Effective Ways to Keep Spiders Away From Your Deck or Patio

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Who likes having pests roaming in or around the house?

That’s right, no one.

Not only are they an eyesore, but they can also make their way indoors, and in some cases, they can be dangerous.

Spiders are one of those pests, and they’re among the most challenging to get rid of. They often make themselves at home in just about any nook or cranny on a property, unlike bees for example, who need certain conditions for building a hive.

While it’s generally a lot easier to deal with a spider infestation in your home, it’s more problematic to try and remove spiders on your deck or patio. 

This is mainly because the locations are outside, and the outdoors is typically spiders’ turf. It can be tricky to tell if you simply have wild spiders in your grass or if you have an actual infestation in your deck/patio.

Luckily, there are various ways to effectively keep spiders away from your deck or patio. Using natural spider repellent, applying insecticide, making your deck/patio unfriendly to spiders, or contacting an exterminator can all help you get the job done safely.

How Do You Go About Removing Spiders?

If you’re dealing with anything that resembles a spider infestation, contacting an exterminator who can remove the source of the infestation is crucial. 

They can effectively eliminate the source of the infestation –typically a spider nest– and make sure that any spider eggs left behind are eradicated.

That said, if you’re confident that what’s happening with your deck or patio is not an infestation, you have three main options to consider:

1. All-natural repellents: Usually made from household items that you should have little to no trouble finding.
2. Physical repellents: Require physical space to function properly, such as plug-in repellents
3. Insecticides: Chemicals that work on spiders (even though they’re technically not classified as insects!)

With this information in mind, the first thing you want to do is minimize spider presence as much as possible. This means ensuring that your deck or patio is not an inviting living space for spiders. 

I’ll explain a few different ways you can go about doing this in the next section.

Making Your Deck or Patio Unappealing to Spiders

Whether you don’t want spiders bothering you while you’re spending time outside or you’re trying to prevent spiders from finding their way into your home, making your deck or patio inhospitable to the spiders is the right starting step.

Minimize the Lights

For one, you should turn off most, or better yet, all of the outdoor lights on or near your deck. 

Light is known to attract lots of different insects that spiders prey on, such as mosquitoes and fruit flies. As a result, spiders get attracted to the light and they build webs where their food is, bringing them onto your patio.

Fill in the Cracks

Any nooks or crannies present throughout your deck could be entry points for spiders to slip into your house. 

Make sure that you fill all these crevices and cracks, especially around window and door frames. This is a particularly important measure if you’re trying to reduce or completely eliminate spider numbers indoors.

Prune Plants and Mow Tall Grass

Overhanging plants can be a gateway for spiders onto your deck. Trimming such plants regularly makes for one less hiding spot for the spiders.

The same goes for tall grass close to your patio.

Add Eucalyptus Sprigs

How about adding a bit of style to your deck while also keeping it spider-free?

To do so, try placing eucalyptus sprigs around the perimeter of the house. Focus on spots where you don’t want spiders appearing. 

Most bugs do not appreciate the harsh smell of the eucalyptus tree.

Keep it Clean and Well-Maintained

Cleanliness and maintenance of the deck/patio area are key to controlling spider presence on your property.

Start by cleaning out the gutters of your house regularly. This decreases the incidence of areas around the house where spiders can try and settle down.

This can prevent many different pests from trying to settle inside or near your home, not just spiders, so keep this in mind.

Additionally, keep the deck, porch, or patio clean, clutter-free, and in good working order. Doing this prevents the spiders from building nests in the junk or cracks around your porch or deck.

Going Down the All-Natural Route

While addressing the above aspects of your deck is important, at the end of the day, they won’t be enough on their own to fully solve your spider problem. 

You’ll need extra support by investing in a repellent, be it physical that you place somewhere on your deck, or natural/chemical that you spray or apply across your patio.

This brings us to the question: which type of repellent should you use?

Depending on the pest situation, different repellents can be more effective than others. Let’s begin by talking about natural repellents.

Deciding to get things done in an all-natural manner offers plenty of advantages such as affordability and safety. 

However, it can be a bit of trial and error when trying to find the most effective homemade spider-deterrent/killing solution for your particular problem.

Here are the top all-natural repellents that people typically use against common spiders found invading decks and patios:

Garlic Water

For some folks, garlic water can keep spiders out just fine. Make this by adding about five cloves of garlic to half a liter of water. Shake well before spraying on the patio’s surface. 

Citronella Candles

For other people, however, the strong scent of citronella candles is the best way to discourage spiders from coming back to their property for a long time.

Peppermint Oil

Another concoction you can try is peppermint oil with water. Adding water prevents the essential oil from harming plants and allows it to wash off easily. 

For this mixture, focus your spraying around doors and window sills, rather than around the perimeter of your deck.

Citronella/Lemon Dish Soap

If you are looking for a repellent that you can safely spray on the plants around your deck or patio, consider adding about five drops of citronella to lemon dish soap.

The harsh, citric, and acidic properties of this mix will keep spiders –and probably several other ground-based pests– from trying to make their way up to your deck.

Tea Tree Oil/Neem Oil/Dish Soap

Another solution that could potentially help you consists of five drops of tea tree oil, one ounce of neem oil, two tablespoons of dish soap, and enough warm water to fill up the spray bottle that you are going to use to spread the solution.

Vinegar

The intense odor of vinegar can do a great job of turning spiders away. Mix two parts of water with one part of vinegar and spray all over your deck.

As a bonus, this mixture doubles as a cleaning solution!

Apple Hedges

These contain chemicals potent enough to make spiders avoid their premise. However, handle them with caution as apple hedges can be poisonous to pets and children.

More often than not, all of the all-natural methods above will do a good job of deterring spiders from ever coming back. 

As you work on mixing these repellents, be sure to check which solutions are safe to spray over the entire general area, and which ones should be treated with extra caution.

Luckily, all the treatments I mentioned can be liberally applied at varying levels, so you won’t have to worry about them affecting your health or damaging your property.

Considering an Electronic Repellent

If you’re not in the mood to work in the kitchen to make your own spider repellent, you can just go and buy a specialized electronic repellent.

Since we’re talking about repellents that are electronic, keep in mind that they need to be placed near a power outlet at all times. Otherwise, they may not function properly or at their full capacity.

Due to the availability of many types and models, choosing an electronic repellent can be overwhelming. 

Thankfully, these sorts of devices are straightforward and don’t require much prior knowledge to use the product.

Ultrasonic

An ultrasonic electronic repellent emits sound at a frequency that only the spiders can hear, making it 100% chemical-free. The sound won’t kill the spiders, but it can scare them away.

This type of deterrent is often used in households and areas with a lot of stray animals.

UV Light

This kind of electronic repellent emits UV light that attracts spiders and pests to the device. Once the spiders are close enough, the UV trap zaps them.

Spider-Killing Spray and Insecticides

You might think they’re similar or even synonymous at first, but spider-killing sprays aren’t the same thing as insecticides. 

For one, insecticides are far too in-discriminatory. Instead of affecting only the spiders in the treated area, a powerful insecticide is going to kill just about every living bug there.

As for a “spider-killing spray”, the name is actually slightly misleading. It doesn’t kill spiders through the action of certain chemicals, but it does make it nearly impossible for the spiders to get a good grip on just about anything.

If a spider can’t move or walk forward very well, chances are it’s going to have a very hard time getting onto your property and will probably fail.

Insecticides, as we all know, are poisons made to kill as many common pests as possible. You might not realize it at first, but there are several types of insecticide to choose from, including:

• Dust insecticide
• Powder insecticide
• Liquid insecticide

Each of these types has a specific form and can be applied in different situations, giving you a range of skill, coverage, and potency options.

This brings us to the next section where I explain the different forms of insecticides and their benefits in handling certain situations.

Understanding the Different Insecticides

Dust, powder, and liquid are the three types of insecticides that can help you get rid of spiders on your deck or patio.

Dust Insecticide

As the name suggests, this type of insecticide functions much like dust. It’s extremely lightweight and airy, making it ideal for reaching and blocking the tiny crevices that many spiders enjoy hiding in.

Powder Insecticide

Contrary to what most people think, powder insecticide is different from dust insecticide. 

While they are both fine substances designed to work against pests, powdered insecticides are typically used as a spot treatment. You can also use them as a preventative measure.

If you can see the spiders, then you’re probably able to pour the powder insecticide onto them, facilitating their death.

Of the three main types of insecticides, the powder form tends to offer the most use both indoors and outdoors.

Liquid Insecticide

This sort of insecticide is available in concentrate and ready-to-spray forms. 

Think of a liquid insecticide as a gel-like substance that you can easily spread over your deck or patio. Typically, this type of insecticide is used for barriers around an area.

Whether you decide to sprinkle dust insecticide all over your deck, create a perimeter around the patio with a liquid insecticide, or apply powder insecticide in specific spots, remember that working with insecticides regularly may not be the best practice for your health. 

Always proceed with caution when you are using these methods.

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