Nothing ruins a garden party quite like the scream of someone spotting a spider scuttling across their cushion. And nobody likes a party crasher (or should we say party crawler?), which is why everyone should know how to keep spiders off garden furniture.
Yes, there’s no doubt that the best garden furniture can serve as the pièce de résistance to your outdoor space. It can completely transform your garden and give you a designated area to lounge, dine, or simply enjoy your morning coffee. But we will assume that most people want to do this alone or with the people they invite into their homes, rather than arachnids.
So while we know how to get rid of spiders in the house, what about the incy-wincy spiders who claim your garden furniture as their own? Well, they’re a little trickier to get rid of, but it’s not impossible. Here are 5 ways to keep spiders (and their cobwebs) off your garden furniture.
1. Make your own scented spray
While you can use essential oils for cleaning and even to keep clothes moths at bay, you can also use essential oils to make your own spider-repellent scented spray. After all, spiders actively avoid strong fragrances - meaning they should also avoid your garden furniture if you’re clever enough.
By making a scented spray, you can spritz this onto your garden furniture and ward off spiders. You just need to make sure that you top it up every now and then (especially after it rains) to ensure the spiders stay away.
But what scents should you use? Alan Murphy, store manager, at OutdoorLiving.ie explains, ‘Spiders dislike certain scents, such as peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus. Mix water with essential oils like peppermint, and spray it onto the furniture with a clear spray bottle.’
Creating a mixture of white vinegar and water can also ward off any spiders. Plus, it'll help you clean your garden furniture at the same time.
If you want to make your own scented spray, simply add a few drops of this eucalyptus oil to a spray bottle of water and get spritzing.
Don't want to make your own spray? Well, this ready-made spray is ready to go. With a hint of peppermint, it should keep spiders off your garden furniture.
Spray bottles like this are ideal for making your own sprays, and it's always handy to have some spare.
2. Plant spider-repelling plants nearby
If you have space around your garden furniture for plants, this can also work in your favour. In fact, many of the plants that slugs hate are also despised by spiders.
Outdoor furniture expert Ryan Kaila from Kingfisher Direct explains, ‘To avoid spiders on your outdoor furniture, place an abundance of spider-repelling plants nearby. Basil, lavender and mint are plants popularly known for repelling spiders due to their strong fragrance.’
He adds, ‘Not only will these plants repel spiders, but they are visually appealing and provide a pleasant fragrance throughout your garden.’
As these plants all grow well in pots, you could also create a small container garden if you want to keep spiders off the garden furniture on your balcony or patio.
These basil plants will not only repel spiders, but they can also make a welcome addition to any herb garden.
Spiders will hate the smell of this lavender plant, but you'll love it. Plus, it comes in an attractive metal planter so it won't need repotting.
This mint plant will repel spiders while also making a tasty addition to your mojitos, salads, soups, and more.
3. Choose your furniture wisely
The best garden furniture comes in so many shapes and sizes, but what you might not realise is that some garden furniture is more appealing to spiders than others. So, if you’re in the market for some new pieces, you should know what to avoid.
‘When choosing your garden furniture, avoid intricate designs that have a lot of crevices as this can make the perfect hiding spot for spiders,' explains Ryan. 'For example, furniture made from rattan is ideal for spiders as they burrow in between the crevices where the rattan interlocks.’
For this reason, it’s better to stick to the best wooden or metal furniture. Ryan is particularly fond of cedar wood for keeping spiders at bay.
‘Cedar is a strong spider repellent. Therefore, investing in cedar wood furniture can be beneficial to avoid spiders,’ he says. ‘If after a period of time, the scent of your cedar wood becomes less prominent, you can sand down the furniture. This will bring the scent back and ensure that it continues to repel spiders.’
However, it’s also believed that eucalyptus and acacia wood also have a strong scent that should be able to ward off these creepy crawlies.
Made from eucalyptus, this patio set is ideal for summer garden parties and should help to keep spiders off your garden furniture.
This attractive dining set is made from spider-repellent acacia wood, and the cushions also cover up any nooks and crannies.
Looking for a bistro set for a patio or balcony? Look no further. Made from acacia wood, it also comes in five colourways to suit your spider-free style.
4. Remove them manually
If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, one of the best ways to keep spiders off garden furniture is to remove them manually. Of course, you don’t actually have to touch the spiders if you don’t want to, as there are many tools out there that can help you out.
In fact, Ideal Home’s Senior Digital Editor, Jenny McFarlane, uses a spider catcher to keep the spiders at bay both inside and outside her home. She says, ‘My go-to is the type with the quick draw brush that safely nestles and lifts them to a preferable spot - AKA away from me! They’re also more humane than the spider catcher vacuum.’
Yes, avoid killing the spiders if you can. Simply moving them elsewhere should do the trick. And while you’re at it, it’s also a good idea to remove the cobwebs and clean your garden furniture regularly so the spiders don’t have anything to come back to.
‘Make sure that you take time in the summer to regularly sweep off any spider webs and wipe down your garden furniture,' advises Alan. 'Just five minutes every other day doing this can help you to keep on top of it and avoid lots of frantic checking that there are no spiders on your furniture before guests come round.’
This humane insect vacuum is designed so that you can both catch AND release the spiders on your garden furniture.
This spider catcher comes with a long handle so you can catch every single spider on your garden furniture. It's also foldable for easy storage.
This device has a sliding shutter door that opens when turned to catch spiders with ease. Then, you can open it up again to release them.
5. Make the most of furniture covers
Most of the time, spiders will invade your garden furniture when you’re not there. They’ll take advantage of the fact that they have direct access to the cushions and crevices, and they’ll make a home for themselves in no time.
To prevent this, it’s worth investing in an outdoor furniture cover. This will create an all-important barrier between your furniture and the spiders, keeping them away.
‘Place protective furniture covers over your garden furniture when it's not in use, this will prevent spiders from creating webs on the furniture whilst also maintaining its appearance and quality,' agrees Ryan.
Just make sure that the cover fits your furniture properly. Otherwise, you'll leave gaps for the spiders to crawl up into.
This garden furniture cover comes in at 135x135x74cm and will protect your furniture from spiders, rain, UV rays, and more.
With over 20 sizes to choose from, this garden furniture cover will suit anyone and any furniture set. Plus, it's completely tear-resistant.
Do you have a round garden furniture set? Buy a round cover to prevent any gaps that spiders can crawl through.
FAQs
How to clean spider webs off outside furniture?
It’s incredibly easy to clean spider webs off outside furniture, and there are a few tools that you can use.
You could either use a brush or soft cloth to wipe over the area and pick up the cobwebs, or you could use a vacuum cleaner to suck it up.
If cleaning spider webs with a cloth, you can also dip your cloth in a mixture of white vinegar and water before wiping to keep spiders away for longer.
Will WD-40 keep spiders away?
Technically, the smell of WD-40 can keep spiders away, but we wouldn’t recommend using it. That’s because the thick, lubricant nature of the solvent can kill the spider - which is unnecessary.
By using WD-40, you risk drowning the spider, as the liquid will coat the entire animal and potentially prevent its ability to breathe.
As there are so many other ways to keep spiders away, it’s not worth using WD-40 for this task. Instead, opt for a more natural alternative that won’t kill them.
Now you know how to keep spiders off garden furniture, it’s time to say ta-ra to these creepy crawlies…
