House sidings are a usual spot for spiders to live and breed. This usually results in a spider invasion even if it is just one spider. So, knowing how to clean spider webs from house siding is of utmost importance.
If you have arachnophobia, taking care of spiders and their web might be a tough thing for you. So, if you can, get someone to assist you. That said, let’s see what needs to be done.
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How to Clean Spider Webs From House Siding
To clean spider webs from house siding, do the following:
1. Sweep away low-lying spider webs with a broom.
2. Spray a continous flow of water from a garden hose to get rid of spider webs that are far out of your reach.
3. Pressure-wash the entire house to effectively remove the cobwebs and improve the appearance of the house siding.
4. Clean the windows, shutters and eaves to remove remaining spider webs.
If the spider is still in its web, clean the house sidings carefully so that it will not fall on you. While sweeping, consider working in a circular motion so that the web wraps around the broom and doesn’t just hang down. This makes it easy to clear things out.
To get the webs out of the broom, brush it across the ground. If the spider webs cannot be reached with a broom, using a vacuum cleaner would do the trick.
You can also use the extension hose of your regular vacuum cleaner for this cleaning. A lot of vacuum cleaners now come with a crevice tool that can be used to remove the spider webs.
Alternatively, if you’ve noticed spider webs on the ceiling of your house siding and the ceiling is a speckled ceiling, it would be terribly difficult to get the webs out with a suction tool or a sweeper. In this case, use a tape, preferably a duct tape.
You cannot place duct tape all over your ceiling, so you’ll need to wrap the duct tape around something that can get to your ceiling. Make sure the sticky side is facing upward.
Then take the tape wrapped instrument across your ceiling to remove the webs there. You might need to take more than one swipe to completely remove all the spider webs.
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Video: How to Remove Spiderwebs
This video shows an alternative spider web removal method.
How Do You Keep Spider Webs From Coming Back?
To keep spider webs from coming back, do the following:
1. Use an insecticide to spray around the house after removing the spider webs.
2. Trim all shrubbery and grass around your house.
3. Remove all debris, bricks or wood piles near the house.
4. Mix water and peppermint oil in a spray bottle. Spray the peppermint solution in areas where spiders may breed.
5. Seal cracks in/around doors, windows, and foundation.
6. Mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar solution in areas where spiders may breed.
7. Always clean in and around your house to avoid buildup of clutter.
While taking care of existing webs is a good idea, it is better to prevent its occurrence in the first place. Some liquid insecticides are effective to repel spiders. They contain ingredients such as diazinon, chlorpyrifos, and pyrethroids.
Alternatively, use electronic repellents to prevent or keep spider webs from coming back. This is a better option if you or anyone in your home is asthmatic, has any kind of respiratory problem or you just do not like the sprays. Better still, use essential oils.
How to Clean Spider Webs From House Siding — Related FAQs
What Home Remedy Gets Rid Of Spiders?
Here are home remedies to get rid of spiders:
- Baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda around spider webs in your home. Spiders cannot withstand the smell of baking soda.
- Vinegar. Mix one part vinegar and one part water in a 50:50 ratio. Spray the vinegar solution on spiders and around spider webs. The acetic acid nature of vinegar makes it very volatile to spiders.
- Turmeric. Mix water and powdered turmeric to form turmeric paste. Turmeric kills insects such as flies and ants that are a source of food for spiders. So, eradication of these insects starves spiders.
- Essential oils. Spray natural scented essential oils such as rose oil, peppermint oil, or eucalyptus on spiders and their webs. Essential oils kill spiders and prevent them from coming back. It also makes your home smell nice.
- Yeast paste. Mix water and yeast to form a yeast paste. Then leave the yeast paste in areas where spiders breed. Yeast emits a characteristic smell that spiders can not stand.
- Table salt. Add two tablespoons of table salt to one cup of water. Shake the salt mixture until the salt completely dissolves. Pour the salt mixture into a spray bottle and spray on flowers, bushes, and other areas around your house. You can do this weekly until the spiders and their webs are gone. Do not spray salt on plants or surfaces that are sensitive to salt.
- Plants. Plants such as lemon verbena, lemongrass, lavender, eucalyptus, mint, lemon balm, and so on are natural spider repellants. Grow these plants around your home and use them as a form of defense against spiders.
- Diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle a fine layer of Diatomaceous earth in areas where spiders breed in your home. Diatomaceous earth gradually dehydrates (not kill) spiders and other insects because of their poisonous nature. Diatomaceous earth is a soft sedimentary rock that easily crumbles into powder or fine particles.
- Nuts. Nuts like walnuts, horse chestnuts, and chestnuts keep away spiders. Place nuts around your house to get rid of spiders.
Will Bleach Dissolve Spider Webs?
Bleach will dissolve spider webs. You can use bleach to dissolve spider webs by following these steps:
- Mix 3 parts water and 1 part bleach in a spray bottle and shake it vigorously.
- Spray a small amount of the bleach mixture on the spider web directly.
- Wait for few minutes to see how well the spider web reacts to the bleach solution.
- Spray more bleach solution onto the spider web if the solution does not dissolve.
- Sweep out dead spiders and throw them away.
- Spray the mixture on webs, nest, and areas where spiders breed weekly to serve as a repellent.
Bleach acts as a fungicide and pesticide. It can kill bacterial cells. Bleach also whiten white fabrics, neutralizes anthrax, and can discolor colored items. This is caused by its acidic nature. As a result of these properties, bleach can kill insects including spiders. You must be careful when using it to kill spiders as it is harmful to humans and any surfaces it is sprayed on.
What Attracts Spiders In Your House?
Spiders are attracted to basic needs which include water, shelter, and food. Spiders can get into your house through windows, doors, air vents, cracks, unfilled holes, and other openings. Also, spiders are attracted to an untidy environment where flies, bugs, and other insects are breeding.
Examples of objects where spiders can breed in the house are plumbing lines, plants, pipes, cables, firewood, storage boxes, and so on. To keep off spiders in your home, make sure you reduce the spots where spiders can get inside your house. Seal openings, spray insecticides and keep your house tidy.
How Do You Pressure Wash Your House Siding?
Follow these steps to pressure wash your house siding:
- Close all doors, windows, light fixtures, electrical components, and cover all potential hazards. Water and cover plants near your work area. This will keep the plants from absorbing detergent solution that may be harmful.
- Pressure wash the walls from bottom-up spraying the detergent solution at high pressure.
- Flush the pressure washer and rinse the walls with clean water from top-down.
Pressure washers consist of an electric or gas motor that is connected to a high-pressure pump. This pump draws out water from a water reservoir under pressure that exceeds 2000 pounds per sq meter through a hose that is tipped with a nozzle and metal wand.
When you pressure wash your house siding, you must do so in sections making sure that water streams move from side to side. It is a safe and effective way to remove spider webs at your house siding or exteriors of your house.
Why Do You Have So Many Spider Webs Outside Your House?
The following are reasons why there are so many spider webs outside your house:
- Spiders are in constant search of food. So, they eat anything they are able to catch in their sticky nest or webs.
- The presence of flies, bugs, or any other insect or pest attracts spiders. They spin their web to catch these pests.
- The buildup of spider webs over time.
- Spider hatchlings season.
- Large spider population in your area.
- Bug breeding season.
- Spider nest near your garden or house.
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