How to Kill and Repel Spiders with Vinegar + DIY Spray Recipe

Wondering if Vinegar is effective in getting Rid of spiders from your home? Or is it Potent enough to kill the creepy spider?

Vinegar makes for a superb natural spider repellant, as well as a great substance to use to kill spiders found in your home.

Vinegar contains a harmful by-product of the fermentation process that creates vinegar itself.

This by-product has the ability to kill spiders on contact and keeps spiders from continuously entering your home.

The by-product chemical that vinegar contains is deadly to spiders, this by-product is and acid called acetic acid.

Acetic acid begins to chemically burn the spider to death upon direct contact. Acetic acid is commonly found in vinegar, ketchup, and most citrus fruits.

How Does Vinegar Repel spiders?

Now that you know that it can successfully repel and kill spiders, I’m sure you’re now wondering how it does it.

Spiders upon instinct will avoid anywhere they can smell vinegar and/or acetic acid.

They can smell the acidity, and know almost immediately to avoid it, or it will cause serious harm to them.

In short, acetic acid gives the area a sour taste and odor that spiders are sensitive to, and they don’t particularly care for.

If spiders are able to sense that it is near them, they will stay clear of the surrounding area.

Does Vinegar Actually Kill Spiders?

As mentioned above, vinegar can be deadly to spiders depending on the concentration of Acetic Acid found in the different variations of vinegar.

There are two main kinds of vinegar that act as spider repellents and that can successfully rid you of common house spiders.

This section of the article will go into depth about common house spiders, which vinegars are best in ridding you of them, and the best methods to use when trying to repel and kill spiders.

We also include two varying recipes for a successful spider repellent you can use around your home later in the article.

Types of Vinegar – Most to Least Effective for Getting rid of Spiders

There are over 15 different types of vinegar you can use, however in this article we will only be covering 5 of the most popular types of vinegar that you can find in your home. Not all of them will act the same, nor will they all be useful in dealing with your spider problem.

The following are some of the different types of vinegar in order from most effective to least effective in handling your spiders.

1.White Vinegar

White vinegar is usually the most distilled version of vinegar you can find.

White vinegar has the highest concentration of Acetic acid out of all the ones that we mention in this article, therefore making it the most effective vinegar to use on house spiders.

2.Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is the second most acidic, and the second most effective vinegar you can use to repel spiders.

It is not guaranteed to actually kill spiders like white vinegar is known to do, however, you can mix it with a number of other repellents to be as strong.

It is still able to function as a repellent, and more often than not people will add citrus soaps, peppermint oil, or cinnamon oil into their vinegar mixtures to enhance it’s repellent properties.

3.White Wine Vinegar

White wine vinegar would work as a repellent solely because of the strong scent it carries as a variation of vinegar. However, it is doesn’t make for a very good repellent or spider killer due to the low levels of acetic acid.

Meaning that the White Wine vinegar wouldn’t stop spiders from entering your home.

The levels of acetic acid found within white wine vinegar aren’t enough for the vinegar to be used as a strong enough repellent, you would need to add in other natural repellents for it to be successful.

This vinegar carries more flavor than anything, making it better suited for your kitchen.

4.Malt Vinegar

Malt vinegar is made from fermented pieces of Barley, thus having a high concentration of flavor, the purpose of this vinegar is better suited for your culinary needs.

Malt vinegar contains more flavor than acetic acid. Due to the low levels of acetic acid, Malt vinegar is not very effective and would make a weak spider repellent.

5.Champagne Vinegar

Champagne Vinegar isn’t a vinegar you should use as a repellent either. It doesn’t contain enough acetic acid to even safely repel spiders against you.

There are many types of house spiders that can be killed and repelled through White or Apple Cider Vinegar.

Each of the following can be eradicated through the use and dilution of vinegar.

The 6 most common house spiders vinegar will eradicate:

• American House Spider

While the American House Spider does bite humans, their bite is the equivalent of a bee sting. These pesky spiders are found commonly and exclusively in the United States.

Vinegar can be used effectively to get rid of the Common American House Spider.

• Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders are known to run down their prey, rather than wait for them to stumble across a web of their making.  Wolf spiders are often found in homes located in Missouri, Texas, and California.

Due to the large size of wolf spiders, the only effective vinegar to kill wolf spiders would be the Regular white Vinegar.

• Black Widow Spider

This particular species of spider is known to eat its mates. The black widow is a very venomous spider, with the height of its prey consisting of scorpions and beetles as well as smaller insects.

The Black Widow spider can be found and encountered throughout the Eastern U.S. and lower peninsula central.

Vinegar can be effectively used to get rid of the Black Widow spiders as well.

• Brown Recluse Spider

Brown Recluse spiders are known for how poisonous their bite is. They are also more so known for their cannibalistic tendencies among other spiders.

The Brown Recluse spider is commonly found in homes throughout southern and central areas of the United States.

Like with other spiders, Vinegar will also be effective to either Kill or Repel the brown recluse spiders.

• Daddy Long Legs Spider

Daddy Long Leg spiders are known for the length of their long legs, and for their inability to bite humans. Daddy Long Legs aren’t particularly dangerous if found in our home, however, they are pests nonetheless.

Both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar will be effective against the Daddy long legs.

Daddy Long Legs are also known for the fact that they also eat decomposed pests, and are found in most homes throughout the United States.

• Hobo Spider

Hobo Spiders are commonly referred to as the ‘aggressive house spiders’ due to their cannibalistic nature.

Hobo Spiders are popular in the northwestern area of the United States as well as some locations in Europe and Australia.

Due to their often large size, it’s best recommended to use white vinegar on them to either kill them or repel them.

How to use Vinegar to Repel and Kill Spiders

The best way to use vinegar to your advantage to kill or repel spiders is through a sprayable mixture. You can either spray a mixture onto spiders on sight to kill them or wipe down any and all corners of your home to make them leave your home.

If you use vinegar as a repellent you’ll need to perform the spraying and wiping down of surfaces every 2 – 3 months.

DIY Vinegar Spider Spray Recipe

When creating a vinegar spray for spiders, it’s important to dilute the vinegar with equal parts of water as you have vinegar.

Depending upon whether or not you use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the mixture will depend on whether or not you should add anything more into your mixture.

If you are using white vinegar:

• 1 part vinegar
• 1 part water
• Add into a spray bottle and disperse the repellent.

If you are using apple cider vinegar, multiple sources suggest adding in peppermint oil, citrus-based soaps, and even cinnamon oil to make up for the lack of acetic acid found in the vinegar.

A simple recipe for when you’re using apple cider vinegar is as follows:

• 1 part vinegar
• 1 part water
• 10 – 20 drops of peppermint or cinnamon essential oil
• Add into a spray bottle and disperse the repellent.

Can Vinegar kill Spider Eggs?

Vinegar can kill spider eggs very effectively by dissolving the protective sac around the hatchling as well as the hatchling itself.

Spider eggs are easily destroyed after the vinegar seeps into the egg.

If you have found a Spider egg sac in your home, Vinegar can be one of the best ways to prevent the eggs from hatching!

How Long Does it Take Vinegar to Kill Spiders

Vinegar while it isn’t guaranteed to, with enough acetic acid in it, can kill spiders on contact.

However, if they don’t die immediately, they will die shortly after coming into contact with vinegar.

It takes roughly 3-5 minutes for the vinegar to burn a spider to death, and 5-6 minutes to burn a spider egg to death.

Safety Tips for Using Vinegar

Vinegar can be a very corrosive substance to be in direct contact with.

You should wash your hands after extensive periods of going into contact with vinegar when spraying your house to get rid of spiders.

Overall you will want to be careful of getting it into your eyes, on your clothes, or on your skin. When using vinegar be very cautious with it.

To protect your hands you can put on gloves, and be precise when pouring the mixture into the spray bottles.

If you come into contact with it, be sure to clean the area as soon as possible to avoid any physical irritation or corrosion.

Also, be aware of how much Vinegar you are spraying around your house.

Oftentimes, you will need to let the room ventilate for up to a day if you have sprayed too much vinegar.

Is it Worth it to Kill Spiders with Vinegar

In conclusion, there are many benefits to using a natural remedy such as vinegar rather than a pesticide or bleach to get rid of spiders.

For starters, it is less expensive and safe in households pertaining to pets or children.

If you’re worried about the smell of vinegar making itself prominent, there’s no need. The smell disappears once the area is completely dry.

All in all, vinegar is a safe and natural spider repellent.

If you can, definitely aim to use white vinegar as it is the most effective to get rid of spiders, however, apple cider vinegar will do just fine.