Cars are an everyday accessory for many individuals to obtain freedom and mobility. However, insects and spiders sometimes venture into our car interiors. If you have a phobia, there’s nothing worse than opening your glove compartment to find spiders hiding and happily making it home to lay eggs.
Spiders hide anywhere, and cars are no different, so it helps you know the best ways to deal with them. One of the best ways has to be repelling spiders and other creepy crawlers from entering your car, to begin with. However, once they are in there, you need another way to deal with spiders quickly.
In our guide, you can learn about how to tackle a car spider infestation. By the end, if you don’t want to know how to kill spiders in a car, you’ll know enough about how to repel spiders and other bugs from inside your vehicle, or at least repel spiders, so your car ends up spider free. (Read Is It Bad To Sit In A Running Car)
How To Get Rid of Spiders in Your Car
Why do spiders come inside? Usually for weather protection or as a food source.
To get rid of spiders in your car, prevent their entry. Spider-proofing your car’s interior is easy and can make driving more enjoyable.
Yet, this may not be in the mind of the spiders; car access can be easy as there are so many entrances besides trying to squeeze past rubber seals around your door.
Here’s some of the best ways how to deal with spiders:
1. Don’t Park Car in Vulnerable Areas
If you must park on spider-friendly surfaces, you’ll have a tougher time keeping spiders out. All arachnids, including Black Widow spiders, prefer dirt, grass, and vegetation that sticks under your wheel arches.
Cockroaches also like these locations. First, park in spider-free zones. Concrete driveways can help protect your car from spiders and vermin.
2. Maintain a Clean Vehicle
Spiders thrive in places with food and hiding spots. If you don’t keep your car clean, it presents both these conditions and makes it more likely that you’ll encounter a spider while driving.
Food attracts flies, which attract spiders that hide under car rubbish and food droppings and scraps on your car’s floor. A car free of debris helps keep flies and spiders away.
3. Make A Spider Repellent Surface Spray
Spiders try to avoid certain smells, and luckily, many of which are appealing to humans, thus make great air fresheners and safe spider repellents. For instance, natural spider repellents include vinegar, eucalyptus, and peppermint oil.
In addition, cedar will also keep spiders away and make your car smell fantastic. (Learn How To Fix A Car Sun Visor)
Spider Repellent Spray
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 10 drops of essential oils (peppermint or eucalyptus)
- 3 or 4 small pieces of cedar
- 5 pieces of lemon peel
- Spray bottle
Directions
- Combine all of the components for your homemade spider repellent in a spray bottle
- Let it sit for a few days so the liquid can soak up the odors of the lemon and cedar.
- Spray the inside of your automobile, then let it air dry.
- Redo once a week, and spiders won’t enjoy the smell.
- If there are any spiders in the automobile, you can quickly get rid of them by spraying the essential oil spray directly onto them.
How to Kill Spiders in Cars
Your spider-repelling tactics may not always work, and spider removal options range from non-lethal to lethal.
Here, we look at removing spiders from your car.
Besides killing, you can remove spiders without harming them to get on the road quickly.
1. Hand Catch Spiders
Most spiders are scared by humans, and it’s good to remove these critters without killing them if possible.
It is possible to catch most spiders quickly and get them out of your car safely without too much trouble.
Methods for Spider Removal
- A glass cup or jar
- Paper towel
- A piece of stiff paper or cardboard
- Gloves
Directions
- Put on the gloves
- Carefully approach the spider you want to get rid of.
- Place the jar or glass over the spider
- Slide the cardboard under the glass and spider
- Keep it in place until you can dump the spider outside your car.
Another alternative is to use a vacuum. You can use these to get rid of spiders, and spider webs from hard-to-reach areas in your car’s interior, air vents, and side view mirrors, among others.
2. Make Sticky Traps
Use a lethal spider management method to deal with a spider infestation, and avoid using harmful chemicals you find in the products from home improvement stores. Make your sticky traps ready for any spider problem.
Homemade Sticky Traps
- 1 cup of corn syrup
- 1 cup of water
- Blunt knife
- Thick strips of cardboard
Directions
- Add the syrup and water into a pot
- Cook until you have glue-like consistency.
- Use your knife to spread on the cardboard.
- Place traps under car seats, trunks, or in other areas where you have seen spiders. Replace the traps as needed, so they stay effective.
Why Spiders Enter Your Car?
Spiders like to hide inside the door and window frames during the colder months. This is because the spiders are disturbed by the vibrations in the car’s skeleton, which causes them to move to more stable locations like the steering wheels, air vents, and behind mirrors.
They also enjoy hiding beneath the hood during the day in things far from the engine where they can still gather debris like leaves. Once inside, they can crawl through cracks to the interior and wreak havoc while you’re driving.
Here is a bit more on preventative measures for keeping spiders away from your car. (Read Why Does My Cars Temperature Go Up And Down)
Declutter
Because spiders prefer to conceal themselves in shadowy, isolated areas, clear your car of clutter and unnecessary stuff.
To prevent attracting more insects that spiders would like to eat, remove any trash, rubbish, and even stray leaves that may have been blown into your car.
To prevent spiders from causing infestations, vacuum and clean your car; spiders will soon dwindle after your car offers nothing.
Seal Entrances
Since spiders may squeeze into small spaces like holes in your car, covering them up with rubber may be necessary to prevent spiders from crawling in.
Around doors and windows, look for any cracks or broken areas. If you notice any dirt or debris clogging your car doors rubber seals, clean them using a sponge or cloth.
Spider Repellents
There are synthetic and natural spider repellents you can apply in your car. However, given that cars are small, enclosed areas, it’s best to avoid inhaling too many chemicals and use natural scents spiders hate.
The essential oil will help repel spiders. Choose essential oils, such as peppermint oil, citrus, and rosemary, and with these, you can spray behind mirrors and air vents, side mirrors, and around your door trim to stop spiders lurking.
You can also use a cotton bud dipped in the solution for areas that won’t work with a spray.
Eucalyptus leaves are another non-toxic repellant spiders hate. You can keep these in your glove box or trunk.
You can add a few drops of dish washing detergent as this will make the solution more effective for getting rid of spiders in your car and other insects and help them stick to hard surfaces in your cars enclosed spaces.
Lights
Bright lights attract spiders, so keep them off. If you’ve discovered an infestation, keep exterior lights off at all times, even when driving; turn them off when you park.
How To Kill Spiders In Car?
You can kill spiders in your car with mechanical or chemical methods. Some mean you must catch them to get rid of spiders and physically kill them. The others mean you can kill them by leaving something for the spiders in your car.
Here are a few ways to kill spiders in your car:
- Spider Traps
- Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
- Chlorine Oxide Car Odor Eliminators
1. Spider Traps
This is the best approach to capture and eliminate large spiders infesting your car, such as brown recluse, black widow, and hobo spiders.
The sticky traps entice the spider from its hiding place in your car, spiders tread on the trap, and you’ll find the spiders stuck there until they die.
You can keep the trap inside your car as it sits idle for some time to deal with spider infestations. When you return, you’ll discover a few spiders attached to it, possibly dead.
2. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a great way to get rid of spiders. Dust this throughout your car on the floor and around the trunk or seats.
For spiders in your car, it’s a deadly chemical that enters the body to cause dehydration.
Shut your car door after applying diatomaceous earth for a period, and you could find plenty of dead spiders.
Note, you need to use food-grade diatomaceous earth as it is safe for humans and pets, although a good vacuum won’t hurt before you use your car again. (Learn How Much Do Carports Cost)
3. Drop A Chlorine Bomb
This substance is frequently referred to as a chlorine bomb for spiders. This is so that the gas dispersed throughout your entire car’s interior may reach and kill spiders no matter where they are.
Although the harsh chemicals are primarily employed as odor eliminators, they are effective in killing spiders.
Combine the powder with one ounce of water. For about an hour, keep the cup of water in your car. Ensure the windows are closed, and the doors are sealed to prevent the gas from escaping.
Place the automobile in the garage and ensure your car interior is not exposed to sunshine as this breaks down chlorine, which could render the poison ineffective. The spiders will all be dead when you return and open the car after a bit.
Related Questions
How long can spiders live in cars?
Like home spiders, automobile spiders can survive for a while without food or water.
Rethink your expectations if you find a spider in your automobile and believe it would perish in a few days. For up to 10 months, spiders may survive without food, or drink, in a confined place like a car.
Will spiders be attracted to my running car?
Never idle your car as scientists have found that engine vibrations attracts spiders to cars. So never leave your car idling too long, especially in a garage where spiders may be hiding.
