Do you grapple with cobwebs? If this is the case, you are not alone. Spiders come to every home, and their infestation is a battle you have to fight from time to time as a homeowner.
And yes, one fierce part of this fight is dealing with the webs. The moment these creatures find their way into your house, the first thing they do is “spread their nets” for a catch – which often works just fine for them.
But generally, that’s not a welcome idea for homeowners, and dealing with those webs can be a real nuisance. Perhaps that’s why you are here looking for ways on whether spider webs can dissolve. So, can they? We will be finding out soon!
Homemade Ways To Dissolve Spider Webs
Imagine, after a whole month of overseas vacation, you open your room to find an entire network of webs covering the roof! That is very distressing and automatically calls for a thorough cleaning session that I know most of us will find very cumbersome.
But fortunately, spider webs can dissolve in the correct cleaning solution. You no longer have to struggle to remove the thin strands of spider webs sticking to your broom or between the bristles.
With one of the methods we will be suggesting, getting your roof back to shape is easy. And the good thing – most of these techniques aren’t complex.
They include;
Method 1: Coconut Oil And Vinegar
You might have used coconut oil for removing sticky labels, fixing squeaky hinges, and several other tasks around the home. But have you ever known that coconut oil can combine with one of your most common household cleaners – vinegar – to make an effective concoction for dissolving spider webs?
Well, it can, and it’s pretty simple;
- Mix a portion of coconut oil to a pint of vinegar
- Stir the solution rigorously
- Pour the solution into a spraying bottle and shake.
- Spray on the webs and wait for them to dissolve.
- Clear any remaining moisture with a clean piece of cloth.
The coconut oil will break the sticky web strands and entirely disintegrate them. Vinegar, on the other hand, will act as an impediment to spiders from returning to the same spot.
Method 2: Essential Oil Mixture
Alternatively, you can use an oil solution that combines lavender oil, lemon oil, dish soap, and water. This combination is also an effective way to give you victory on present and future spider infestations.
Procedure:
- Combine the ingredients in a container. You will need ten drops of lemon oil, ten drops of lavender oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap for every cup of water you add.
- Put the solution in a spray bottle and shake to mix.
- Shake well before using it on spider webs.
An essential oil mixture will work well to restore the beauty of your home. It effectively dissolves the webs and repels spiders from coming back. Ensure that you spray the solution on the cobwebs and the surrounding area.
Method 3: Citrus and Vinegar
Citrus displeases spiders. Just identify a spiders’ favorite spot and place a bowl of citrus fruits. You won’t spot any spiders around that area. In fact, it will even make your space smell better.
Generally, spiders don’t like the smell of citrus. Citric acid is the main component that keeps them miles away from your bowl of lemons or oranges. Sure, this acid won’t dissolve the spiders, but it will keep them away.
To dissolve their webs and at the same time deter spiders, combine citrus and vinegar. Vinegar will perform the other bit. In fact, you’ll even love how this combination works in that citrus neutralizes the smell of vinegar.
Procedure;
- Soak orange or lemon peels in a cup of vinegar.
- Leave the cup overnight or for at least some hours.
- Pour the infused vinegar into a spray bottle
- Add water
- Spray the solution against cobwebs and spiders.
With this mixture, getting rid of spider webs and cobwebs is easy. The solution can also work as a regular home cleaning agent. And the next time you have a bug infestation, you can also count on it.
Now, with either of the three methods, you can now easily dissolve cobwebs. Only ensure that you use a spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle. That will help you adopt the ideal spray pattern for each area. It will also generally maximize efficiency.
Other Ways To Dissolve Spider Webs
All of the above techniques work perfectly for dissolving spider webs. But perhaps neither works for you. If that’s the case, we have other ways to deal with your current situation. Here are alternative ways of tackling spider webs in your home;
1. Vacuum Cleaners
Vacuum cleaners are a dependable tool for ensuring cobwebs are a thing of the past in your home. If you have one, the work is half done. With a vacuum cleaner, only spot a cobweb. The rest is easy.
You can follow these easy steps;
- Make sure your vacuum cleaner is clean and unblocked, and the vacuum bag is empty for maximum absorption.
- Ensure you have positioned the vacuum nozzle over the cobwebs and ascertain it is on the maximum setting.
- Move the nozzle carefully in an upward and downward motion across the cobwebs to ensure you remove them entirely.
But before you equip yourself ready for the challenge, ensure that you have the right tool for the work. Here, the heavy-duty vacuum cleaners come best. But for light-duty tasks, a regular cleaner should suffice.
For webs on top corners where you can’t reach, you’ll need extension attachments for your hose. With that, you should find it easy and convenient to suction away even the webs located at the hardest-to-reach corners.
2. Soft duster
Perhaps you don’t have a vacuum cleaner. It could even be the one you have doesn’t look like it will suffice for the work you have in front of you. Now, don’t worry! A soft duster should help you get things in order in a cinch.
If you prefer a duster, be careful not to leave some places attended. Crannies and nooks are some of these areas. A soft duster with a handle works well in tight spots where huge accessories may not help.
Procedure;
- Make sure you free all the debris from the soft duster
- Fill a basin with a cleaning solution
- Dip the duster into your cleaning solution
- Clean with the duster.
If you cannot access a soft duster, don’t worry; improvising one is very easy. Just tie one of your old rags or socks to the end of a long stick (or broom) and fasten it using an elastic rubber band. That’s it!
3. Paint Roller And Duct Tape
Where the cobwebs are on rugged surfaces like specked ceilings and walls, you’ll need some creativity in dealing with them. And yes, a paint roll and duct tape are some of the clever ways you can use here.
Procedure;
- Ensure the paint roll stick is long enough to reach your ceiling.
- Enfold a double-sided tape to a paint roller.
- Swiftly roll the tool over your rugged surfaces to remove the webs.
The process may require you to do several rolls, but they will ensure the place is free of cobwebs. Then, you can consider spraying deterrents to keep the spiders away from returning.
Do Spider Webs Dissolve In Water?
Unfortunately, spider webs do not dissolve in water. The silk proteins produced by spiders are insoluble, and that’s why you have to use water alongside some other compound when dissolving cobwebs.
You see, the chemical property of spider webs makes it impossible to dissolve in water. However, it’s soluble in some solutions. For instance, it interacts favorably with certain aqueous solvents. However, they form nanometer-sized fibers when exposed to phosphate, methanol, and other suitable ions.
Does Vinegar Kill Spiders?
Yes, vinegar can kill spiders, but that will depend on how much water you add to the household cleaner. More water reduces vinegar’s potency to harm and kill spiders. As such, always ensure that you get the ratio correctly if you opt to use vinegar to get rid of spiders.
So basically, in your bid to make these insects disappear, use vinegar with a higher concentration of acetic acid. The stronger the acetic acid, the faster you will win the battle.
Some homeowners even go to the extent of spraying white vinegar directly on the spiders without diluting it. While that works just fine, the smell of concentrated vinegar can be too much for some people to handle. It can also be a risky approach for homes with pets and kids.
Do Spider Webs Conduct Electricity?
No, spider webs can’t conduct electricity. The proteinous nature of silk disqualifies spider webs from acting as a conductor of electricity. However, cobwebs have electromagnetic properties, but that’s for springing them towards the insects.
Generally speaking, silk is proteinous. And as we all know, natural materials have poor conductivity. As such, you shouldn’t expect that thick cobweb hanging on your ceiling to replace copper wires. It has the most properties to make it a good conductor, but it just isn’t.
Some researchers have discovered that the glue that coats a spider web contains electrostatic properties that attract all charged particles around them. That explains why insects can detect the traps with their e-sensors.
However, that alone doesn’t make webs a good conductor of electricity. The simple ionization for electrons to flow doesn’t make something a good conductor of electricity. If so, that would mean almost every material is a good conductor of electricity provided there’s enough voltage.
Do Spider Webs Heal Wounds?
Yes, spider webs can heal wounds and cover up injuries. I know it sounds weird how these creepy arachnids are of medicinal importance. But if you dig into Ancient Greece and Rome, doctors used cobwebs in place of bandages and were also supposed to keep the wound clean from microbes.
Now, there are several fun facts about cobwebs. For instance, we have already pointed out that spider web is silk, a powerful compound. Weight for weight, this material is stronger than steel.
But that’s not all – silk is made up of protein and contains very high amounts of vitamin K, which helps blood clotting. Spider webs also have natural antiseptic and antifungal properties that help maintain a clean wound and prevent contamination. That explains why ancient people used them as bandages.
But generally, that’s an old practice. The current technology and innovations have revolutionalized the way of handling wounds. But again, that doesn’t blot out the fact that spider webs were once upon a time a reliable remedy for wounds.
Conclusion
With all the information that you have gained from this article, I am sure you can adopt the best dissolving cobwebs mechanism in your surrounding. Ranging from the various ways in place, you can choose the one that works well for you.
The best thing is that dealing with that network of webs doesn’t require any skill. Provided that you have the ideal necessities for the job and a bit of information about their use, you are good to win the war against spider webs.