Are there too many spiders in your car? Are you wondering how to get rid of spiders in your car?
Do you need an effective way to get rid of them?
In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know.
How To Get Rid of Spiders In Car
To get rid of spiders in your car, you should spray the car with a mixture of citrus oil or peppermint oil and water. Spiders don’t like the smell of citrus and peppermint; thus, the mixture will force them to leave.
After applying the above I recommend to take steps to preventing the spiders from coming back which I will cover below.
How Do Spiders Get In Your Car?
Spiders can get in your car through the side mirrors and cracks in your hood. When it’s cold outside, they look for warm places to hide, and your car seems like a good choice. They may also enter through the bonnet.
Spiders love to stay in warm and damp places, and such places might be difficult to find in the bush where they belong during winter or rainy periods. They set out and begin the search for a warm, dry place. They often stay in areas occupied with debris. Thus, if you park your car in such a place, they might crawl up and find their way into the car.
They hide in any suitable place with cracks or opened space in your car. Such places usually include the tiny opening by the side of the bonnet and the opening behind your side mirror.
If they continue to leave in those parts of the car undisturbed, they might eventually crawl into the car whenever they find the opportunity to do so, perhaps when the car is open for quite a long period.
Once in the car, spiders might head into the air duct, choosing it as a new home, and they might crawl out and walk on your dash. Your car will become more attractive to spiders if twigs and leaves are stuck under the bonnet and wheel arches.
How to Prevent Spiders from Entering Your Car
You can prevent spiders from entering your car by keeping the car clean, getting rid of any cracks and other openings in the car, and using natural scents. You should also avoid leaving your car idling.
You’re driving, and there’s a guest with you. Suddenly, you see this tiny creature crawling out of your a/c duct and walking up to your dashboard. That could be irritating and could make you look untidy before your guest.
However, you can avoid such unwelcomed circumstances by preventing the arthropod from entering your car. The following tips can help in this regard:
- Clean their hiding space
- Keep your car clean
- Fix any opening
- Avoid leaving your car idling
- Use surface spray
- Use natural scents
1. Clean Their Hiding Space
Some parts of the vehicle are often omitted when cleaning the car, for instance, behind the side mirror.
People pay less attention to this part while cleaning up the car, yet, it is a potential hiding space for a spider. Get your hose and flush out the dirt and debris behind the side mirror.
Adjust the mirror back and forth so the water can get to every corner. Under the bonnet and wheel, arches are potential hiding spaces, too; you should clean them out as well.
2. Keep Your Car Clean
A dirty car with debris and cobwebs often attracts spiders into your car. Therefore, to prevent spiders from entering your car, you have to make it look less attractive by getting rid of the debris, leaves, and twigs stuck to the bonnet, side mirrors, and other vehicle parts.
3. Fix Any Opening
Spiders can take advantage of any opening they find to get access to your car. Thus, you should look out for openings like cracks and fix them.
Keep your window up all the time without giving any room for a spider to get in. You should also check if there’s a gap in your door trim and fix it.
4. Avoid Leaving Your Car Idle
When your vehicle remains in a spot like a garage for too long, there’s a higher chance of spiders finding their way into it. Scientists have found that vibrating objects like your engine can attract spiders. Therefore, you should avoid leaving your car unmoved in a spot for long.
5. Use Surface Spray
If the situation demands that you leave your car in the garage for a while, you should resort to surface spray. This is especially important if the garage or parking space has a lot of spiders in it.
Spray the possible hidden space, such as under the wheel arches and behind the side mirror. You should also spray the back and front seats.
6. Use Natural Scents
Spiders don’t like certain smells, such as lavender and peppermint. Thus, you should get a peppermint oil, dip a cotton bud into it, and run it around the inside of your side mirror. That will irritate the spiders away from the mirror, which is their favorite hiding space.
How Long Can Spiders Live in a Car?
Spiders can live up to three years in your car as long as they find food and water to survive. If there is no food and water, they can still survive ten to twelve months.
Like many arachnids, spiders have a slow metabolism. Therefore, even if they can’t find insects or food droppings to feed on or moisture for their water needs while in your car, they can continue to survive for the next year.
This could be the case if you park your car in a dry environment for long.
On the other hand, spiders have a lifespan of one to three years, provided they have access to enough food and water.
Therefore, since this arachnid prefers to hide in places like behind the side mirror and can always crawl out to hunt, there’s a high chance of them getting food and water while living in your car. Thus, they may remain there for up to three years if left undisturbed.
It is also noteworthy that if you don’t get rid of the spiders on time, they can multiply, spawning more spiders in your car.
They can survive up to -5 degrees Fahrenheit; therefore, even though you put on your car A/C, the spider will still survive. They can also withstand a high temperature up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Hence, once the arachnid infests your car, you shouldn’t waste time to get rid of them, or they can remain and multiply there for years.
How Do You Kill Spiders in Your Car?
You can kill spiders in your car using either mechanical or chemical methods. The former requires catching and crushing the arachnid, while the latter requires using chemicals like chlorine oxide car odor eliminator.
There are a couple of ways to kill the spiders in your car, some of which include:
- Use Spider Traps
- Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
- Use Chlorine Oxide Car Odor Eliminators
1. Use Spider Traps
This is an ideal way to catch and kill big spiders like a brown recluse, black widow, and hobo spiders that infest your car. The traps are sticky, and they lure the spider out of their hidden space. Once they step on the trap, they get stuck and can remain there till they die.
You can keep the trap in your vehicle and leave it idle for a while. When you check back, you’ll find a couple of spiders stuck to it and perhaps dead.
2. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is an excellent method of killing spiders. Therefore, you should sprinkle it in every corner of your vehicle. It is a poisonous substance that gets into the spider’s body and dehydrates them. Since they need the water to survive, they die once dehydrated.
After sprinkling diatomaceous earth, you should close your car door for up to an hour. When you return to open the car, you’ll find a lot of dead spiders. However, some might be dead in their hideouts; therefore, you should vacuum clean the car to remove their remnants.
Note that food-grade diatomaceous earth is safer for your pet and yourself; therefore, it is a better option.
3. Use Chlorine Oxide Car Odor Eliminators
Many refer to this compound as a chlorine bomb for spiders. This is because it spreads gas across, getting to the spiders wherever they are and killing them. Although it is majorly used as an odor eliminator, it is also efficient in killing spiders.
Get the powder and mix with an ounce of water. Keep the cup of water in your car for about an hour. Ensure that the doors are properly locked, and the windows are up so that the gas doesn’t escape.
Park the car in the garage and ensure it is away from sunlight which could neutralize the poison. After a while, go back and open the car, and you’ll find the spiders all dead.
How Do I Keep Spider Webs Off My Car?
You can keep spider webs off your car by eliminating or preventing spiders from accessing your car. Therefore, a suitable way to do this is to use peppermint oil, vacuum clean your car, and fix any openings.
Although you could get rid of spider webs in your car by wiping them off, that is only a temporary solution. When you wipe off the webs, the spiders will make more webs, and you’ll keep wiping all the time, which might be tiring.
There are two ways to keep spider webs permanently off your car:
- Prevent Spiders from entering your car
- If a spider has already infested your car, you should eliminate them and prevent further infestation.
The effective methods to carry out these two approaches have been earlier discussed.
How Do I Get Rid of Spiders In My Car Mirror?
You can get rid of spiders in your car mirror by rubbing peppermint oil in the space behind the mirror. You can also spray a mixture of vanilla extract and white vinegar in the mirror. Rubbing Lemon pills on the mirror is effective as well.
When you find spiders in your car mirror, the first thing you should do is to knock down the webs and wipe off the area using an all-purpose cleaner.
Now, you can apply any suitable insect spray of your choice. Some sprays like peppermint oil and water mixture will only irritate the arachnid out of its hidden space.
If you opt for that, you have to stay back, catch, and crush it while it walks out. If not, it may find its way into your car interior. On the other hand, you can spray some insect poisons like chlorine oxide car odor eliminators or sprinkle diatomaceous earth to kill the arachnid.
What Is The Best Spider Repellent I Can Use In A Car?
Peppermint oil is a highly effective spider repellent that you can use. Spiders are irritated by its smell, forcing them to stay away, and if they’ve already infested the area, it forces them to leave.
You can prepare a solution of 20 ml water and five drops of peppermint oil. You may also add a few drops of dish-washing detergent to make the solution more lethal. Now, spritz the solution around your vehicle.
Other effective spider repellents you can use include lavender and eucalyptus. You can prepare a solution of this repellent similar to how you prepared that of the peppermint oil. Their principle is similar as well as they all irritate the arachnid to stay away from your car.
Can I Bug Bomb My Car For Spiders?
The active ingredients used in some bug bombs are only effective on bugs and some other ants, but not on spiders. It rarely penetrates spiders’ hidden spaces; therefore, a bug bomb isn’t the best option to remove spiders from your car.
Although the name sounds promising, as if the substance can eliminate all the pests in the house, however, that is not the case. The active ingredient in this substance is made for bugs and some other insects; it doesn’t significantly impact eliminating arachnids.
Therefore, if spiders infest your car, you should rather opt for suitable spider poisons to kill the spider or use spider repellent to lure them out of their hidden spaces after which you can remove them using physical method.
Chlorine Bomb for Car Spiders
Have you ever considered using a chlorine bomb to get rid of the spiders in your car? Most car dealerships will be able to use chlorine bombs to remove odors from a car.
The added bonus is that a chlorine bomb is also able to kill spiders too. This is a powerful scent that will suffocate spiders located in enclosed spaces much like your vehicle.
Chlorine is powerful enough to eliminate any spider infestations within a car . Once you open your car doors, you are going to catch a strong odor of a freshly cleaned swimming pool.
How to Get Rid of Spiders in Car Naturally
Natural solutions to getting rid of spiders in your car involve using certain oils, soaps or household products. The following list contains some items that you may be able to find in your home to get rid of the spiders that are in your car:
- Eucalyptus Oil
- Peppermint oil
- Lavender oil
- Lemon spray
- Vinegar
- Baking soda
- Dish soap
DIY techniques involved combining all or some of the items listed above into spray bottles with water in order to gently mist locations all around your vehicle without harsh chemicals.
Spiders are going to hate these smells and they will do what they can to get away from the area. Your aim is not to kill the spiders, but to repel them with these natural or household ingredients.
Conclusion
We hope your spider problem goes way with the tips provided in this article. There’s no room in your car for these unwanted passengers today or any other day.
Thanks for visiting ThePestManagement.com for the best information to help you to make the pest control process easy, safe & affordable.