Spiders invade your home in search of food, water, and warmth, which they can easily find in your home. To keep a check on their fresh infestation and also to get rid of the existing infestation, there are multiple options, including bleach, which homeowners consider, but they are confused regarding its effectiveness. Spiders dislike strong smells, but that doesn’t mean they will stop coming back deterring them forever. Bleach can be a temporary solution, but the long-lasting solution could be a clutter-free home with less number of insects on which spiders survive, sealed cracks and crevices, and many more.
Do Spiders Hate the Smell of Bleach?
Spiders dislike the smell of bleach, but there’s no scientifically proven evidence that bleach is a spider deterrent. Due to the pungent smell of bleach, spiders may stay away from your home, but not permanently- only until the smell persists. Bleach is often used to kill spiders by spraying a mixture of bleach and water directly on them. Bleach, being a chemical, is usually not recommended because it may cause skin and eye irritation and can damage the respiratory system as well.
Does the Smell of Bleach Keep Spiders Away?
The smell of bleach can keep spiders away temporarily until the odor fades away, after which they can revisit your home. The best way to deter spiders is to use pest control or work on the root cause of the infestation, like sealing cracks or gaps, cleaning webs regularly, maintaining cleanliness, and controlling insects.
Will Spraying Bleach Around the House Repel Spiders?
No, there’s no proven fact that bleach will help repel spiders permanently. As spiders hate strong smells, they may avoid the area for some time, but once the smell fades away, they may re-enter. In fact, bleach releases harmful fumes, so it’s not recommended, to avoid health hazards for humans as well as pets. The other issue with using bleach is that it damages the surfaces where it is used. In a nutshell, I can say “it does more harm than good”.
Does Bleach Kill Spiders or Just Repel Them?
When a mixture of bleach and water is directly sprayed on the spiders, they die after some time because the solution breaks down their cellular structure. However, the mixture cannot effectively repel them because as soon as the pungent smell of bleach fades away, spiders will revisit the area.
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Link to the existing Does Bleach Kill Spiders? Article.
What Actually Helps Keep Spiders Away?
Working on the primary cause of a problem helps prevent the recurrence of the problem permanently. Here are some of the best ways to keep spiders away from your home.
Seal Cracks and Gaps- A natural yet effective way to keep them at bay is to seal the cracks and gaps around the doors and windows. Once sealed, go outside and check if any gaps are left.
Install/Repair Screens- A damaged screen gives easy access to spiders in your home. Hence, get it repaired as soon as you notice. In case there’s no screen installed on the doors and windows, install it.
Reduce Insects Around Lights- removing the food source of spiders can easily keep them away. Spiders invade homes looking for insects to feed on, so removing the insects can leave no access to food for spiders, hence preventing their infestation.
Remove Webs- De-webbing is another option to deter spiders that make webs within your home to catch their prey. The best way to encourage them to build their web outside is to vacuum the point where the wall meets the ceiling and the floor, as it’s dark, making it ideal for spiders to hide.
Reduce Outdoor Clutter Near the House- Clutter is one of the primary reasons for the existence of spiders within your home. Therefore, maintain a clean and tidy home, remove all unnecessary items, and store food items in a fully covered box. A messy corner in the house is where spiders reside. A clutter-free home leaves no room for them.
Address Moisture Where Relevant- Leaks or moisture build-up also attract spiders to your home; hence, address all such problems to deter spiders.
Natural Scents People Use to Deter Spiders
There are natural scents spiders dislike, and as a result, they don’t form webs around those areas. Here is the list of the scents:
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Peppermint- Though there’s no clarity on the reason why spiders hate the smell of peppermint, they keep their distance from areas treated with the oil. It is also believed that peppermint oil contains chemical compounds (monoterpenoids), which act as fumigants.
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Lavender- It is an option to passively deter spiders. Lavender scents keep insects, moths, and ants away, which are a primary source of food for spiders. Once a food source is disrupted, spiders either die due to food shortage or look for another location.
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Vinegar- Spray a mixture of vinegar and water (taken equally) around the baseboards, heavily infested areas, or around the cracks and crevices, which serve as an entry point for them.
Final Verdict
Whether spiders hate the smell of bleach or not has not been scientifically proven. However, spiders don’t like strong smells, and bleach and a few essential oils have a pungent smell, so spiders leave the areas treated with bleach or oil.
