As we prepare for the thrill of Halloween by watching scary movies, visiting haunted houses and decorating our homes, there is a central theme – cobwebs! They add a feeling of old, abandoned, mysterious, creepy and scary. All of these things are great in fantasy, however, most of us would prefer that our homes are a little more inviting so we inevitably must deal with the removal and prevention of cobwebs.
Cobwebs are a result of old, abandoned spider webs. Because the spider is no longer maintaining the web, they lose their structure and gather dust, dander, pollen and other airborne particles that make a sticky mess in low traffic areas, such as corners of ceilings or doorways.
Taking care of cobwebs is a two step process – dealing with the vermin that create them and keeping the home clean.
Because spiders are what create the cobwebs in the first place, if you have a lot of them, chances are spiders are living alongside you in your home. Take care of the spiders first by applying an insecticide around the perimeter of your home.
Removing the cobwebs is fairly easy if you have the right tools. At House Spouse, we use a special microfiber duster on an extension pole that works very well. Of course, most people don’t have this type of equipment around their home, so there are some tools around the house already that will get the job done. A broom works really well for getting into high places and snagging the web down. If the broom isn’t quite powerful enough, a vacuum extension hose often works really well too.
For regular home cleaning, the first thing you do when starting a whole home cleaning should be to dust for cobwebs. Essentially, walk the perimeter of each room while running your high-duster tool along the ceiling. You want to do this before cleaning the rest of the house as the cobwebs will fall to the floor (or couch or table or whatever is underneath them) and may dirty something that you have already cleaned.
Cobwebs are a bit of a mess and are quite unsightly. However, they are easy to care for as part of your regular cleaning routine. Happy Halloween!
