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An annoying thing where I live is when I park too close to the edge of the driveway and spiders make our side mirrors their new home. Because we have a couple of palm trees at the edge of the driveway where a ton of spiders live, if we park too close, then spiders will make their way over and take up home in the side mirror. I notice as soon as this happens because I’ll get to the car and notice all the spiderwebs all over the side mirror.
The space behind the side mirror is the perfect home for a spider, hence the reason they choose to set up shop there. Spiders are unaffected by the wind when the car is driving because the space between the side mirror itself and the side mirror housing is insulated from the air passing over the housing.Also, the space between the side mirror and the door makes a great place to spin a web and catch flying insects for food.
If you’ve ever tried to spray water directly into the space between the side mirror and the side mirror housing before, you’ll find that it’s incredibly difficult to blast the spider out of there. In order to get rid of the spiders living inside of the side mirrors, you’ll need a little more than just water from a hose. You’ll need something like a spray that will stun the spider in order to lure it out of the side mirror. Spider killer sprays will most certainly do the job, but even if you had a chemical cleaner at home, that might work too. In my case, I used some Windex Glass Cleaner, which worked for me.
If you have power mirrors, you can use the power controls to move the mirror all the way pointing towards the car. This will give you the most amount of room, to access behind the mirror. If you have manually-controlled side mirrors, you can use something like a plastic trim removal tool to move it by hand. You can move it by hand as well.
Spider Killer Spray: Terro Spider Killer Spray / Hot Shot Ant, Roach & Spider Killer
Interior Trim Tools: Tresalto Auto Trim Removal Tool Kit (5pcs)
Move your mirror in different positions to see what position gives you the most access. Usually the optimal position is when the mirror is turned so that it faces towards the vehicle. This typically gives you the most space to see behind the mirror.
Sometimes you might not be able to see anything, which is fine. You just need access this space so that you can spray the spider killer or equivalent cleaner spray into.
Here, I’m using just glass cleaner to spray into this crevice. Spray generously and in all directions inside of this space.
Immediately, this little spider came hobbling ou,t fazed from the glass cleaner. At this time, you can dispose/relocate the arachnid. After ensuring that there are no other spiders, clean up the rest of the spiderwebs with a paper towel, shop towel, rag, etc.
Finally, rinse down the entire area and spray water generously into the side mirror to ensure everything you sprayed on earlier, has fully washed away.
I’ve found this simple method to be highly effective at getting rid of spiders living inside of the car’s side mirrors. It’s really not necessary to remove the mirror portion off of the side mirror to accomplish this. With just some chemical spray, a paper towel, and water, you can flush those spiders out with ease.
