4 Best Ways to Kill a Spider on the Ceiling

If you’re looking to remove spiders from your ceiling, here are some potential solutions for you:

  • Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the spider from the ceiling
  • Place the spider into a cup and safely remove them from your home
  • Spray the spiders with water and safely remove the spider when they can’t move because of the water
  • Alternatively, you can try adding lemon juice to the water (around 30ml to 500ml of water) and spray it onto the spider
Ways to Kill a Spider on the Ceiling

You may want to think twice about killing spiders on your ceiling, though. You should know that most spiders catch insects in your home like mosquitoes and flies, so they’re your natural defense against some annoying bugs and insects that might enter your home.

Additionally, killing spiders by swatting them might leave stains on your wall, which is something you’ll want to avoid. We’ve provided you with some safe alternatives that will not only keep your walls clean but the spider alive.

Note: all of the methods presented here don’t use chemicals to kill off spiders or remove them. Many extermination services will suggest using chemicals, but it is possible to remove the spider without using them.

How to Kill a Spider on the Ceiling

Method 1: Use Vacuum Cleaner

Probably the easiest method to kill a spider on the ceiling is to use a vacuum cleaner.

It’s the fastest method of removing a spider from your ceiling without leaving stains on the ceiling or making a mess of the procedure. If you have a powerful vacuum cleaner, it might be able to do its job even against the faster spiders.

If your ceiling is high and you can’t reach it with the smaller extension of your vacuum cleaner, you might want to use a longer extension of the cleaner to catch the spider.

A vacuum cleaner might or might not kill the spider. It will suck the spider into the filter of your vacuum cleaner, from where you might want to remove it once you’re done vacuuming and release it. However, be warned that this method might kill off the spider as it gets sucked into the filter.

If you don’t like killing the spider and you prefer a more humane alternative, then it’s better to look at some other options on this list.

Method 2: Use a Cup to Capture the Spider

If you want to keep the spider safe and remove it without killing it, then you could try using a cup to capture the spider and then remove it safely.

This method will not be as effective as using a vacuum cleaner. Some spiders are quite fast, so you might not be able to put the cup over the spider to capture it.

You’ll need a piece of paper along with the cup to try and place the spider into the cup. The first step should be to cover the spider with the cup and then slowly move the paper under the cup to scoop the spider into the cup.

After you have captured the spider inside the cup, you can safely release the spider outside of your home or somewhere you’d want it to be.

Some tips for this method:

  • Use a wider cup so that you’re able to capture the spider even if it’s fast and it moves around
  • When placing the cup over the spider, be careful not to squish it with the edges of the cup
  • Approach the spider on the ceiling slowly and don’t make sudden movement before placing the cup over the spider

Method 3: Spray the Spider with Water

One of the more effective solutions for removing the spiders from the ceiling is to spray the spider with water and then remove it.

If you don’t like picking up spiders, you can use a cup to place the spider inside the cup and safely remove it or kill it afterward.

This method would be ineffective against some spiders that can walk on water – many spiders are capable of that, but house spiders, for instance, will not be able to walk on water, so this method could be effective against them.

The drops of water that will cover the spider will slow them down or make them immobile, which is when you can pick them up using a cloth or a cup and remove them or kill them from the ceiling.

Method 4: Use Water and Lemon Juice

You can try using water mixed with lemon juice, which will act as a natural repellent for the spiders on your ceiling.

Note that lemon juice will not kill spiders, but it will repel them and disable them from moving to your ceiling. This can make it easier for you to later kill or capture the spider once it’s not on your ceiling.

Spiders hate lemon and other acidic juices and they will flee once exposed to these compounds.

A good alternative would be to use mint and mix it with water, which is another effective way of removing the spider from the ceiling. An additional bonus of using mint is that your home will smell fresh.

You can use 30ml of lemon juice or mint in 500ml of water and spray it onto the spider. You should notice right after spraying the spider that it will start to flee and seek new places for it to reside. Most likely, it will start to go down the walls, which will give you a good opportunity to then capture it or kill it if you want to completely remove it.

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Conclusion

Killing a spider on the ceiling is possible without squishing it. It’s also possible to remove the spider without killing it, which is a more humane way of removing a spider from the ceiling.

Whichever method you use, it’s best to first evaluate what type of spider you have on your ceiling. If you have house spiders, you should know they are quite harmless to you and they might even protect you from insects.

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