How to remove a spider and its web without killing it
You can gently relocate a house spider by nudging it onto a piece of paper or a cup using a soft brush, then moving the web intact or sweeping it away once the spider is safe. Relocating them carefully prevents unnecessary stress or harm, which is a common worry when you want to clear out webs without resorting to harsh indoor pesticides.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 13.9× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to remove a spider and its web without killing it
- 1leaving them in the bathroom so they help fight other bugsDid this help you?
- 2Leaving cellar spiders and wolf spiders alone or moving them to corners since they are harmlessDid this help you?
- 3Using a handheld vacuum in the crawl space, attic, or basement a few times a year to vacuum them upDid this help you?
- 4Calling professional pest control companies for quarterly spraysDid this help you?
- 5Applying DIY oil-based sprays independentlyDid this help you?
- 6Spray bars with peppermint oilDid this help you?
- 7Rub bars with diatomaceous earthDid this help you?
- 8Sweep out old webs periodicallyDid this help you?
- 9Removing the screen from the outsideDid this help you?
- 10Leaving it alone to catch other bugsDid this help you?
- 11Using a vacuum cleanerDid this help you?
- 12Spraying it with Raid or LysolDid this help you?
- 13Using a stickDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have have had an influx of house spiders. I spray pestie around the house but am reticent to spray inside because I have dogs.”source ↗
“even if i clean it, spiders doing their jobs and come again after 2 days.”source ↗
“I did this twice he keeps rebuilding 😅”source ↗
“My bathroom has some spider webs/con webs..how to safely remove the web nd the spider?? I dont want to kill the spider, and also i dont know if removing the webs would stress the spider😭 any tips guys??”source ↗
“Well a couple months after owning the house I step outside at night and there are 4 black widows.”source ↗
“However, they are still popping up on the house in the backyard and now are laying eggs.”source ↗
“What are some other ways to get rid of them?”source ↗
“I’m so scared because I have an older dog I let out the back and we have a baby on the way.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 14How to get animals out of the attic without sealing them inside
- 7How do you finally get rid of bird mites after removing a nest?
- 4Why won't a ground nest of yellow jackets die?
- 15How to clean up old rat droppings safely
- 3Do I need to remove window screens before power washing a house?