House wash experiences and spider infestation best practices

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

BonestockK1500

LT265/75/R16
Joined
May 20, 2018
Messages
1,046
Reaction score
1,993
Location
SE end of American Athletic Conference
Taking the long weekend to pressure wash the house. We get these nasty bag spiders by the thousands on an open porch and the nests are almost stronger than paint, caulk, soap and pressure washer combined. I’m walking a fine line between cleaning up 10,000 spider bags/pods/nests and ripping the paint off the porch. I’m using a eucalyptus based soap which is not doing much but does seem to really piss off the spiders. I’ve been reading peppermint oil is something that might keep them away. The problem is all of the bugs, which attracts the spiders I assume, and attracts the invasive Cuban tree frogs and native toads. The frogs then **** on the house and trim under the porch and their droppings must be acidic as hell because it seems to stain the paint black and that doesn’t wash off. So I think I’m seeking advice on:
1) any success you’ve had with different types of soap/bleach to wash your house exterior
2) any success you’ve had spraying for a spider infestation

my plan as of now is:
A)Finish this god awful pressure wash job
B) repair damage done to paint and caulk lines from the pressure washer
C) clean again and paint the frog **** stains
D) spray peppermint oil about the entire porch regularly
E) move my bug zapper to the front porch to cut down the food source
F) continue to catch the Cuban tree frogs and feed them to the bass in my pond
G) wash the porch more frequently than every other year

happy thanksgiving weekend
 

df2x4

4L60E Destroyer
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
11,159
Reaction score
12,702
Location
Missouri
Just curious, have you tried any mild solvents like Isopropyl Alcohol to get rid of the residue? That stuff will cut through lots of grime that soap and water won't touch, and should still be pretty gentle on your paint.
 

BonestockK1500

LT265/75/R16
Joined
May 20, 2018
Messages
1,046
Reaction score
1,993
Location
SE end of American Athletic Conference
Just curious, have you tried any mild solvents like Isopropyl Alcohol to get rid of the residue? That stuff will cut through lots of grime that soap and water won't touch, and should still be pretty gentle on your paint.

I haven’t but I’ve hired the project to a painting company in the past and they used a pretty strong bleach solution that seemed to do a lot better than my soap. Bleach will probably be my next step, especially on the mildew in shady areas.

check my previous assessment, the black **** stains are more likely all of the spider droppings. I’m going to keep cleaning and spraying until I conquer the nasty little ********
 

454cid

Sooper Pooper
Joined
Sep 5, 2010
Messages
8,008
Reaction score
8,888
Location
The 26th State
I haven’t but I’ve hired the project to a painting company in the past and they used a pretty strong bleach solution that seemed to do a lot better than my soap. Bleach will probably be my next step, especially on the mildew in shady areas.

check my previous assessment, the black **** stains are more likely all of the spider droppings. I’m going to keep cleaning and spraying until I conquer the nasty little ********

Spider poop hardens up, I guess. I get that in my basement in certain spots where they congregate in the laundry room.
 

PlayingWithTBI

2022 Truck of the Year
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
9,552
Reaction score
14,678
Location
Tonopah, AZ
I don't know if this will help but, years ago, when we had apple orchards we had Flat Headed Borers that would tunnel into the trunk of the new trees and wind up killing them. We painted the tree trunks white, to reduce sun damage which, in turn would make it easier for the little worms to get in. We also mixed some Lindane in with the paint to kill anything that would attempt to get in. Lindane was found to be a carcinogen by California and was a restricted use permit only compound but, I think they still use it to kill lice. It's about the only chemical that will kill Daddy Long Leg spiders too since they don't breath, they have to ingest the AI to be successful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindane

Maybe something like Dominion 2L? I've used it to kill Agave Weevils here in AZ.

https://www.domyown.com/dominion-2l-termiticide-concentrate-p-1223.html
 
Top