Spiders are a common pest that can quickly make your outdoor living space uncomfortable.
Whether you’re looking for ways how to keep spiders off your patio furniture or searching for tips on how to remove webs, there are several steps you can take to ensure spiders stay away from your home and yard.
This article covers some of the best methods for keeping spiders off patio furniture and out of your outdoor living area.
Make Your Patio Unappealing to Spiders
The first step to understanding how to keep spiders off patio furniture is to do your best to keep them from setting up shop on your patio in the first place.
Here are steps to make your patio unappealing and inhospitable to spiders.
1. Clean your patio often - This includes taking down any spiderwebs and disposing of spider egg sacs. Clean up anything spiders could use as a hiding place, like old children’s toys, wagons, tricycles, empty flowerpots, or buckets. If there is anything you want or need to keep out on your patio, put it in a sealable bin to keep spiders out.
2. Do not store piles of wood, rocks, or other construction materials on our near your patio - These make excellent spider homes and encourage spiders to hang out on your patio.
3. Keep your patio lights off - Spiders might not be attracted to light, but the insects they eat sure are. Spiders will often build webs near porch lights to catch themselves some dinner. If there isn’t spider food on your patio, they’ll find somewhere else to eat.
4. Prune your plants - To keep spiders from hiding in your plants and stumbling onto your patio, keep them cut back and off the edge of your patio. Check your plants every few weeks for maintenance.
5. Keep your grass short - Tall grass near your patio can attract spiders, so mow regularly.
6. Seal cracks and gaps on your patio and home - This will help keep spiders from burrowing into crevices in your patio structure and keep them from making their way into your house.
Keep your patio swept or washed clean regularly to avoid the trouble of a hectic clear out of the spiders after they massively increase.
Clean Your Patio Furniture
Spiders are small and really good at hiding. One of the best ways to keep spiders off your patio furniture is by regularly washing and cleaning it. Here are some tips:
* Vacuum and brush hard-to-see, hard-to-reach areas on your furniture, like undersides, corners, and support bars. Spider webs and egg sacs encourage spiders, so clean often to maintain your spider-free zone.
* Remove cushions to reach the areas underneath and between them. You can sometimes give cushions a little shake before sitting down, just in case. This can shake off any spiders in the cushion and avoid instances of them sitting on your lap.
* Use removable, washable cushion covers. Being able to machine wash your cushion covers will ensure that you’re cleaning any debris, insects, spiders, or spider traces you didn’t see in the corners or layers of fabric.
It is important to ensure that the patio has no hidden cabinets that are left with dirt as they can easily act as hiding places for the spiders.
Homemade Sprays and Repellents
Once you’ve cleaned your patio and your patio furniture, you can try spraying a natural homemade repellent in the cracks and corners of your patio and patio furniture to discourage spiders from invading your space.
Essential Oils
Spiders and other pests aren’t fans of strong, sharp, or harsh smells.
Fill a spray bottle with water, add around 20 drops of essential oil, and spray in areas where spiders might hide or places, like under a patio sofa, where you want to ensure they don’t hide.
Peppermint, chestnut, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, and citrus are the most effective essential oils to deter spiders.
However, peppermint and citrus oils can be poisonous to cats, so be careful what you use if you have pets.
In fact, it’s a good idea to check with a vet before spraying anything if you’re worried about how it could affect your pets or neighborhood pets that may wander onto your patio.
White Vinegar
If you don’t have any essential oils around the house, you probably have some white vinegar in your pantry or under the sink.
Fill a spray bottle with a solution of half water and half white vinegar and spray around the patio and patio furniture.
Spiders are sensitive to the acetic acid in vinegar, but vinegar is not toxic to pets or children so you can use it without worry.
Commercial Sprays and Repellents
Keeping your patio and patio furniture clean and free of spider webs and egg sacs and then spraying natural deterrents is a good start.
But what if you don’t have vinegar or essential oils?
What if those things haven’t worked? What if you’ve noticed dangerous spiders in or around your patio and don’t want to take any chances?
Here are some commercial sprays and repellents that can help you in this course:
Citronella Candles
You may have often used citronella candles for mosquito-free nights on the patio, but did you know that the smell of citronella is also unpleasant for spiders?
These candles work on the same concept as the essential oils, basically making your patio smell terrible to spiders.
However, spiders also hate the smell of smoke, so lighting and blowing out any type of candle will also work.
Electronic Spider Repellent
Most electronic insect repellents are meant to be used indoors, but some can be used outdoors, especially if you have a covered patio.
These repellents send out ultrasonic waves to keep spiders away.
The great thing is that they work for all types of insects, and as I mentioned earlier, if there isn’t anything for a spider to eat on your patio, they’ll find somewhere else to be.
Commercial Sprays
You have several choices when it comes to commercial sprays.
Some sprays are natural and are store-bought versions of the water and essential oil blend you can make at home. These are best for deterring spiders.
You’ll need a more potent insecticide to kill and repel spiders.
Only use harsher chemicals as a last resort or take care of infestations of dangerous spiders like brown recluses or black widows.
Also, ensure you know what you’re getting and if spraying around pets and children is safe. Read the spray package carefully for warnings and instructions.
One of the benefits of buying commercial sprays is that they usually come in either aerosol cans or bottles with hoses and attachments that make it easier to reach hard to get to places than a regular spray bottle you may have at home.
Final Thoughts on Keeping Spiders Off Your Patio Furniture
Keeping spiders out of your house is one thing, but keeping them off your patio furniture is another battle.
They get more comfortable as they set up a cozy living environment in your furniture from the usual life outside.
That’s why understanding how to keep spiders off patio furniture using effective measures is crucial.
You can ensure you’re keeping a clean patio and using spider deterrents when necessary.
If the spiders become excessive, it is important to call a professional who can use more stringent measures to minimize their spread.
Contact a professional today to help you choose the ideal measures to use when dealing with spiders on your patio.
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