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Whether you’re deathly afraid of them or simply don’t like the webs they spin, most people prefer not to have spiders in their homes. Certain seasons and weather patterns may mean that more spiders are interested in entering your home, especially when the weather is wet. Male spiders are particularly interested in prowling through homes during the late summer and fall, looking for mates.

It may be impossible to completely spider-proof your home, since spiders have a knack for finding the smallest points of entry. However, there are certain spider control steps you can take to keep your house as free from these eight-legged creatures as possible.

Seal Up Your Home

Thoroughly sealing up your house helps to keep spiders out. Caulk around windows, doors, plumbing, and other places where spiders might enter your home. Window screens with holes or slices should also be repaired in order to keep spiders out (as well as keeping out other insects that may act as their food sources).

Even if you keep your front door closed when not in use, spiders may find a crack underneath that they can crawl through. The installation of a simple draft blocker may not only improve your utility bill but may also keep pesky arachnids from invading your home. Covering vents with mesh netting or screening should also help to keep spiders and other critters out.

Read More: Debunking 8 Top Spider Myths

Stay Organized

Because piles and chaos provide ideal places for spiders to hide, tidying up your space should work to make your home less attractive to them. Nooks and crannies created by clutter are perfect for spiders to seek refuge, so if the idea of neatness for its own sake doesn’t motivate you to de-clutter your home, then maybe the idea of repelling spiders will. For storage, consider changing from cardboard boxes to plastic containers, making it more difficult for spiders (as well as moths and other critters) to get into your stuff.

Smart Landscaping

Spiders making a home right outside of your house are very likely to eventually find their way in. If the landscaping next to your home includes great piles of mulch or massive shrubs, then your landscaping may be acting as an invitation for spiders and other pests. To keep your yard free of spiders, keep bushes neatly pruned and trim hedges away from structures, thinning out branches so that air can get through the center of the bush. Clean up debris, trash, leaves, and piles of wood that may house spiders. Keep flower beds clean and free of weeds, mow your lawn regularly, and clear out piles of cut grass to discourage the presence of spiders and other pests.

Regular Cleaning Schedule

Using the vacuum on a regular basis will work to deter spiders, sucking up their webs as well as their potential food sources. Be sure to vacuum not only the carpets but also hard floors, as well as using the tube attachment to vacuum ceiling corners, under stairwells, and around door jams where spiders often like to hide.

Clearing out the cobwebs is an activity that should happen more often than just during spring cleaning. Since webs function as a place for spiders to catch insects as well as for them to potentially mate, removing webs at least once a week may keep populations down.

Control Food Sources

Crawling insects, and even dead flies may act as a tasty food supply to spiders, so keeping these cleaned up is essential.Since spiders are attracted to insects, and insects are attracted to light sources, it stands to reason that minimizing light sources may remove the attraction of spiders. Moths, flies, and other bugs will be less likely to be attracted to your home if you can change your lightbulbs to yellow pest-reducing bulbs.

Ultimately, the best way to get rid of spiders is to contact a pest control professional who can help you remove other pests that act as food sources, as well as removing the spiders. For Houston pest control services, contact Cypress Creek for spider extermination and other pest control needs for your home.