1 surprising place spiders hide in your home – and the 5-minute task that gets rid of them for good
You should do this once a week during October
When was the last time you dusted the back of your picture frames? If it wasn’t recently, I have some bad news to break - the backs of your frames are, in fact, the perfect hiding spot for spiders.
Most people will agree that they want to get rid of spiders from their homes, whether that’s via spider scent deterrents or removing the things that attract spiders in the first place. While these creepy crawlies won’t cause any harm in the UK, they’re not exactly the most welcome house guest.
Spiders like dark, narrow places where they can hide, making the backs of your photo frames a prime place to lurk. So I asked experts what we can do to stop this from happening.
Why do spiders hide behind photo frames?
‘Spiders are thigmotactic, meaning they are instinctively drawn to tight, enclosed spaces where they have physical contact on multiple sides. The narrow gap between a photo frame and a wall is ideal,’ explains Mosh Latifi, co-owner of EcoCare Pest Management.
‘It is dark, undisturbed, protected from vibration and positioned at a height where spiders feel safer from ground-level disturbance. Add in the fact that picture frames on warm walls attract small insects and dust mites, which are part of a spider's food chain, and you have a very appealing habitat from a spider's perspective.’
If you don’t dust behind your frames regularly, they become the perfect hiding spot, where a spider can remain undisturbed. Sounds creepy, right? But the good news is that dusting disturbs spiders, making it less attractive for them.
‘Disturbing the environment behind frames removes the undisturbed conditions spiders need to feel secure enough to settle. Regular cleaning also removes the dusty, undisturbed cobweb remnants that signal to other spiders that an area is safe and established. A quick dust behind frames once a week during spider season in September and October makes a meaningful difference to how many choose to take up residence,’ confirms Mosh.
Regular cleaning will also keep your frames in top shape, too, making this weekly chore a win-win situation.
‘Clean the surface with a soft, slightly damp cloth in gentle circular motions. Clean water is usually all it needs - a scouring pad or anything too harsh can damage the canvas and strip the ink,’ says Julia Kindermann, manager at Custtom.
‘If a piece hangs somewhere naturally damp, near a bathroom or an exterior wall, it's worth checking now and then that the wooden frame hasn't started to warp. A warped frame can pull away from the wall slightly, and that's exactly the kind of gap that gives a spider more room to move in.
‘Taking a print down completely is rarely needed. A quick check and a light dusting every so often is usually all it takes to keep spiders from making themselves at home.’
Deter spiders from your home:
If you don't like spiders in your home, ensure you're dusting the backs of your photos for prevention.
