Spiders. You either love them or you hate them, yet most of us can agree that spider bites and cobwebs aren't ideal. So which natural repellents actually work to keep spiders out of our indoor spaces — because we do need spiders around to some extent, just not quite so close!

Spider bites are rare. Like bees, mice, or raccoons, spiders won’t bother you unless bothered. And although all spiders are venomous, the majority of bites in North America are less harmful than a mosquito bite (mosquitoes being vectors for diseases while spiders are not).

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the two types of spiders that are “medically important” (i.e. really bad) in the United States are black widows and brown recluse spiders, and only some species of these types bite. Both stay well-hidden and will only bite you if you come into direct contact with them.

Want to see black widows and brown recluse spiders up close? Have a look.

Many different types of spiders find their way into our houses — some temporarily, some permanently. They range from skinny American house spiders and hobo spiders, to enormous wolf spiders. No matter how big or how small, they all do their best to steer clear of you. Meanwhile — and what’s also good about them — they snack on the insects you don’t want in your house, including disease vectors like mosquitoes and flies.

Although spiders aren’t everyone’s favorite house guests, they play a critical role in the environment and are worth preserving. Here’s why we need spiders — and why spider conservation is so important:

To prevent famine

If you weighed all of the insect pests eaten by spiders every year worldwide, they’d weigh as much as all of the humans on earth. If spiders didn’t eat them, these pests would consume all of the crops on the planet.

To advance medicine

All spiders have venom, which contains hundreds or thousands of chemical compounds. Researchers are looking into whether certain spider venoms can improve pain medications, treat muscular dystrophy, identify brain tumors, and more.

To keep us in silk

Silk is a purely natural, lightweight substance produced by spiders. It has a higher strength-to-density ratio than steel, and its potential for new, environmentally sustainable applications across industries increases as technology advances.

Short answer — yes. Longer answer — it depends on the spider and the repellent, but most spider species are extremely turned off by some scents, which we can use to keep our homes spider-free. Natural spider repellents are generally based on the scent compounds below.

The best spider repellent is one that is safe to use around pets and kids — and spiders. Experts, from entomologists to horticulturists to pest control companies, agree that we really shouldn’t kill these beneficial creatures no matter how creepy we find them.

The best pet-safe spider repellents

Pet-safe spider repellents are those that are completely natural and don’t contain toxic chemicals meant to kill spiders. Avoid conventional, store-bought pest repellents of any kind that have warnings pasted all over the label.

Our selection of pest control products will help you keep ants, moths, mosquitoes, and more out of your home without harming your pet. And speaking of pets, we have natural solutions for ticks and fleas, too.