Key takeaways
- Spiders hide in dark, quiet, rarely disturbed places: garages, attics, closets, storage rooms and behind furniture and appliances.
- Window frames, shutters and door frames attract spiders because insects gather there and cracks give them shelter.
- Widow spiders, Florida's only medically significant spiders, favor garages, sheds, woodpiles and other cluttered, sheltered spots.
- Shake out stored shoes and clothes, wear gloves in attics and garages, and vacuum along baseboards and under furniture.
In this article
- Why Spiders Choose the Spots They Do
- 1. Garages
- 2. Attics
- 3. Closets and Storage Rooms
- 4. Behind Furniture and Appliances
- 5. Windows, Shutters and Door Frames
- 6. Under Stairs and in Utility Closets
- 7. Bathrooms, Laundry Rooms and Under Sinks
- 8. Shoes, Gloves and Clothing That Sit Unused
- 9. Lanais, Eaves and Pool Cages
- What About the Brown Recluse?
- Make Your Home Less Inviting to Spiders
- When to Call a Professional
- Frequently Asked Questions
Spiders hide in the quiet, dark, rarely disturbed parts of your home: garages, attics, closets and storage rooms, the gaps behind furniture and appliances, window and door frames and the spaces under stairs. They rest there during the day and become active when the house is dark and insects are moving.
Knowing these spots helps in two ways. You can find spider activity early, before webs spread through the house, and you can avoid reaching blindly into the few places where a widow spider might be waiting. Here are the nine most common hiding places in South Florida homes, what lives there and how to check each one.
Why Spiders Choose the Spots They Do
Spiders look for three things: shelter, quiet and food. A spot that is dark, undisturbed for weeks and close to insect traffic is ideal. UF/IFAS notes that the southern house spider, one of the most common spiders on Florida homes, hides by day in the crevice where its web emerges and comes out onto the web at night.
South Florida homes add a few extras: hurricane shutters stored or left in place for months, screened lanais and pool cages, garages used for storage and outdoor lights that pull insects toward doors all year.
| Hiding place | Spiders you may find | What draws them |
|---|---|---|
| Garage | Widow spiders, wolf spiders, house spiders | Clutter, open doors, insects |
| Attic | Cellar spiders, house spiders | Darkness, little activity, stored items |
| Closets and storage rooms | Cellar spiders, hunting spiders | Boxes and items left untouched |
| Behind furniture and appliances | House spiders, hunting spiders | Undisturbed gaps, crumbs and insects |
| Windows, shutters and door frames | Southern house spider, orb weavers outside | Cracks for retreats, insects drawn to light |
| Under stairs and utility closets | Cellar spiders, house spiders | Low traffic, darkness |
| Bathrooms, laundry and under sinks | Hunting spiders, cellar spiders | Moisture and the insects it supports |
| Stored shoes, gloves and clothing | Many species, including widows | Dark, enclosed shelter |
| Lanais, eaves and pool cages | Orb weavers, house spiders, widows | Lights, plants and sheltered corners |
1. Garages
Garages are the number one hiding spot in many South Florida homes. They hold boxes, tools, gardening supplies and sports gear that sit untouched for months, and the garage door lets insects in every time it opens.
This is also where caution matters most. According to UF/IFAS, the southern black widow lives in garages, sheds and basements indoors and in woodpiles, rock piles and rodent burrows outdoors. Check behind stored items before you grab them, keep boxes off the floor on shelving and keep firewood outside, away from the house. For a step-by-step plan, see when spiders take over your garage.
Need help with pests in South Florida?
Toro Pest Management has protected homes and businesses since 1969. Get a free inspection and $25 off your first service, backed by our 110% Satisfaction Guarantee: if the pests come back, so do we, at no extra cost.
2. Attics
Attics combine darkness, very little activity and endless hiding places among insulation, exposed framing and stored decorations. UF/IFAS lists attics among the places cellar spiders live, along with eaves, sheds and other quiet structures.
UF/IFAS also recommends wearing gloves when searching old boxes or working in attics and basements. Use a flashlight before you reach into corners, and look for webs around the attic access before you climb in.
3. Closets and Storage Rooms
Closets full of seasonal clothes, holiday decorations or rarely used supplies are opened only occasionally, which suits spiders. Tightly stacked cardboard boxes create dark gaps between and under them.
Switching from cardboard to sealed plastic bins, keeping items off the floor and pulling everything out once or twice a year to vacuum makes these spaces far less attractive.
4. Behind Furniture and Appliances
Bookshelves, sofas, beds, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers are rarely moved, so the space behind them stays dark and undisturbed. Appliances add warmth and, in kitchens and laundry rooms, crumbs, lint and moisture that support the insects spiders eat.
UF/IFAS recommends vacuuming regularly along baseboards and under furniture to remove webs, nests and egg sacs. Pull large items away from the wall a few times a year to reach the gap behind them.
5. Windows, Shutters and Door Frames
Windows and doors are where light and insects meet, so spiders set up there. The southern house spider builds its flat, tangled web in the dark recesses of windowsills, shutters and overhangs, according to UF/IFAS, and it hides in the crack behind the web.
UF/IFAS recommends repairing cracks in window casings, sealing spaces above and below doors and keeping screens in good repair. Cornell entomologists add weather stripping around doors and windows.
6. Under Stairs and in Utility Closets
The space under a staircase, a utility closet with the water heater or electrical panel and similar low-traffic areas are dark and rarely cleaned. Webs there can go unnoticed for months. Add them to your regular cleaning routine, and keep the floor clear so you can see what is there.
7. Bathrooms, Laundry Rooms and Under Sinks
Moisture does not attract spiders directly, but it supports silverfish, roaches and small flies, and spiders follow them. The cabinet under the kitchen or bathroom sink, the space behind the washing machine and corners near the water heater are frequent spots. Fixing drips and keeping these areas dry removes the insects and, with them, the spiders.
8. Shoes, Gloves and Clothing That Sit Unused
Shoes left in the garage, gardening gloves on a shelf and clothes stored in a box are perfect enclosed shelters. UF/IFAS advises shaking out clothing and shoes, especially shoes that have not been worn recently. UF/IFAS notes that brown recluse bites in the parts of the US where that spider lives usually happen when a spider is trapped against the skin, such as when someone puts on clothing it has crawled into, and the same habit protects you from widows here.
9. Lanais, Eaves and Pool Cages
Not every hiding spot is fully indoors. Screened lanais, pool cages, soffits and eaves are sheltered, close to lights and often next to dense plants. Orb weavers, house spiders and widows all use them, and from there spiders find their way inside through gaps around sliding doors and screens.
Trim shrubs so they do not touch the walls, keep outdoor lights to a minimum near doors and consider yellow bulbs, which Cornell entomologists note attract fewer insects.
What About the Brown Recluse?
Many people worry that a brown recluse is hiding in their closet. In parts of the US where it lives, the brown recluse does favor undisturbed spots behind pictures and furniture and in boxes, as UF/IFAS describes. But UF/IFAS describes the chance of interaction between brown recluse spiders and people in Florida as close to nil, and UF entomologists report that only about 20 verified specimens have turned up in the state, all in buildings or vehicles. The harmless southern house spider is the species usually mistaken for it. Our guide to when you should be concerned about spiders in your home explains which spiders deserve caution.
Make Your Home Less Inviting to Spiders
A short routine keeps hiding places to a minimum:
- Reduce clutter and store items in sealed plastic bins off the floor.
- Vacuum corners, baseboards and under furniture regularly, including webs and egg sacs.
- Move furniture and appliances away from walls a few times a year to clean behind them.
- Seal cracks around windows and doors, plug holes where pipes enter and repair screens.
- Fix leaks and keep bathrooms, laundry rooms and under-sink cabinets dry.
- Shake out stored shoes, gloves and clothing, and wear gloves in garages and attics.
- Cut down on the insects spiders eat by reducing outdoor lighting near doors.
Spiders in several rooms usually mean insects in several rooms too. Read are spiders a sign of a bigger pest problem to find out what they are eating.
When to Call a Professional
If you keep finding spiders in many rooms, see widow spiders around the house or find webs returning quickly after cleaning, a professional inspection can locate the hiding spots and the insects behind them. A Toro technician inspects inside and out, identifies the spiders, removes webs and egg sacs and treats the places where spiders build and hide along with the insects that feed them. Toro’s residential pest control plan, Total Home Protection Gold 365, adds an every-other-month service inside and outside the home that includes removing wasp and spider nests outside.
Toro has protected South Florida homes since 1969, responds within 24 hours, guaranteed, and offers a free inspection. To learn more about the species you might find, visit our spider pest library or read 7 interesting facts about spiders.
Contact Toro today
A free inspection & $25 off your first service
A trained Toro technician inspects your home or business, explains what was found and gives you a clear plan and quote, backed by our 110% Satisfaction Guarantee.
305-594-4767Frequently Asked Questions
Where do spiders go during the day?
Do spiders hide in beds?
Can spiders lay eggs inside my house?
Are spiders in the garage dangerous?
Sources
- An Introduction to Some Common and Charismatic Florida Spiders, UF/IFAS Extension
- Southern House Spider, Kukulcania hibernalis (Hentz) (Arachnida: Araneae: Filistatidae), UF/IFAS Extension
- Southern Black Widow, Latrodectus mactans (Fabricius) (Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae), UF/IFAS Extension
- Brown Recluse Spider, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch & Mulaik (Arachnida: Araneae: Sicariidae), UF/IFAS Extension
- Spiders, Cornell University Department of Entomology
- Is it true that there are brown recluse spiders in Florida?, UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department
Educational content. This article is for general information about pests in South Florida and is not medical, legal or professional advice. If you have a bite, sting or allergic reaction, contact your doctor; in an emergency, call 911. Pest problems vary from home to home, so a licensed professional should inspect before treatment. When using any pesticide, always read and follow the product label.
