Before we delve into the connection between using a dehumidifier and getting rid of spiders, it is important to know that the presence of spiders and other insects in your house could be linked to a multitude of interconnected factors.
A dehumidifier can help you get rid of spiders around the house. Spiders like to live in an area with high humidity levels where they have access to food (smaller insects or bugs), warmth, and humidity. Reducing the humidity levels in the home can be an effective way of getting rid of spiders, other insects, and harmful microorganisms like mold that might be in your home.
Understanding the factors contributing to the increased population of spiders and insects in your home is the first step toward getting rid of spiders.
That said, this article will help you understand how and why spiders get in your home, how you can use a dehumidifier to get rid of the spiders, and alternative techniques that you should implement to keep spiders and insects out of your home.
This post addresses the following areas:
- Why do I have spiders in my home?
- Can a dehumidifier help with spiders?
- How to keep spiders out of your home
- How to use a dehumidifier to get rid of spiders
- Other ways of getting rid of spiders
Why Do I Have Spiders in My Home?
Food
Spiders just like other insects are constantly looking for food. While most of the food that they eat is outside, a house provides them with more ‘variety’ in terms of dropped food and other smaller insects.
Warmth
In addition to food, spiders also get into people’s houses because they are looking for warmth. This happens often during rainy and cold seasons. While it might be cold outside, a lived-in house offers insects the perfect combination of a humid and warm environment that they need to flourish.
Combine the right living condition with continuous access to food and you get the right condition for spiders to thrive.
Excess Moisture
High humidity levels attract all kinds of insects and microorganisms. If your home is very humid, it will create the perfect living condition for all mannerisms of insects including spiders.
This is why regulating the humidity levels in your home can keep spiders and other insects at bay.
Windows and Doors
Garden spiders can easily get into your home through any opening. Opening and closing your doors and windows throughout the day offers spiders and other insects a clear entrance to your home.
Aside from open doors and windows, spiders can also enter your home through cracks or crevices on your walls, window panes, doors, and flooring. This happens more often during the cold seasons when the weather condition is cold and wet, and your house offers the perfect warmth.
During cold seasons, spiders can move indoors to search for warmth, food, moisture, and the right place to lay their eggs and reproduce. Considering the size of most garden spiders, they can easily fit in small crevices.
Plants and Firewood
Spiders and other insects can make their way inside your home through plants and or firewood. When moving a plant indoors or buying an indoor plant, a few insects might be in the soil or stuck on the leaves of the plant.
Inspecting the plant carefully will help you avoid moving spiders and other insects inside your home.
Similarly, if you have a vegetable garden outside your home, you might move a spider inside your home after tending to your garden or getting some of the vegetables from the garden.
At times spiders can also make their way into your home when you are getting firewood for your fireplace. Spiders can easily hide in the crevices of chopped wood, which makes it easy for them to find their way into your home.
Can a Dehumidifier Help with Spiders?
Removing Excess Moisture
A dehumidifier can help get rid of spiders and other unwanted insects in your home. The role of a dehumidifier is to remove excess moisture from the room.
By eliminating excess humidity in your home, a dehumidifier will make your home unsuitable for spiders and other insects.
As such, eliminating excess moisture will reduce the likelihood of movement of spiders from the outer humid environment to your home.
Food
The lack of adequate humidity levels for insects suggests that they will not be able to reproduce. If insects or small bugs cannot reproduce and flourish in your house, then you have successfully eliminated the main food source of the spiders in your home.
Similarly, mold and other microorganisms are less likely to thrive in a place with low humidity levels. This would mean that spiders would not have access to nourishment, which will limit their likelihood of camping at your house.
How to Keep Spiders Out of Your Home
| 1. Check the humidity levels in your home |
| 2. Identify the room where you commonly see the spiders and set up the dehumidifier there |
| 3. Keep the house clean |
| 4. Keep the flooring clean and dry |
| 5. Consider using pest killers |
| 6. Keep windows and doors closed when not in use |
| 7. Repair cracks and gaps |
| 8. Fill the space between pipes and walls |
| 9. Use a mesh screen on vents |
How to Use a Dehumidifier to Get Rid of Spiders
Check the humidity levels in your home
Checking the humidity levels in your home will help you determine if a high humidity level is the main factor contributing to the increased population of spiders in your home.
If the humidity levels are relatively high in every room, you can use a portable or whole-house dehumidifier to control the humidity levels.
If the humidity levels are within the recommended lower limit levels (which is around 4o to 45% RH), you will not need to use a dehumidifier in your home as that might lower the humidity levels even further.
Identify the room where you commonly see the spiders and set up the dehumidifier there
Identifying the room where the problem started can help you determine how the spiders got inside your home.
It might be a crack, gap, open vent, or damaged flooring that might have given the spiders a direct route to your home.
Additionally, high humidity levels in a room, such as a basement can also attract spiders and insects. Checking these factors can help you determine where you need to place your dehumidifier or alternative methods that you need to implement to get rid of the spiders.
Other Ways of Getting Rid of Spiders
Keep the house clean
Ensure that you clean your house regularly. A clean house will eliminate any spills or small particles of food that might have fallen on surfaces over time. Cleaning your home regularly can also help you keep spiders away.
Keep Flooring clean and dry
Spills can attract spiders or smaller insects, which might, in turn, attract spiders. To keep the insects out of your home ensure that you keep your flooring clean and that you mop it immediately.
Using Pest Killers
You can also use pest killers to destroy the spiders and any other insects in your home, especially if you find a large population of spiders and other insects in your home.
If you opt to use pest killers, ensure that you store the pest killer away from children or pets afterwards.
You should also remove the dead insects and any residue of the pest killer, especially if you use a powder formulation. This will ensure that any children or pets in your home will not accidentally ingest the pest killer.
Windows and Doors
Ensure that you close your windows and doors every time you are not using them. Alternatively, you could invest in one of those window mesh devices designed to keep insects out of your home while at the time allowing you to enjoy access to fresh air.
You should also ensure that your door and windows close well and that there is no space left between the window or door and the adjacent wall when it is closed.
Ensure that when you close your door or window it creates a tight seal. The space between your door and the adjacent wall should not be large enough for insects to pass.
Cracks and Gaps
Check for any cracks and gaps near your windows and doors, walls, flooring, and basement. If there are any cracks or gaps, you should find the right filling material to fill them up or replace any worn-out surfaces like flooring.
Damaged wood flooring has a higher likelihood of being infested with spiders and other insects because of any spaces that might be present between the wood and the actual floor of the house. If your wooden floor is damaged, consider replacing or repairing the damaged parts.
Piping
The area where pipes enter the house or building can offer a quick passage for spiders to pass, especially if the edges where the pipes and the walls or the foundation of the house meet have not been sealed well.
Check whether there is any space between the pipes and fill the gaps with caulk or any other suitable material that can be used to fill such gaps. This should keep spiders and any other insects out.
Vents
Vents can also be a source of insects. If your vents have not been covered with a mesh screen, consider buying mesh screens for them to keep any unwanted rodents and insects away.
In Summary
Note that while a dehumidifier will eliminate excess humidity from your home and possibly help you get rid of the spiders or at least reduce their population, solving the other issues that might also contribute to the presence of the spiders in your home is also important.
