Support needed - spider related

[Dontfartbackinanger]

DH away for weekend. I’m at home with 18 month old dd and the cat. Have long standing spider phobia but it’s slightjy better after hypnotherapy. It is house spiders that most scare me.

Just had put dd down for nap. She had just fallen asleep when a huge house spider crawled across the room. It left then came back. Then crawled across her books to the wall. I left to get a glass bowl and piece of card (wasn’t sure if would be brave enough to catch it but needed to keep quite cos of sleeping baby). When got back it was by the radiator and it then crawled down between the water wipes box and skirting board so I took the opportunity and squashed it between the 2. I think it’s dead. I’ve just gone to check and I’m almost 100% sure it’s dead as it was partly stuck to the water wipes box.

I know it’s silly and I’m sorry I have (hopefully) killed the spider but I’m so shaken.

I have to do bedtime in the nursery tonight as DH not back till tomorrow. I always stay with dd till she’s asleep and sometimes that takes a while so I’ll be sat in the dark on the floor. I’m so scared.

Please help anyway you can.

Thanks! So relieved. Hoping I’ll gradually feel better as the day goes on. I’m going to take a chair in for bedtime though so I don’t have to sit on the floor. I’ll be so proud if I can cope with bedtime!

Thanks grow a picture would be great.

It’s an awful feeling. I used to be even worse before hypnotherapy but it obviously hasn’t worked completely. I doubt I would’ve been able to get close enough to squish it before that!

This is the spray I use

I'm impressed you were able to kill it and clean it up. Those were two reasons I had to teach myself to be able to trap them and put them outside. (The other reason that it was ridiculous to kill something that was pretty harmless, generally beneficial, just going about its spidery business.)

My phobia was nowhere near as bad as yours. I couldn't bear the sound and feel of their bodies crunching shudder

Well done OP. You were really brave. I've been getting slight anxiety reading this thread!!

I have a spider catcher on the end of a long-ish handle but, when the critters are larger than average, the handle isn't long enough!!

I don't like killers no them but I admit that I sometimes suck them up with the vacuum, then panic that they're still alive and crawling back out. DH swears the impact of them hitting the inside of the vacuum would definitely kill them but I'm not so sure.

I'll try that Raid, thanks for the tip

The ultrasonic devices are safe for children and pets. You can research on Amazon. Good luck! I’m terrified of spiders.

Definitely get some ultrasonic plug in from Amazon, I have 4 in our flat, left the Windows opened during the heatwave, and we haven't had any whatsoever (unless they are hiding from me) the amount of fly was very little too.

I never kill anything and I am so ashamed of this but the other night going to bed, I went to the loo and as I flushed a HUGE spider ran across the back of the loo. It had been there when I was on the loo! It was really fast. This is in our ensuite. I screamed and ran into the bedroom and closed the door.
DH is more scared than I am so he was useless. I got a glass and a card and decided I could probably catch it. I couldn't. It kept running. It was the biggest one I have seen. Then it ran behind the loo and I could see its legs sticking out but I could not get to it. I tapped on the loo flushed the loo but could not get it . Then it ran out at me and ran back again. I was crying by then it was so big and had had to go back into the bedroom.
DH sprayed the loo with Indorex (cat flea spray) and closed the door and put a towel across the gap at the bottom and stuffed it in so nothing could get under the door and into our room. I feel terrible that we killed it but the thought that it could have got into our bedroom during the night is awful. Neither of us slept much.
We were scared to go back in the next morning. I can't see it anymore behind the loo but DH thinks that will be because it's legs will have curled up. FIL has offered to check next time he is here- tomorrow. We have both used the main bathroom or downstairs loo since and are still have the towel in the gap at the bottom of the door.

Thank you for starting this thread OP, I’d never heard of the plug in repellents and my wee ones are petrified of flies which apparently the plug in works on too!

So my card has taken a battering but if it keeps the house bug free it’s bloody worth it!

Thanks for your support ‘hen’’! I might invest in them too. I hate flies as well (but in a they’re annoying way rather than I’m terrified!).

Been out for the afternoon so feeling a bit better. If I cope with bed time I’m going to think what nice treat / reward I can get for myself tomorrow. On top of plug ins!

Bold fail hen!

My phobia is really bad too. I've had to ask strangers off the street to come and help me get rid of them before. I can't even kill them.

What is the brand of plug in that people are using? Do they really work?

Bumping because I want the plug brand too.

Op you were really brave, I can't bring myself to squash them. Smaller ones I vacuum with the long handle bit but since moving here there have been some so big that they just flail on the vacuum (take outside as cordless and then turn off so they fall off the end) and my cats seem to be scared of them too.

I have 2 different brands of plugged in device, bought them of Amazon

www.amazon.co.uk/Hiberno-Ultrasonic-Repellent-Electronic-Cockroaches/dp/B07773NCJQ/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop

www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrasonic-Repeller-Rodent-Insect-Control/dp/B07997DZNN/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop_d_pd_title

It does say that they take a little while to work and that at first it may feel like you have more pest than before, but they are apparently just running away from the noise (I didn't notice an increase)

Good luck for bedtime OP!

Thank you, will get them before spider season really gets going.

Good luck OP, you have been so brave today. Fellow phobic here and I'm so impressed you managed to kill it without dramatics / waking the baby. I would have been terrified going back to hoover it too. Well done and hope you can be proud how well you've dealt with it. I had a little mantra that came from a card someone gave me once "no longer does she fear the spider, instead she draws STRENGTH from the knowledge of her BRAVERY in its presence"

I did it. My heart is still fast and I feel shaky but I did it. Sat on a chair. No way could I have sat on the floor. I’m sure you guys are the same but I keep a mental map of where I’ve seen spiders and then I always check that space. So just being in that space was hard. I hoping it’ll fade with time.

My phobia is actually a lot better than it was. There’s s couple of small spiders in webs in the conservatory but I’m ok with them as I know where they are. It’s the house spiders I don’t like. I suppose as they are more likely to just appear. I might look into more therapy / hypnotherapy as I really hate having this phobia!

Thanks so much for saying I’ve been brave. I have never squashed one before so I feel brave. I think it was the need to protect (I know illogical) my baby and the knowledge that I couldn’t not know where it was. I was so lucky it crawled where it did though so I could squash it without getting close (it is a huge Amazon prime day water wipes box!)

One time I had to remove a v small spider (maybe size of a 10p) but that was years ago and v traumatic. I think I must’ve been lucky and always had someone in. Plus a long period of living in 2nd / 3rd floor flats which are much better for being spider free!

Thanks for the quote shouty.
I love it! Will re read several times!

Anyway, thanks so much everyone. I really really appreciate it! Hope everyone has a lovely evening and Sunday! X