane way to eliminate the spider.
If you don’t want to use your feet, you can use a stick and attach tape at the end to press on the spider and twist it a little to kill it instantly.
#5. Pour Boiling water on the spider
When it’s possible, pouring boiling water on a spider will kill them instantly. This method is effective if you find spider eggs or their colony growing around your home.
If you’re wary of getting near the spider to kill it physically, you can pour boiling water from a distance.
It may not be enough to kill off the entire spider colony, but it can take care of a few spiders around the home.
#6. Place bug zapper inside the home
If you don’t want to run after every spider in your home, you can use an indoor bug zapper. These devices use electromagnetic radiation to attract spiders and other insects.
A high-voltage current flows through the wires inside; whenever a spider touches the bug zapper, it dies immediately. You can safely dispose of the dead spider in the trash.
#7. Use a Glue Trap
Glue trap are one of the most effective ways to catch and eliminate spiders. There are two types of glue traps: baited and non-baited. You can choose either depending on how many spiders you want to catch and kill.
These traps are specifically designed to attract spiders and other insects. Once spiders get stuck to it, the glue dries up and kills them within few hours. I find Terro Spider Traps (Amazon link) to be highly effective.
Some common spider species and ways to kill them instantly
Here are some practical ways to eliminate dangerous spiders, such as cellar spiders, cobweb spiders, brown spiders, jumping spiders, and other most common household spiders.
Kill a Brown recluse spider
Dark brown recluse spiders are nocturnal and reclusive. They have a uniformly brown body color and can grow up to a quarter to half inches long.
They have six eyes at the top of their head, arranged in pairs with a marking on the back. You can often find it in clutter and moist, dark areas. Spraying them directly with Diatomaceous earth will kill them instantly and control any severe spider infestation.
Kill a Wolf spider
Wolf spiders usually grow up to 3 cm to 4 cm long. They have mixed colors of brown, orange, and gray all over their body. This makes them easy to camouflage and hide in the corner without getting noticed.
They’re hairy all over their body, with eight eyes at their head. This helps them see their prey in most directions and protects them from other predators.
Spraying insecticides such as Ortho Home defense helps kill and prevent wolf spiders from getting inside the home. Alternatively, you can use natural spider repellent insecticides like borax powder, peppermint oil, or cedar oil to kill wolf spiders.
Kill a Black widow spider
Black widow spiders are easily recognizable due to their distinctive hourglass marking under their abdomen.
Male black widow spiders have a white mark with red spots under their belly, while female black widows have a grayish-brown color marking.
Interestingly, they change their color as they grow older, beginning with orange and brown at the initial age and turning black when fully matured.
To remove and kill a black widow’s spider from home, sweep them off the floor using a vacuum cleaner. You can seal the content in a durable plastic bag and leave it outdoor in heat to suffocate and kill them.
You can spray spider repellents around your home to prevent them from returning.
Kill a Joro spider
Joro spiders are well known for their impressive size, allowing them to consume larger creatures. Female Joro spider legs have a blue and yellow pattern, and their abdomen has unusual jagged rings.
Male Joro spiders have no markings and are brown-colored. Joro spiders are poisonous but not dangerous to humans. You can set up traps to catch and kill them, but it may require constant monitoring of your spider traps to catch them.
You can use spider spray or insecticide products to kill Joro spiders as a quick solution. If you want a homemade solution, mix soap and vinegar and fill it in a spray bottle. The strong acetic acid in vinegar burns spider skin on contact.
Ensure you follow the product’s directions carefully and keep pets and children away during the application.
Kill a Hobo spider
Hobo spiders have long legs with a brown torso with yellowish markings. They can grow up to 1 to 2 inches long and have over 200 spider species that look like the hobo spider.
Although they’re venomous, their spider bite isn’t dangerous to humans. The pain goes away within a day if you get bitten by a hobo spider.
Catching them with spider traps and spraying them with an insecticide is the best way to kill them immediately. You have to spray it a few times to kill a hobo spider.
Kill a Yellow sac spider
Yellow sac spiders are likely to be found outdoors under leaf piles, wood piles, or indoors in a basement. They form silky webs to catch their prey and often come out in the dark.
These nighttime hunters search for prey and won’t wait to capture small insects within a web. They won’t hesitate to bite when they feel threatened. You should remove any spider web to discourage it from staying indoors permanently.
You can kill the yellow sac spider by using a pest control bomb. It lets you cover larger areas and works by releasing a fine mist that spreads and kills any nearby yellow sac spider.
How to kill spider in a car?
If you find a spider crawling inside a car, you can use a strong smell of essential oil to deter spiders from getting inside the vehicle. You can make a blend of peppermint essential oil, rosemary, eucalyptus oil, or citrus and fill it in a spray bottle with water.
Fill up the mix in a spray bottle and spray it inside the car and around the air vents. If you’re not going to use your vehicle for a while, fumigation is another effective way to eliminate spiders and other insects inside.
How to kill spider eggs?
You can use a vacuum cleaner to remove spider egg sacks, seal the bag, and dispose of them safely in the trash. Several pesticide products in the market are specially formulated to kill spider eggs.
You can select oil-based insecticides that will break down the web and kill spiders on contact. You shouldn’t squish the eggs before you get rid of them. This will shock the growing baby spiders inside and may make them run away.
Instead, you should vacuum or sweep them in a box and dispose of them safely. You should subsequently wash the area with hot water and soap to ensure that there aren’t any leftover spiders hiding around your house for future hatchlings to spawn.
Conclusion
In conclusion, taking steps to keep dangerous spiders out of your home is the best way to avoid battling them and constantly check the insect population.
Cleaning up the exterior of your home and removing any potential spider egg sacs are the best way to start. You can also use spider repellent to keep them at bay.