Nothing embodies the term creepy-crawly more than spiders. They have long legs, scary faces, come in various shapes and sizes, and can easily move into your home if you’re not careful. Also, besides being unpleasant-looking for most people, there’s the risk of them being poisonous, although it’s rare in house spiders. You definitely don’t want them anywhere near your bed. Unfortunately, if you don’t take precautionary measures, you might wake up one night to one on your face. As such, learning how to keep spiders away while sleeping will keep you from having to deal with the horror of such a scenario.
Spiders don’t actually make plans to move into your bedroom or any other part of your house. However, if the conditions are right, they just might your bedroom their bedroom as well. Often the conditions being right means an abundance of food, drink, and spots to build their nests. These conditions may be provided by your bedroom in the following ways:
Garbage in your bedroom provides a few of the necessary conditions for spiders to thrive. For one, spiders prefer darkness, and leaving trash strewn about in your bedroom will give them multiple dark spots to build their webs. Also, according to Everything Reptiles Trusted Source What Do Spiders Eat? Feeding House, Wild & Pet Spiders - Everything Reptiles House spiders, like jumping and wolf spiders, normally eat crickets, cockroaches, flies, gnats, earwigs, mosquitos, fleas, moths, ants, and mayflies. They are fantastic pest control. www.everythingreptiles.com , house spiders typically eat cockroaches, gnats, flies, moths, ants, and other insects.
Some of these insects also prefer dark spaces, and if there are enough micro-organisms, they may also find their sustenance in the garbage. As such, depending on the type of garbage and how long it’s been undisturbed, there may be multiple insects living there, therefore, providing an abundance of snacks for the house spider.
Despite the inability to swim, most house spiders also prefer places with stagnant water. As such, if you leave a leak unattended in your bedroom or spill water and don’t bother to wipe it off, some house spiders may be tempted to live in your bedroom with you.
One major reason for this is the food aspect. Mosquitoes tend to lay their eggs in water, and if there are multiple mosquitoes in your bedroom, it can only mean an abundance of food for your eight-legged roommates. Also, according to Science ABC Trusted Source Spider Diet: What Do Spiders Eat? The diet of spiders depends on its type. Web-building spiders like to feed on insects such as flies, moths, mosquitoes, etc. www.scienceabc.com , spiders may not need to drink water as often as you do, but they still get dehydrated over time and have to replenish their bodies.
Of course, other insects also need to drink water from time to time. Consequently, if you have pools of stagnant water in your house, you’re providing both food and drinks to the spiders.
Eating food in bed is highly discouraged since you tend to leave crumbs on your bedding. You know what likes leftover food? Insects like ants, cockroaches, and flies. Consequently, if you make it a point to snack in bed, you’re inadvertently attracting these bugs to your bed. Of course, all the spider has to do after that is sit on the bed, wait for these bugs to come in search of food, and pick them off one by one.
Consequently, if the conditions are that favorable, the spiders may not want to build their webs that far away from your bed either. Notably, this doesn’t just apply to your bed. Even if you make it a habit to snack at the desk in your bedroom, the number of insects and, consequently, spiders there will grow over time.
Generally, house spiders prefer to live somewhere they won’t be disturbed. As such, it’s hard to find their nests in a high-traffic area in your bedroom. However, with storage boxes, especially those underneath the bed and atop the wardrobe, most people will forget they’re even there until they need what’s inside.
As such, multiple spiders can build their webs there and only come out when they need food and moisture.
Piles of old newspapers are not all that different from storage boxes. Once they’re folded and stacked up for storage, the only disturbances they’ll get are when other newspapers are added to the pile. They might even be put in your storage boxes and forgotten there. Consequently, finding a spider or two in the folds or under the stack is not uncommon.
While indoor plants are great for aesthetics, they also attract insects due to the high humidity brought about by consistent watering. The minimal air circulation around the plants may also be a contributing factor. Once these insects have established a home around the plant, the spiders will likely come knocking as well.
Now that you’re aware of what will keep spiders coming into your bedroom, here’s an overview of what you can do to keep them away.
Deep cleaning your room is the first step to a spider-free bedroom. This should give you an overview as to the extent of the spider infestation. It might also reveal what other insects you’re sharing the room with.
Start with the bed. There are multiple dark spots there that may also be humid, although you may not see them every day as you spread the bed. It might even be necessary to remove the bedding and the mattress, so you can have a clearer view of what you’re working with.
Also, you have to clean even the hard-to-reach and see areas such as the joints that connect the legs and side rails. For your wardrobe and drawers, it might be necessary to remove all the clothes there so you can eliminate any cobwebs hidden there. Of course, if you can eliminate the spiders’ resting places, they’re less likely to come back since, as we mentioned before, they prefer areas with minimal disturbances.
Notably, the deep clean shouldn’t stop at the bedroom. You have to clean the other rooms and spaces in the house, such as the attic, living room, and kitchen, since they might harbor spider infestations as well. With a large spider population, some might still end up in your bedroom as they’re trying to avoid competition for food and resources.
The deep clean session should also allow you to look at the storage boxes and newspaper stacks. If it’s too big a hassle or you don’t have the time, some companies can help you clean up, although the overall cost may be higher.
Lastly, a deep clean can even help eliminate spider eggs if the bugs are actively breeding in your room.
According to the Guardian Trusted Source Spiders don't have ears - but they can still hear you coming | Animal behaviour | The Guardian Some find spiders and their hairy legs terrifying. But research has shown those hairs are so sensitive they can detect human speech from several metres away www.theguardian.com , despite having no ears, spiders have an acute sense of hearing that’s much better than a human’s. This can be used against them by purchasing and installing electronic pest repellants.
These devices continuously emit short-wavelength, but high frequency sounds that you may not hear but will be agitating and annoying to the spiders. It’s like having speakers constantly blasting in your ears. Consequently, the spiders will avoid the areas where they can hear the sound. Depending on the room size, you can buy multiple electronic pest repellants to ensure complete coverage.
Users and reviewers share the opinion that the Amish Iron Ultrasonic Pest Repeller is one of the most reliable purchases for kicking spiders out of your bedroom. Buyers get a pack of six gadgets that they can then distribute in their bedroom accordingly.
As a side benefit, it’s effective against cockroaches, rats, fleas, and generally most other pests you might find in the vicinity. It’s also harmless to children and most pets, although you should ascertain this with the particular brand of pest repellant you’re looking at before bringing it home.
Just because you cleaned the storage boxes and vacuumed the stack of newspapers in your bedroom doesn’t mean you should leave them there. Ask yourself, what purpose do they serve? In fact, you should ask yourself this question about every single thing in the bedroom. You’ll be surprised at how many pointless things you own, from the clothes you no longer wear to outdated gadgets or books that you’ll never read again.
Naturally, if you can’t find a use for these materials, it’s time to get rid of them. Stuff them in a box and donate them to other people who might need them. If they’re not donate-worthy, you might have to throw them in the trash. Notably, your drawers, the area under your bed, and the hard-to-reach areas on the furniture in your room should be as clutter-free as possible.
Eliminating clutter reduces the number of hiding spots for both spiders and other pests. Also, it will make it much easier to see things that might attract the bugs back into the room. For instance, it’s much easier to see leaks and pools of water if there’s not much clutter blocking your line of sight.
While we already mentioned this, we feel it’s important to emphasize that it’s not a good idea to snack in bed. Crumbs are bound to find themselves on your bedding if you do, and suddenly you have more creepy crawlies in addition to spiders to worry about. Anything with sugar will attract ants, and just like with spiders, you don’t want them on your face.
Cockroaches are also attracted to sugar, and following close behind will be the house spiders. As such, it’s best to keep your meals in the dining area, which is much easier to clean even if crumbs fall on the table.
Another preventive measure is sealing off the holes. It may seem like your bedroom is completely sealed from the outside world, but this is far from true. All you need as proof is the dust that accumulates in the areas that hardly see any traffic. It has to come into the room through a space in the construction, right? Fortunately for spiders, they’re petite enough to squeeze through small crevices and cracks in your windows, walls, and even through the vents.
While you can’t do anything about the vents since you need to breathe fresh air, the same cannot be said of the cracks and crevices. There are crack sealers for concrete, wood fillers, and more that you can use to completely close off that tiny space between your window and your wall or between your wardrobe and the wall.
This will keep the spiders outside from coming into the room. It might also be beneficial in limiting the places that spiders can hide if they get into the room. That said, it’s impossible to cover all holes, and you should look to deep clean some that remain, e.g., your keyholes and the spaces between the door and frame, as often as possible.
Unsanitary conditions in your bed could also attract insects. Unfortunately, your sheets could be among the most unsanitary things in your bedroom. This is because you sweat and shed dead skin cells on them, not to mention the dirt and debris you bring from other sources into your bed every night. These materials will eventually pile up and form breeding grounds for some insect or other.
Also, if you don’t change the sheets and bedding regularly, there isn’t enough traffic on your bed to discourage the bugs from making their home there. As such, you should change and clean your sheets and other beddings as often as possible. The short answer for how often you should wash your sheets is weekly. That said, there may be other variables to consider. Additionally, the frequency with which you wash duvets, bed covers, and pillowcases that you’ll need to clean regularly differs.
Lastly, you may want to wash your sheets in essential oils. One of these oils is peppermint oil, and as you’ll see below, it can be quite an effective deterrent. Other examples include lavender, cinnamon, tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, and rose.
While electronic pest repellants are great and effective, you can also choose to go the organic route with pest control materials you can get from nature. According to Healthline, there isn’t any evidence as to how peppermint oil repels spiders. However, they actively avoid walking where there’s peppermint oil, and it may have something to do with most of their sensory organs for taste and smell being on their feet.
The best aspects of using peppermint oil include the refreshing odor, and it’s derived from natural materials it’s safe for both humans and pets. According to users, the Mighty Mint Peppermint Oil is a great way to get rid of spiders in problem areas such as under your bed or in corners. While most peppermint oils require dilution, this option comes ready to spray, and you can use it liberally once or twice a week.
Vinegar is another safe alternative to consider spraying into problem areas. Similar to peppermint oil, vinegar contains acetic acid, which may overwhelm the spider’s senses; hence they tend to avoid it. As such, even if some cracks and crevices are impossible to seal, using vinegar regularly will keep the spiders from walking through them.
While not exactly harmful, it might be uncomfortable to smell for you, your pets, and children as well. As such, you might want to avoid spraying it in your bedroom if you intend on sitting there for a few hours. However, if you spray it in the morning on your way out, it will have done its job by the time you come back, and the smell will be significantly less pungent.
Also, it’s necessary to dilute with water for every spray session.
Increasing your bed height could go a long way in reducing dark spots and potential habitats for spiders. It should also make it a lot easier to clean and see under the bed. Consequently, as soon as a spider infestation starts to come up, you’ll be in a great position to see it and nip it in the bud.
Bed risers are a great option and could raise the platform on the frame as much as eight inches from its previous position. That said, the optimal bed height is not something you decide on a whim. There are various factors to consider, including your age, comfort, the décor in the room, and more.
Depending on the current setup, you could even reposition your bed because it may be unintentionally creating hiding spots for the spiders. For instance, if your bed frame comes with a headboard and you’ve set it up to close to the wall, you may be surprised by the number of spider webs and creepy crawlies behind it when you finally pull it forward. Of course, if you find them, you first deep clean the area, then move the bed, so they have nowhere to hide and breed.
Citrus candles can serve two functions. One is to refresh your senses since they smell so good, and two is to provide an unconducive environment for spiders to thrive. Not only will you feel more relaxed burning these candles in your room, but after some time, you’ll realize that spiders will excuse themselves permanently as well.
Using bug spray could also be a countermeasure you fall back on if you want immediate results. Just spraying it on the webs will have the spiders dropping dead in your bedroom. However, most chemical bug sprays smell awful, and it may be challenging to stay in the room. Also, these chemicals are not the safest to breathe in for humans or pets. Consequently, you’ll need a mask, protective gear, and a thorough clean-up job after the spray has fulfilled its mandate.
If the infestation proves too challenging for you to handle or you’d rather leave the details to someone else, call an exterminator. They’ll get rid of your spiders for you leaving you with a few months of a pest and spider-free bedroom. That said, the maintenance of this status quo will be up to you.
With the above guide on how to keep spiders away while sleeping, you should be able to sleep much better knowing your room is creepy crawler-free. Just remember that most of these steps are not one-time solutions. You need to apply them repeatedly and diligently if you’re going to permanently keep the spiders out of your room.
