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How To Get Rid of Spider Webs in the Garage Quickly and Easily

A spider web that appears golden in the diffused sunlight.

The garage is one of the most common places for spiders to congregate. It is warm, sheltered, and typically easier to get into than other areas of the home.

These spiders bring with them a pesky problem: their webs that can so easily take over your garage.

How can you get rid of spider webs in the garage? To clean up spider webs in the garage, suck them up with a vacuum cleaner or shop vac, or use a broom to sweep them up and dispose of them. However, you will have to do this often unless you take steps to prevent spiders from entering in the first place.

Not many people enjoy walking into a spider web every time they enter their garage.

Cleaning them up isn’t too difficult, but they will return, and the repeated chore of getting rid of them will get old quickly.

In the following, you’ll learn how to easily get rid of spider webs and what to do to prevent spiders from claiming your garage as their own.

Don’t miss out on important prevention tips and spider elimination strategies. Click here for more spider information and guidelines.

What Are Spider Webs?

Spider webs are formed by silk produced by a spider’s spinnerets. They are made out of a protein that a spider naturally converts from its diet.

The spinnerets form the silk, and then the spiders use their legs to pull the silk out of the spinnerets. 

Whether the spider is small or large (check out this huge spider that makes webs up to 6 feet in diameter), their diet is primarily carnivorous, providing them with a ready source of protein.

In fact, webs are how spiders maintain their carnivorous diet.

The primary use of a web is to trap the bugs and insects that spiders depend upon for food. Most home-based spiders eat flies, grasshoppers, millipedes, roaches, gnats, moths, and other spiders.

This silk is incredibly strong and sticky. 

The prey is trapped in the web, then left to starve or wrapped up tightly in more silk by the spider. The spider then uses its mouthparts to liquefy the bug’s insides and suck out the remains. 

Most webs are formed between two solid points or structures. This might include walls, furniture, or items that have remained in place for long periods of time.

Fun fact: Contrary to what many believe, spiders are not insects! They are classified as arachnids. Learn the difference between insects and arachnids here.

Spider Webs Vs. Cobwebs

Though these two terms are used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two. 

A spider web is a web that is currently inhabited by a live spider. It is more difficult to see, is spread between two sturdy points, and has been freshly made. 

If you walk through a web that you didn’t see, it’s probably an active web. 

A cobweb is a web that is no longer inhabited, either because the creating spider has died or has abandoned it.

These webs fall apart from lack of maintenance or necessity and clump up in the corner. 

They attract dust and debris, making them easier to see. They also have the unattractive carcasses of the spider’s former prey attached to them.

The major reason you would need to know this difference is that a clean, well-maintained web probably has a living spider on or around it.

Be careful when cleaning these webs, taking care not to anger a potentially dangerous spider (have a look at these venomous spiders).

How to Get Rid of Spider Webs

Vacuum Them Up

Using the vacuum’s hose and a long attachment, you’ll be able to get into corners and hard-to-reach spots.

You might consider using a shop vac, like this one from DeWALT, as they’re typically more powerful and easier to clean than a household vacuum cleaner and perfect for garages.

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This is also a great way to safely kill any spider. Vacuuming a live spider up will immediately kill the spider because of the heat and force of the vacuum.

You’ve probably heard that hairspray is an easy way to kill any spiders you find, but does it really work? Find the answer here.

Use a Broom

You can use a spider web’s (or a cob web’s) sticky nature against it. Swiping with the broom should cause the web to stick to itself and the broom’s bristles.

You can then pull the webs off the broom’s bristles and dispose of them. 

If you don’t want to dirty up your home’s broom, you can create a contraption by attaching an old rag of some sort to a pole, or the handle of the broom, and use it to wipe away the cobwebs. 

You could alternatively cover the bristle end of the broom with an old rag or cloth.

This will protect the bristles from the sticky cobwebs but will still give you the coverage of the bristles. 

Prevent Spiders from Invading

No matter how many times you vacuum or sweep up spider webs, there will always be more unless you fix the root of the problem.

The best way to ensure that spider webs are not a problem in your garage is to prevent spiders from entering in the first place. 

This is often more difficult in a garage than other rooms in the home, because garages are not usually insulated and provide easier access for spiders.

However, prevention can be accomplished through several measures, including natural methods and pesticides. 

If you are already seeing more spiders than you’d like, head on over to our complete guide “How To Get Rid of Spiders Quickly.”

Move Outdoor Hiding Places 

Spiders often make their home in outdoor locations like compost piles, stacks of wood, garbage, old machinery, or cement blocks. 

To make it more difficult for spiders to move from those locations into your garage, store these things at least 8 feet away from the perimeter of the garage.

Seal Up Holes/Points of Entrance

As mentioned above, this is difficult because of the nature of garages. However, do your best to cover holes in the plaster, edges of doorframes, and window frames. 

Use caulk or another silicone sealant to cover gaps in window or doorframes. 

Make sure the weather sealing on any doors, including car entrances, is tight and properly installed.

Spiders are constantly looking for ways to get into areas that are sheltered from weather and predators. If they can find any way into your garage, they will.

Clean It Up

Remove hiding places for spiders inside your garage. Clean up unnecessary boxes, storage containers, and shelving units.

Get rid of old shoes, clothing, or trash. Throw away clutter that you no longer need. The idea is to get rid of any space in which a spider could hide.

This would be a great time to use a vacuum or broom to sweep up existing spider webs or cobwebs.

Once you get your garage tidy and clean, you’ll find that it’s easier to keep it that way because it’s no longer full of clutter that you dread sorting through and old cobwebs that you’d rather not deal with.

Just be aware as you clean that dangerous spiders, such as black widows, often are found in areas that have been undisturbed for quite some time.

They love to hide in dark places, like in old boxes or shoes, so check items carefully before reaching inside. If you do happen to run across a black widow, we explain what to do in this article.

Keep the Garage Dry

While spiders are looking for places that provide shelter, they are also looking for food.

They know instinctively where to most easily find prey, and this often includes areas with plenty of moisture.

Spiders obtain all the moisture they need from their prey, so they themselves are not often attracted to standing water. However, they know that their prey needs water to survive.

Thus, you should quickly get rid of any standing water in your garage.

This is another reason you should make sure all the weather stripping is sealed on all doors into the garage. Also, check for leaky pipes, roofs, or windows. 

Consider putting in a sump pump if standing water is a frequent problem in your garage.

Use gutter extenders, like these, to divert rainwater and snowmelt away from the foundation of your home.

If you’re not familiar with these, they are simply extra lengths of downspouts that direct the water from your gutters in a direction opposite your home to keep your foundation and the surrounding area dry.

Allow Plenty of Natural Light

Spiders are drawn to dark places, so throw them off by allowing as much natural light into the garage as possible. 

This is different from artificial light, as artificial light attracts moths and mosquitoes, which are the prey of spiders.

Spider Traps

There are a variety of spider traps available on the market.

These products typically come with bait that attracts spiders, and a glue that sticks the spiders to the trap once they’ve been lured. The spiders then die from starvation. 

Strategically placing several of these traps will help eradicate spiders from your garage. 

We recommend JT Eaton Pest Catchers for their simplicity, strong adhesive properties, and nontoxic glue that won’t harm kids or pets. 

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Pesticides

If you are willing to use chemicals in your garage, a solid perimeter pesticide should do the trick.

Perimeter pesticides are designed to be powerful and effective for months at a time and are generally weather resistant.

As their name implies, they should be sprayed around the perimeter of a room or home. This creates a barrier around the area.

Onslaught FASTCAP is one of these rain-resistant products. If you have a pump sprayer handy, consider using this product to prevent spiders from entering.

Made specifically for spiders (and scorpions), FASTCAP’s residual effects should provide long-lasting protection.

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Miss Muffet’s Revenge is another excellent spider treatment, but this one comes prediluted with a built-in sprayer, so there’s no need for mixing or additional equipment. 

The precision sprayer can shoot accurately up to 12 feet, so your entire garage can be reached easily, even high rafters and corners.

When used correctly, Miss Muffet’s residual effects will keep spiders away for up to 12 months.

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Using a fogger is also an option, as long as your garage isn’t too large.

We examined a ton of foggers designed specifically for spiders and selected the best of the best to share with you.

You can see our top recommendations in our article “The Best Fogger for Spiders.”

Always use caution when applying pesticides or chemicals and follow all instructions on the container.

Conclusion

Getting rid of spider webs in the garage is simply a matter of using a vacuum or broom to sweep them up. 

Unless you’re willing to clean up old cobwebs constantly, you will need to prevent spiders from entering. You can do this by taking natural steps or by using pesticides. 

Soon your garage will be spider web free!

Be sure to read all of our spider guides so that you can be knowledgeable and informed while fighting your spider problem.