What has eight legs and scares the crap out of most people?

Spiders.

One of their favorite places to live is dark areas filled with lots of stuff, like your garage.

I actually don’t mind spiders usually. They eat a lot of insects that would otherwise bug me (pun intended). But here in Florida we’re home to four species of widow spiders: Two different species of black widows, as well as red widows and brown widows.

After I saw the first black widow in my house, I was done. That’s where I draw the line.

But even if you don’t live in a state that is home to Black Widow spiders, pretty much everywhere in North America has venomous spiders that we need to watch out for.

So how do you keep spiders out of your garage without resorting to this…

There’s an easier way.

Here’s how you can keep spiders out of your garage:

1. Take away their hiding spots
2. Clean out their webs and nests
3. Eliminate their food supply
4. Block their way in
5. Use a spider repellent

I’ll go into each of these steps in more detail below, but the entire process shouldn’t take very long.

Five Tips to keep spiders out of your garage

1. Take away their hiding spots

There’s two things most garages have in common: clutter and dark corners.

In other words, a perfect home for spiders.

My garage used to be home to dozens of cardboard boxes where I was storing…well…junk. So I threw out what I could and relocated the rest to plastic tubs that you can find at Target, Wal-Mart or your local office supply store.

Hopefully you can use this as an opportunity to get rid of the clutter in your garage.

2. Clean out cobwebs and nests

Once your garage is clean enough to see everything, its time to get out the vacuum. Personally, I do this at least once a year while I’m cleaning and lubricating my garage door.

Not only will you need to suck up any cobwebs that you find, but this is a good time to “clean” any live spiders that you find as well. Spiders don’t have a very strong exoskeleton and can’t withstand the pressure of a vacuum cleaner.

Be sure to look in the corners of the walls, underneath any furniture, behind workbenches and on the garage door hardware.

3. Eliminate their food supply

If you’re focusing on how to keep spiders out of your garage, you might want to think about the other bugs first.

Spiders eat other bugs, so they’re going to make their homes where they have food. Eliminate a spider’s food supply and it will quickly find another home (or die).

You just cleaned out the clutter in your garage, so now you have to keep it that way. Make sure there’s no food or leftovers lying around. It may seem small to you, but it’s a feast to an insect.

After that, you’re going to have to get aggressive with your other garage pests. That means using a fogger or bug bomb to reset your insect population. If harsh chemicals aren’t your thing, there are natural alternatives, but they will usually take longer to see results.

4. Block their way in

Spiders and other insects can fit into incredibly small openings like cracks in your foundation or doors and windows that aren’t properly sealed.

In my case, it was a (ahem) slightly larger opening that I had to fix. Not only was this letting bugs and spiders in my garage, but it was sucking all of the cooler air out into the hot, Florida sun.

If you can, patch up any cracks in your walls and make sure there’s a water tight sealant on your walls. Then use a fitted screen or other type of bug netting over any openings that you can’t seal up.

5. Use a spider repellent

I mentioned using a fogger or a bug bomb to take out the spider’s food supply earlier. Now it’s time to deal with the little beasties themselves. Personally, I’ve had great luck with the Raid Deep Reach fogger.

Whether you want to go with a high-powered commercial solution or take the natural route and make your own organic concoction, there are several different spider repellents to choose from.

For the quickest way to a spider-free garage, I recommend Demon WP. It’s a commercial grade insecticide that comes in small, water soluble packets. Pour one packet into a spray bottle and add water. One packet is enough for a 2,000 sq. ft. home.

If you want to go the natural route, grab a spray bottle with either vinegar, common dish soap or peppermint oil.

In either case, spray the mixtures around the edges of the walls, corners, and anywhere that you found spiders or other insects when you cleaned out your garage earlier.

Got a tip for getting rid of spiders in your garage? Let us know in the comments below.