This Simple Hack Gets Rid of Spiders and Webs on Outdoor Windows for Good

Living in an older historic home comes with its fair share of quirks that at times can make it feel like it’s haunted. The floorboards are creaky, the lights sometimes flicker, and there are a few mysterious rattles and pops at night. While those seemingly spooky happenings don’t tend to bother me, there is one that gets on my last nerve: constant cobwebs outside my windows.

No matter the time of year in Florida, my exterior windows are perpetually plagued by spiders who set up residence in the corners of the glass panes. Mind you, these aren’t the charming kind of webs that you’d see beautifully photographed with drops of dew. These sticky clusters of cobwebs look like a tangled, filthy mess. Despite clearing the unsightly webs away and cleaning the windows fairly often, the spiders always return in a matter of days. Then, I discovered a hack where you can use WD-40 to keep spiders from returning, and, of course, I had to try it.

The process couldn’t have been easier. Once I cleared away the cobwebs and cleaned the windows, all I had to do was spray a light coating of WD-40 around each exterior window. I started along the bottom windowsill and then sprayed around the sides and top until the entire perimeter was coated.

I also squirted a tiny bit of WD-40 in the little corners of my window panes, as that’s where the spiders seem to love to hang out. I was careful not to get too much of the WD-40 onto the actual glass because I didn’t want my windows to look greasy. After that, I just let it dry — there was no need to wipe anything.

To be honest, I was skeptical if this hack would work at all. But after checking the windows for signs of spiderwebs and seeing none after a week, I was pleasantly surprised to see how effective it was. And a month later, with still no cobweb in sight, I’m calling this hack downright ingenious. Apparently it’s the lubricating property of WD-40 that creates a slick surface where spiders can’t build their webs. I imagine the odor it leaves also acts as a deterrent. As a bonus, if you spray WD-40 around your door frames and soffits, it will repel other bugs from entering your home, and it will keep bees or wasps from making nests, too. 

From what I understand, because WD-40 is weatherproof, you don’t have to re-coat the windows even after it rains, and the initial coating should last up to a year. We’ve had a few heavy rains since I first sprayed, and so far it seems to be holding up well. And now that my windows are free and clear of cobwebs, I have a clean slate to put up my Halloween decorations, which, ironically, include fake spiderwebs.