10 Cleaning Habits That Are Inviting Spiders Into Your Home

Everyone has certain expectations when they start cleaning: to eliminate the mess and the clutter, eliminate bad odors (if any), make the house look a little bit more organized and orderly and make sure there are no pests lurking around.

Surprisingly, some of your cleaning habits might do the exact opposite and instead of keeping creepy crawlies at bay, you might end up opening the door for them to lurk around and multiply. According to pest control experts, spiders are among the most common insects to find ways to set up their nets, even if your place is squeaky clean.

Want to know what you’re doing to invite these eight-legged pests into your home? Read on to find out!

Not washing fruit immediately

You might not want to eat the fruit as soon as you buy them but it’s crucial that you wash them thoroughly before putting them in the fruit basket. Why the hurry, you ask? Well, Jordan Foster, a pest expert with Fantastic Pest Control, fruits (particularly grapes) are a beacon for flies and spiders “so spiders are more likely to weave a web between and around them”.

If you don’t want to have the surprise of finding some arachnids among your fruits, give them a good rinse as soon as possible.

You might also want to learn more about these 10 Cleaning Mistakes That Make Your Home Dirtier!

Leaving pet food out

Yes, pet food is also a welcoming environment for spiders and other types of bugs for that matter. The best way to prevent these little-legged pests from invading your pet’s food is to store it in airtight containers. More than that, it’s important to clean and sanitize the food bowls as frequently as possible. You wouldn’t want to eat from a dirty plate, would you? Well, your pet thinks the same thing.

See also: These Are the 9 Dirtiest Things in Your Kitchen!

Allowing other insects to multiply

If your pantry is home to flies, ants or roaches roaming around the house like they belong there forever, then you’ve probably got spiders hiding somewhere inside your house as well.

You know what they say, the spider and the fly cannot make a deal.

“One of the most common things that attract spiders to your home is having other insects in your home,” warns cleaning and organizing expert Stefan Bucur, founder of Rhythm of the Home. That’s because spiders feed on such insects, so their allowing their existence is most likely an invitation for spiders to an open buffet.

What might work to make spiders go away? Making the other insects disappear first.

Not using lids for trash cans

Having a lidless trash can might be associated with having spiders around your house. That’s because spiders like to eat other insects that live on waste and leftovers in the trash can. According to entomologist and pest control expert Ryan Smith, owner of Ant and Garden Organic Pest Control, if you want to say goodbye to ants, flies, roaches and, of course, spiders, make sure you keep your rubbish contained properly.

More precisely, but a lid on it!

Read also: Household Leaks: 7 Shocking Things That May Give You Problems

Not cleaning your gutters

If you’re the lucky “winner” of a spider infestation, the gutters might be the culprit you’re looking for. Yes, that’s right! Most people neglect their gutters when cleaning their houses, but these can be filled with leaves, tree branches and sediment. It’s not exactly a welcoming environment for spiders but it’s their means of access inside your house.

Leaving laundry unattended

Folding laundry may not be the most interesting thing to do but it’s necessary, especially if you leave your laundry lying around for ages. Besides the fact that there’s no laundry fairy coming to pick them up for you, they can also become a good hiding place for spiders.

According to associate certified entomologist Fred Willey, owner and president of Invader Pest Management, spiders like to sit tightly between the folds of clothes and come out, every once in a while, in search of food. Used laundry left on the floor is even more attractive to them, so, to prevent your clothes from becoming an arachnid kingdom, keep them in closed hampers.

Keeping overgrown indoor plants

Yes, your plants might make your place aesthetically appealing but there’s nothing appealing about spiders and spider webs. These eight-legged pests use indoor plants as a great place for hiding, so, if your plants have become the habitat of spiders, it’s time you start trimming.

It is also recommended to avoid having plants near the house foundation, as spiders can make their way inside your home carelessly through window gaps and cracks in the masonry.

Not getting rid of clutter

Clutter can make people feel stressed and overwhelmed by creating a sense of chaos and unrest. Clutter is not only bad from a psychological point of view, but it can also have other negative effects. Like harboring arachnids.

“The biggest thing anyone can do to prevent spiders in their home is to tidy up regularly, either by dusting down knick-knacks or clearing out your clutter,” advises Megan Cavanaugh of Done Right Pest Solutions. Spiders are experts at hiding behind all sorts of things so to eliminate them is to eliminate the clutter in your home first.

Leaving the lights on when it’s dark

We’ve all seen how flies or mosquitos flock around a bulb. That’s because nocturnal insects are attracted to lights, which confuse their navigational systems, making them crash into the light source. If you keep a light on in the evening, be sure that some flying insects will come to it and, consequently, some spiders are lurking in the dark to catch those insects.

One thing you should remember is that whatever you do that attracts insects, it also means that you are inviting spiders to dinner. Therefore, keeping lights on when it’s dark is not really the smartest choice. Unless you do want to catch them all in action. However, experts suggest sticking to repellent spray to get rid of everything flying or crawling.

Leaving water in the sink overnight

If you didn’t have time to wash the dishes, at least don’t let them in the sink, filled with water for too long, because guess what? This is an open invitation for spiders, as they are big fans of water. When roaming freely in nature, arachnids usually use their webs to catch water but they also drink water from all sorts of sources such as droplets on plants.

So, why would they bother searching for water in the wild when they could live happily satiated by drinking water from your dirty dishes? Speaking of which, Can’t Get Crystal Clear Dishes out of the Dishwasher? This Is Why!