How To Keep Spiders Out of Basement

Spiders are one kind of pest that love to stay in dark places, making basements a perfect spot for them.

While they can help us deal with flying bugs like mosquitoes, their infestation is a major problem too.

If you want to keep them at bay from your basement, stealthily read through this guide to learn some powerful strategies.

The rest of the guide will discuss 11 ways to keep spiders away from basements. We will walk you through the circumstances under which they are best applied and some safety measures you must ensure.

11 Ways To Keep Spiders off Your Basement

Like many bugs, spiders enjoy staying in dark spots like attics and basements.

Basements, especially those unkempt, are home to many bugs. Because insects form a major part of a spider’s diet, you will always find them spinning their web in corners around the basement ceiling soffit.

Below, we consider 11 strategies to keep these invertebrate animals at bay:

1. Vacuum the Basement Thoroughly

The very first thing to do to keep spiders out of your basement is to clean it properly. Spiders cannot survive in a clean environment as there will no longer be a hiding space for them.

Take things off that wouldn’t be used for the next month. Keep them securely in a box to avoid littering the basement.

Then, vacuum the environment with a cleaner to remove insects that spiders can feed on. Once there are no more food sources, they will willingly migrate to another place to meet their needs.

After that, you can rearrange the basement neatly without staking anything carelessly.

2. Get Peppermint Oil

A mixture of peppermint oil and water effectively keeps spiders at bay. If you apply it correctly, it can help keep spiders away from your basement.

Although peppermint fragrance is harmless to humans, it is overwhelming for insects, including spiders.

Fill a 16-ounce bottle with water and add 5 drops of peppermint oil. Now, add some dish soap to the mixture and shake thoroughly.

With the peppermint spray ready, spray the solution on strategic points in your basement. Your focus should be on corners where spiders love to spin their webs.

Apply the spray for one week. If there is not much improvement, continue spraying daily for another week.

By the end of the second week, you can expect the invading spiders to have moved away from your basement.

3. Spray a Commercial Pest Repellant

Commercial pest repellants are also very good for removing insects from your basements.

However, they may harm your health when you use them in large quantities.

You can get pest-repellant sprays from local hardware stores.

To apply, follow the instructions on the can.

4. Declutter Every Box of Paper

Spiders breed well in dark, moist, and unclean places.

A stack of newspapers, unused books, and cardboard can absorb moisture when left for too long. Remove every unused book from the basement to ensure those piles don’t breed spiders.

If there are paper boxes in the basement, it will help if you clean them regularly. If possible, relocate the paper boxes to another location in the house.

5. Take Off Any Stack of Wood in the Basement

Wood is known to breed spiders, especially when stacked in one place. If you have a stack of wood in your basement, it is time to remove it. Spiders will keep spinning their webs as long as the stack is there.

To keep spiders at bay from your basement, you can consider replacing your basement furniture with those made of cedar wood. Spiders tend to dislike the fragrance that comes from cedar wood.

Suppose this is way beyond your spider-deterring budget. You can spread cedar mulch around your basement instead.

6. Try Out Vinegar

Vinegar is another effective spider-repellent you can add to your spider-deterring arsenal. While it is not harmful to humans, spiders cannot stand its smell.

Pour some water into a spray bottle and add a few drops of vinegar. Shake vigorously and spray the mix in the basement.

For the best result, spray the mix in corners where you have noticed spider activities and other places they are likely to hide.

7. Spray Lemon Oil

Spiders cannot withstand the fragrance of citrus, so any citrus-like fragrance or substance can be a repellent against spiders.

Using lemon oil to keep spiders out of your basement is pretty straightforward.

Get your lemon oil and add about 1 ml to half a liter of water in a spray bottle. Make sure to shake the bottle thoroughly and spray it in the strategic corners of the basement.

Also, spray at every window, entrance, and other areas around the basement where you may have seen spiders earlier.

8. Use Orange Zest

Like lemon, orange is also a citrus fruit, which makes it a great repellent for spider infestations.

Orange zest, orange peels, or orange flesh, whichever way you choose to call it, will work if you apply it correctly.

Below is a step-by-step for you to follow:

• Get fresh oranges from a farm or fruit store
• Peel off a large quantity of the yellow, orange, or green zest and set aside
• Add boiling water to a container
• Add your orange zest to the boiling water container and leave it to soak
• Leave the mixture overnight to ferment accordingly
• In the morning, remove the zest from the water. By now, the mixture should be cold
• Now transfer the fermented water into a spray container and spray around your basement, including every entrance

9. Use Natural Cooking Spices

Several cooking spices like turmeric and onions do more than make your dishes savory. They can also help you keep spiders at bay from your basement. So, bring out these natural spices from your shelf and follow the guide below:

Pour some turmeric powder into a bowl and add water to make a paste.

Then, put the turmeric paste in cotton balls and place them in spider-infested areas.

Ensure the balls are away from fabric materials. In a case of an accidental stain, turmeric stains hardly wash off.

To use onions, slice three large onions and soak them in a water bowl. You can leave it to ferment for five hours. Afterward, sprinkle the water in places where the spiders hide.

Immediately spiders perceive the smell. They will come out of hiding and leave for another place.

10. Fill Up Every Crack

No matter how little, insects can crawl in through wall cracks. So, don’t just apply repellants to scare them away. Look out for their possible entry points.

It is possible that the spiders invading your basement crept in through some cracks in the wall. Then, they started reproducing, and now they have a colony.

Once you identify the openings, seal them properly with caulking or other sealants.

11. Use Spider-Repellent Plants

There are several spider-repellant plants you can grow in your environment. These include lavender, lemonade grass, eucalyptus, and onions.

If you don’t have a garden, you can grow the plant in pots and leave them around your basement often.

Conclusion

One major way to keep spiders at bay is to clean your environment.

In addition to regular cleaning, other spider-deterring strategies you can deploy include applying chemical-based spider sprays, sealing cracks in the wall, and growing spider-repellent plants like lavender and eucalyptus.

Go through the options provided above carefully and deploy those that best suit the spider infestation in your basement.

Where necessary, remember to adhere to basic safety measures.