7 Ways to Rid Your Garage of Spiders

Your garage most likely is home to some creepy crawlies with a random cobweb lurking in the corner because garages are very attractive to spiders since they’re cluttered, dark and give them a warm home in the winter and a cool space in the summer.

Spiders don’t usually pose much of a threat to humans, but many people don’t like them around.

If you’re not comfortable with having them around your garage, there are a few things you can do to keep them out.

If you want to get rid of every spider lurking in your garage, you need to know what attracts them to the area in the first place and remove it.

Taking away their hiding spots, cleaning out the webs, getting rid of their food supply, using a spider repellent, and more can all help you eliminate this creepy pest. Some methods work better than others, so you may have to try a few before you find the perfect one.

We’re going to break down how to help you figure out why spiders seem to flock to your garage and how you can get rid of them, one method at a time.

In turn, you’ll get a spider-free garage that is ready to enjoy whenever you need or want to go in.

Spider Attractants in Your Garage

Dark, sheltered places and food are the two biggest attractants that will draw hordes of spiders to your garage.

Spiders love any flying insects, and garages are magnets for mosquitoes that spiders will show up to eat.

Spiders also love humidity and warmth, so it’s a good idea to put a dehumidifier in your garage if you have a moisture problem.

They can get in through doors, windows, and small cracks, and there are a few different types that you can find in your garage.

Seven Most Common Spider Types in Garages

There are thousands of different spider species currently, and the ones that typically find their way into your garage are harmless.

However, there are some venomous spiders around that you should keep an eye out for, and we’re going to list a few below for you.

American House Spiders – This type of spider likes to build its webs in your basement or closed spaces like your garage. They are usually a brown color, but there is also a grey coloring with brown spots, and they can get up the size of a smaller coin. Although they’re harmless, they can weave very big and obvious webs.

Brown Recluse – You’ll typically find this type of spider in dark crawl spaces, and they can even creep along with your clothing. They can get into your home or garage through boxes or grocery bags, and they have an oval-shaped body that is grey or brown in color. They can get up to a third of an inch long, and they have a venomous bite that can cause several side effects like fever and rashes. You need to get checked right away if you do get bit.

Hobo Spider – This brownish-tan spider usually has an oblong body, and they like to build webs that resemble funnels. While they’re usually fairly harmless, they do have a bite that can sting.

Jumping Spiders – These spiders look for prey during daylight hours, and they’re gray, several shades of brown, or grey. They also have a bite that can sting a little, and that is non-venomous, but you can have a slight allergic reaction to it. You’ll see an inch-long body with thick hair if you have this spider in your garage.

Long-Bodied Cellar Spiders –Better known as daddy long legs, they have a very small, round body with a brown or grey coloring. They’re not venomous, and they have very long thin legs.

Sac Spiders – This spider is around an inch and a half long and yellow-beige. They have eight eyes and don’t usually weave webs. They don’t have a venomous bite, but they can cause allergic reactions or swelling if you get bit.

Wolf Spider – This is the most common spider in your garage, and they have an inch-long body with a black or brown coloring. They have hairy-looking legs but are generally harmless, except you can have a mild allergic reaction to their bite.

Seven Ways to Keep Spiders Out of Your Garage

There are several things you can do to keep spiders out of your garage, and they range from simple tasks to more powerful chemical solutions. You can cycle through the following tips and tricks to see which one works the best for your situation.

1. Remove the Food Sources

The biggest thing you can do to get rid of spiders is to get rid of their food source. Since spiders feed on bugs, you want to eliminate the food supply to try and convince them to move on.

Get an insecticide and spray it on the ground along the floor both inside and outside of your garage.

Keep any food you bring into the garage in an airtight container, and take steps to clean up any accidental spills right away.

You can also bring in an exterminator to treat the garage to get rid of the bugs, and it’ll also knock out your spider problem at the same time.

2. Clean up the Garage

Once you’ve started moving the food sources out of the garage, do a deep clean of the entire structure.

Cleaning can help get rid of dirt, nests, grime, and hidden spaces where the spiders love to hide.

Sweep the floors, pick up any piles of debris, wash out any grime or spilled food, and dry up any moisture you find.

Move any stored firewood outside and consider removing everything from the garage at the start of the process, cleaning it, reboxing it, and then moving it back in when you finish cleaning.

3. Cut the Clutter

Garages are notorious for clutter, and you want to organize the area before cleaning out any miscellaneous clutter.

This is the perfect opportunity to sort through items and get rid of anything that is broken, useless, or that you don’t use anymore.

It’s a good idea to invest in a dedicated garage organizational system to make this an ongoing process because the spiders will start to creep back into your space as the clutter starts to pile back up.

4. Recycle Your Cardboard

The key to getting spiders out is to remove any places for them to build webs or hide that are cool and dark.

Having piles of unused cardboard lying around is very attractive to spiders or other pests, so you want to make a point to recycle unused boxes.

Remove your items from cardboard storage containers and put them in garage storage bins with tight lids or in cupboards that seal. Discard any of the leftover cardboard.

5. Check and Seal Windows and Doors

You want to make sure that there aren’t a huge amount of spaces for spiders to slip through and make their way into your garage.

Make sure your doors close all of the ways and form a seal with the ground, and the windows should have intact weather stripping going all the way around.

The windows should also get fitted with screens, and you want to practice keeping the doors and windows closed as much as you can to make it harder for insects to slip inside.

6. Look for Cracks and Seal Them

Take a quick look around your garage’s foundation and along the walls for any gaps, holes, or cracks.

You can easily fix a lot of these areas with a tube of caulk, but more extensive damage may require you to bring a contractor in for professional help.

7. Use Spider Repellent

It could be time to use chemical spider repellents if you’ve tried everything else and you still have spiders in your garage.

You can buy insecticides, especially for spiders, and you want to follow the directions carefully when you spray them while keeping an eye on your pets and kids.

Spray the repellent along walls, floors, doors, windows, or anywhere in the garage where you’ve seen spiders.

You can also utilize essential oils like lavender, peppermint, or tea tree mixed with water and sprayed along these key areas.

Bottom Line

There are several steps you can take to clear the spiders out of your garage, so you’re not constantly looking for them when you’re inside.

We’ve outlined seven things you can try featuring some natural and chemical options. Try them and see which ones work best for your situation.