Jumping spiders are harmless to humans and actually help control insects in your home, but that doesn’t mean you want them as roommates. The good news is that getting rid of them rarely requires chemicals or an exterminator. A combination of sealing entry points, removing what attracts them, and relocating any you find indoors will keep your home spider-free.
Why Jumping Spiders Come Inside
Jumping spiders follow their food. They eat flies, mosquitoes, moths, and other small insects, so a home with a bug problem is essentially a buffet. They’re active hunters rather than web builders, which means they roam around looking for prey instead of sitting in a corner. That roaming behavior is why you’ll spot them on walls, windowsills, and countertops rather than tucked away in dark basements.
They also seek warmth and shelter, especially as temperatures drop in fall. A spider only needs a crack the width of a credit card to squeeze through, so even well-maintained homes can let a few in.
How to Catch and Remove Them
The fastest way to deal with a jumping spider you’ve spotted is to trap it with a clear cup and a piece of paper or cardboard. Place the cup over the spider, slide the paper underneath, and carry it outside. Jumping spiders are quick and can leap several times their body length, so move calmly and deliberately. A clear cup helps because you can see exactly where the spider is before you lift it.
If the spider is on a surface where a cup won’t work, gently guide it onto a piece of paper or into a container using a soft paintbrush or straw. These spiders rarely bite unless they’re squeezed or pressed against skin. Even if one did bite you, the reaction is typically no worse than a mosquito bite and heals within a few hours.
Seal the Entry Points They Use
Removing individual spiders is a short-term fix. The real solution is closing off the gaps they use to get in. Work your way around the exterior of your home and check these common trouble spots:
- Utility penetrations. Anywhere cable lines, phone lines, electrical conduits, or plumbing pipes enter your house, there’s almost always a gap that was caulked once and never checked again. Pull away old, cracked caulk and reseal with fresh exterior-grade caulk.
- Attic and crawl space vents. These need to stay open for airflow, but many have torn, missing, or poorly fitted screens. Replace damaged screens and seal the frames properly to the structure.
- Window AC units. Gaps around window air conditioners are common entry points, especially where foam insulation has degraded. The accordion side panels on portable units are particularly leaky.
- Garage door seals. The rubber seal at the bottom of your garage door cracks and compresses over time. Replace worn seals and check the side and top seals as well.
- Behind shutters and at siding seams. Decorative shutters create hidden gaps against the exterior wall. Vinyl siding develops openings at seams and corners as a home settles.
- Chimney caps. A chimney without a properly fitted cap and mesh sides is an open highway for spiders and other pests.
Use exterior-grade caulk for small gaps, weatherstripping for doors and windows, expanding foam for larger openings, and fine mesh for anything that needs ventilation. Check everything annually in early spring before spider activity picks up.
Reduce What Attracts Them
Since jumping spiders follow insects, reducing the insect population around your home is one of the most effective long-term strategies. Outdoor lighting is a big factor here. Standard white and blue-toned bulbs attract swarms of flying insects at night, and spiders set up shop wherever the food is.
Switch porch lights to yellow “bug light” bulbs or warm-toned LEDs, which emit less UV light and attract far fewer insects. If you need lights near entryways, angle the beams downward instead of outward to limit how far the light travels. Motion-activated or timed lights are even better, since they only turn on when needed. Turning off porch lights when you don’t need them makes a noticeable difference on its own.
Around the perimeter of your house, clear away clutter, leaf piles, woodpiles, and dense vegetation that sits right against the foundation. These create shelter for both insects and spiders. Eliminate standing water, which breeds mosquitoes and other bugs that jumping spiders hunt.
Natural Repellents That Work (and One That Doesn’t)
Peppermint oil has some genuine evidence behind it. A 2018 study tested peppermint oil, lemon oil, and chestnuts as spider repellents across three species. Peppermint oil and chestnuts strongly repelled two of the three species. Lemon oil, despite being widely advertised as a natural spider deterrent, had no measurable repellent effect on any species tested.
To use peppermint oil, mix 10 to 15 drops with water in a spray bottle and apply it along windowsills, doorframes, and other entry points. You’ll need to reapply every week or two as the scent fades. It’s not a standalone solution, but it works as a supplement to sealing and cleaning.
Keep Your Home Less Spider-Friendly
Regular cleaning goes a long way. Vacuum corners, baseboards, and window tracks frequently to remove insects, egg sacs, and any small webs from other spider species that might share the space. Jumping spiders don’t build webs to catch prey, but they do leave small silk retreats where they rest, and vacuuming eliminates these.
Keep window screens in good repair. Jumping spiders are drawn to windows because the glass attracts insects, and a torn screen is an easy way in. Store firewood at least 20 feet from your house, since woodpiles are prime spider habitat. If you bring boxes in from a garage or storage shed, check them before setting them down inside.
When to Call a Professional
A single jumping spider or even a handful over the course of a season is completely normal and doesn’t require professional treatment. But if you’re seeing them regularly in multiple rooms, it likely signals a larger insect problem drawing them in. A pest control professional can identify and treat the underlying insect infestation, which removes the food source and solves the spider problem at the same time.
It’s also worth calling a professional if you’re unsure whether you’re actually dealing with jumping spiders. Jumping spiders are compact, furry-looking, and have two notably large front-facing eyes. If you’re seeing spiders that are brown with a violin-shaped mark (brown recluse) or shiny black with a red hourglass (black widow), those are venomous species that warrant professional removal.