Asked on Jul 25, 2016

Cleaning spider droppings

Recycler
by Recycler
My wood and ceramic floors get covered with droppings from spiders...what is the best way to get rid of that without damaging the wood or tile?
  10 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Jul 25, 2016
    Vacuum and use a mixture of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle 50/50 mix.
  • Lyn2398900 Lyn2398900 on Jul 25, 2016
    Why do you have droppings from spiders? That sounds creepy. Get rid of them and your problem is solved!!! Janet's answer is good.
  • Recycler Recycler on Jul 26, 2016
    spiders are better than other bugs and people who are personally and environmentally careful do not use pesticides or bug killers around our pets and families . Janet has a solution...figuratively and literally. Yours is "creepy" when I think of chemicals
  • Johnchip Johnchip on Jul 26, 2016
    Either you are Moritcia Addams or you have a very unusual infestation you need to address. Are you sure this is spider discharge, not bat?
  • Recycler Recycler on Jul 26, 2016
    Yes I am sure. When one has several homes, and leaves one of them empty for months at a time, and doesn't kill the spiders (natural predators) or use insecticides indiscriminately , this happens. I also know about bats....have them outdoors in one of my homes and it is quite a different type of "poop". I just want to know how to rid myself of the stains, but not the spiders...
  • Recycler Recycler on Jul 26, 2016
    thanks, Janet, for your help...as far as the two others, I guess you like to insult
  • Lyn2398900 Lyn2398900 on Jul 27, 2016
    I did not mean to insult her! When she explained why she had this problem, it was clear to me! Otherwise it didn't make sense to live with them....now I know. And good luck gal!
  • Beth Beth on Oct 16, 2019

    ecover washing up liquid on a damp cloth for wooden floor boards. The same mixture with a dash of white vinegar for tiled floors.

  • Redcatcec Redcatcec on Dec 20, 2021

    Sweep up first and then use half and half white vinegar and water. Take a microfiber rag and wipe up right away.

  • Sailingfree Sailingfree on Apr 16, 2022

    I tried different things on my spider poop. Endust worked the best, and tomorrow I'll give Armor All a try. Edit: Don't use Armor All, it contains silicone.

    Denatured alcohol was good, but it left a white haze on my vinyl siding. Low emission paint thinner was poor. First try out everything in an out of site area, looking for damage and changes to whatever you are cleaning.

    Details: I have a pale to medium green vinyl siding. It is under a portico or porch roof so I have the tiny black dots and larger smudges on the walls. I sprayed on some Endust, and scrubbed with kitchen pad with plastic scratcher on one side. Some dots and smudges came right off, but most took 10 to 20 scrubs, some even more. One or two did not come off yet. Letting the Endust soak for a while seems to help.

    Important: The Endust spreads some of this black goop around, so wipe it off with a clean cloth.

    Endust leaves an oily film, like Armor All does, so any edge between cleaned and not cleaned shows. I do not know for how long this oily film is visible. It looks good, like Armor All does for a few weeks. Endust seems a lot like Armor All, And Armor All works OK, so tomorrow I will try it some more. It has to be cheaper.

    I used Endust on a strip of Acrylic Latex white paint. The spots were way more difficult to remove from the paint. Some stain still remained, and the paint is all shiny from the oily Endust.


    Edit: The next day the areas with AA and Endust were both covered with tiny bugs that got stuck on the oily films. The bugs came off easily with a broom, but now do I need to do this often? I Googled AA and found that it contains silicone (like Pledge) and so it creates a major problem if paint is applied over it.

    Edit: Endust contains oils, so I would expect problems if painted over with latex paint. Oil based paint may also be a problem, but I don't know.