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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I've created a conundrum. WWYD?

100 replies

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 20:56

I've just vacuumed. I was in the kitchen and saw what looked like a bundle of hair on the floor - or a spider with very long legs.
So,💡 I crouched down and blew on it 🌬️ to determine which 🕵️ and it went shooting into the corner under the counter. I blew again and it bundled up. 😳

That's what prompted the big guns vacuum coming out. 🙄

Now, I'm in a bit of a pickle because I have a canister vacuum and have to figure out how to safely open it to empty. 🤔
I figured vacuuming after sucking up the hair/spider would sandwich it in between dust and dirt, effectively trapping it. 🤗

But, I am not looking forward to opening the canister trap door and potentially having an angry spider jump out. 🙈😫

I'm also wondering how intrepid the spider is 🦹 and if it will try to escape the vacuum. If, of course, it is a spider. 🤔

I should add, normally I use the "large cup or jar and sturdy paper method" to catch spiders and release them outside. I'm not a monster.

AIBU to throw the vacuum into the garbage and buy a new one?

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JoshLymanSwagger · Yesterday 22:19

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:17

Is that so?! I might have to Google that and, if verified, post that trivia here:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5490401-every-day-is-a-learning-day?reply=150809334

Or you could tip out the contents of the vacuum and find the corpse(s)?💀

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:19

CinnamonJellyBeans · Yesterday 22:15

You are as intelligent as I had imagined.

🩷

thoughts merica GIF
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Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:23

JoshLymanSwagger · Yesterday 22:19

Or you could tip out the contents of the vacuum and find the corpse(s)?💀

I'm still waiting for some proof it is 1. Dead and 2. Can't get out if still alive.

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Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:25

Mapletree1985 · Yesterday 22:16

Poor little spider. Just trying to do its job of keeping down all the other creepy-crawlies in the house, and this is how its boss treats it.

As I said 🙄

"I should add, normally I use the "large cup or jar and sturdy paper method" to catch spiders and release them outside. I'm not a monster."

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PonkyPonky · Yesterday 22:30

OriginalSkang · Yesterday 21:16

If you vacuumed it its definitely dead

Not true. I’ve seen one crawl back out before

Rosscameasdoody · Yesterday 22:32

JoshLymanSwagger · Yesterday 22:19

Or you could tip out the contents of the vacuum and find the corpse(s)?💀

Still entwined in each others’ arms. Or legs as the case may be. RIP !!

Bunny44 · Yesterday 22:35

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 21:45

Should????

Coming from someone with arachnophobia who lived in a basement flat with a house spider problem in the bathroom, and once bribed a stranger from the pub down the road with a free pint if they checked it was spider free, because I just couldn't face it that day... I often used a hoover (they'd be on my towels or just hanging around waiting for me) and couldn't face emptying it so just had to leave it until someone less wimpy visited 😱🫠

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:36

Rosscameasdoody · Yesterday 22:32

Still entwined in each others’ arms. Or legs as the case may be. RIP !!

Between, "Burn it with Fire" and Romeo and Juliet romanticism, I'd say you're all an interesting lot tonight. 😂

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Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:38

Bunny44 · Yesterday 22:35

Coming from someone with arachnophobia who lived in a basement flat with a house spider problem in the bathroom, and once bribed a stranger from the pub down the road with a free pint if they checked it was spider free, because I just couldn't face it that day... I often used a hoover (they'd be on my towels or just hanging around waiting for me) and couldn't face emptying it so just had to leave it until someone less wimpy visited 😱🫠

"just hanging around waiting for me"

Of course they were.

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DaisyDooley · Yesterday 22:39

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 21:14

I'm just worried about the spider jumping out at me. 😬

I have been known to leave Hoover out overnight (risking being darkened on!) after I have Hoover up a spider.
If the bugger is still alive he’s not getting back on the house,
I also then Hoover up leaves, bits of ripped up kitchen roll to try and keep Mr Skinny Legs in the hoover until I dare empty him into the bin the next day .

Reader , l don’t like spiders and I bomb/spray peppermint and have many clove stuffed oranges in various places.

Good luck @Mumtobabyhavoc and may God be with you on your quest.

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:43

"just hanging around waiting for me"

Of course they were.

But, I was bitten on the back of my neck while sleeping by a fucking spider. I grabbed it while I was waking to the tickle of it fucking legs, likely causing it to bite, and threw it. Then I jumped up and stood screaming. My boyfriend at the time freaked thinking it was a home invasion. It was all in pitch dark as we were in a basement suite. 😂

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Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 22:48

DaisyDooley · Yesterday 22:39

I have been known to leave Hoover out overnight (risking being darkened on!) after I have Hoover up a spider.
If the bugger is still alive he’s not getting back on the house,
I also then Hoover up leaves, bits of ripped up kitchen roll to try and keep Mr Skinny Legs in the hoover until I dare empty him into the bin the next day .

Reader , l don’t like spiders and I bomb/spray peppermint and have many clove stuffed oranges in various places.

Good luck @Mumtobabyhavoc and may God be with you on your quest.

Ok, glad I'm not alone in the logic of sandwiching it in between debris in the canister.
I may have erred by putting the vacuum into the closet. 😳
Now wondering if it is too late?
Also, scared to open closet. 😬

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Strongopiniononaboutprettymucheverything · Yesterday 22:49

What you need to do is hoover up a bird which should eat the spider. If that doesn't work you'll need to hoover up a cat. then a dog, and possibly a goat. Not a horse, though, as their manes clog up the brushes. You're welcome.

Lateunclear · Yesterday 22:51

Hoover up something like cat litter afterwards to ensure its demise. In lieu of this, re home the vacuum to the garden for the night so it can escape, should it be dead. It’s a bit like Schrödinger’s cat..

RamALamADingDong2 · Yesterday 22:59

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 21:18

How can I be sure?🤔

Because spiders are surprisingly fragile. It'll be very dead if it's been sucked into a hoover. 💀

minerva7 · Yesterday 23:02

Strongopiniononaboutprettymucheverything · Yesterday 22:49

What you need to do is hoover up a bird which should eat the spider. If that doesn't work you'll need to hoover up a cat. then a dog, and possibly a goat. Not a horse, though, as their manes clog up the brushes. You're welcome.

Perhaps she’ll die 🎶

Soldierwam · Yesterday 23:08

I think you have ADHD, have you been assessed?

Mumtobabyhavoc · Yesterday 23:13

Google AI told me the spider likely suffered fatal trauma and (sorry, posting full text)

Since you are using a bagless vacuum, you should take a few quick steps to make sure the spider doesn't crawl back out:

  • Empty the canister immediately: Take the vacuum outside to your trash bin and empty the dust cup there.
  • Tap the canister: Give it a few taps against the inside of the trash bin to ensure the spider and any webs are completely knocked out.
  • Keep the lid closed: If you can't empty it outside immediately, leave the canister attached to the vacuum. Most modern bagless vacuums have internal traps or seals that keep debris (and pests) contained until opened.
Since it was a bagless model, the spider likely sustained fatal damage spinning around the plastic cyclone chamber, but emptying it outside guarantees peace of mind!

I haven't emptied it immediately -or, at all. 😳
Anyone else see the comedy in the poker-faced info provided by AI? 😂

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Springup24 · Yesterday 23:21

TheSunIsAlwaysThere · Yesterday 21:40

Experience tells me this is not always the case 😭

Yeah. Same 😭

FoolMeTwice2 · Yesterday 23:24

I don't mind spiders. We had a large false widow living in our bedroom for a long time, and I ended up naming it 🙃
We now have one that lives in the lounge. I much prefer them to flies or mosquitos. I will try to catch the massive ones un my hands, so they dont get hurt, and carry them outside if the dog or cat get too interested in them as I don't want them to get eaten.. the spiders, that is, not the dog/cat 🤣

I have to admit that I'm not so keen on walking into their webs, though. Really don't like the sticky feeling of them.

WaryWriter · Yesterday 23:44

Burn it all down

Washingupdone · Yesterday 23:45

Since you said we need a passport and you have been bitten on your neck, was it a little Red Back and the one you have vacuumed is a Hunter?

I would really do as it was suggested further up, bandage you hand and had a person help you empty the tube. Good luck.

Costacoffeeplease · Yesterday 23:47

Poor spider 🙁

nomas · Yesterday 23:48

Another spider dead unnecessarily. Not seeing the hilarity.

Fair enough if you’re an arachnophobe but killing spiders is neither cute nor funny.

Mumtobabyhavoc · Today 03:30

Washingupdone · Yesterday 23:45

Since you said we need a passport and you have been bitten on your neck, was it a little Red Back and the one you have vacuumed is a Hunter?

I would really do as it was suggested further up, bandage you hand and had a person help you empty the tube. Good luck.

I think a black wolf spider likely bit me (defensively) and I ended up with a swollen lump the size if a cherry tomato.
Considering size, I'm wondering if it was two entangled daddy long legs today? Harmless, I know, but I was caught off guard. 🤷‍♀️
It also could've been a bunch of hair...
It was just so surprising to find it in the middle of the kitchen as I mixed a box back under the sink. It must've been attached to the box.

eta Vancouver, Canada

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