You know what I’m talking about – those whitish, grayish spots in corners, on the floor under furniture, maybe on your vinyl siding under the porch light. Call them spider droppings or spider “poop.” If you’ve ever tried to clean spider droppings off of a surface, you know that it’s formidable stuff.

Spiders excrete thick, liquid droppings from their anal opening which land on the surface below. Spider droppings are a combination of digested food (insects) and waste products. The droppings look like pin head-size splats or drips in shades of white, gray, brown, or black. You’ll find the droppings on surfaces below where you find spiders. Typical indoor sites are on interior walls or floor beneath corner webs, under pieces of furniture or large objects that are up off of the floor (like tables), in dark corners anywhere. In fact, one way to find spiders in a home is to first look for the droppings, then look straight above to find the spider in its web.

If you get to the poop right after it’s excreted, it wipes up pretty easily. But once dried, it can be extremely difficult to get off of some surfaces. Even when removed, it can leave yellowish stains. It seems that waxed or glossy surfaces are easier to clean, although boat owners who are always waxing have a heck of a time with spider poop. So much so that there are entire Internet discussion sites for boaters on just how to get that stuff off. There are even commercial products just for boaters that claim to remove spider poop.

Which Cleaning Method Works Best?

What you use to clean the droppings will depend on the surface in question. You don’t want to use a harsh cleanser on fine furniture. And be careful of rubbing alcohol or solvents since they could melt the finish. I haven’t actually tried any of these Internet home remedies for myself so I can’t say which works best. No matter which method you use, a lot of elbow grease will be involved. It should help if you can let the solution sit on the surface for a few minutes before scrubbing. (Note that I don’t endorse any of the commercial products mentioned):

• Water/bleach solution and a stiff brush
• Softscrub and a scratchy sponge
• Scrubbing Bubbles cleanser
• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
• Drop Off Spider Dropping and Stain Remover product
• Simple Green cleaner
• Endust

And here’s a good one. One guy who claims to be a professional cleaner says you should use urine. Pee on a rag or towel, he says, and rub the spots with that. I don’t think I want that guy cleaning my house.

Here’s my best advice to get rid of spider droppings: contact Colonial Pest for a free quote, or call us right now at 1-800-525-8084! No more spiders, no more droppings.

Photo credit: Accretion Disc / Foter / CC BY