Ask a House Cleaner, Spiderweb vs. Cobweb, Savvy Cleaner

Spider Web vs. Cobweb – What’s the Difference?

Spider web vs. cobweb – what’s the difference? How do you clean a spider web vs. cobweb? Is cleaning a spider web vs. cobweb different for a professional house cleaner than a DIY cleaner?

Today on Ask a House Cleaner we look at you guessed it, spider webs and cobwebs. Tips from the World Spider Catalog about spider species, how spiders spin a web of silk to catch their prey. How they live on bugs and water and how cobwebs made of protein came to be.

Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru weighs in on maids clearing out cobwebs. Bonus: best extension pole tips.

Today’s show sponsor is https://HouseCleaning360.com

HouseCleaning360 is a business referral network for house cleaners and maids and housekeepers.

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Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.

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Question: Spider Web vs. Cobweb?

Okay, so, today’s question comes from a homeowner who wants to know: “What is the difference between a spider web and a cobweb?”

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spider web vs. cobweb, spiderwebs, cobwebs outdoors on grassAnswer: A Spider Web is an Active Web

 

That is an awesome question. So, let’s take a look at the differences between a spider web and a cobweb.

A spider comes in your house, he spins an active web in hopes that he will catch other bugs.

This web is invisible and you cannot see it to the human eye. It is invisible to insects that get trapped in it.

The spider webs are made of silk. The silk is made of protein, and they’re sticky.

A Cobweb is a Spider Web Covered in Dust spider web vs. cobweb, spiderwebs, cobwebs on on old chains

And so, what happens is airborne dust will stick on those webs, and once covered in dust the spider web is no longer sticky to catch bugs.

And so, the spider will abandon that spider web and it now becomes a cobweb.

That’s the answer. Spider web vs. cobweb!

An active spider web is invisible, a cobweb has dust on it. That’s the difference.

spider web vs. cobweb the world spider catalogThere Are How Many Spider Species?

Now, according to the World Spider Catalog, there are 45,749 different species of spiders.

I know! That’s a lot of spiders, right?

They live everywhere and a lot of them are invisible and you can’t see them. You can’t see them because they’re sensitive to vibration. They hide in hopes that other bugs and insects will come into their trap. 

Then they will leap out, or they will run out, or they will pounce out, whatever it is that spiders do. And they will wrap up  the web and they will eat those insects.

A Spiders Survival is in Hidingspider web vs. cobweb, spiderwebs, cobwebs spider in bathroom sink

So, if you see a spider out and about, it’s usually one of two reasons;

It’s usually because he’s ready to eat something he’s caught, or you’ll find them near bathtubs because spiders also need water.

So, they will go down the drains and they will look for water or leftover water in the sink, tubs and toilets. 

Lots of spiders in the bathrooms. 

spider web vs. cobweb, spiderwebs, cobwebs bug caught in webA Spider Spins a Web of Silk

Okay, so, what is interesting about a spider is this:

The silk that they spin is strong and durable. Every spider has the ability to spin seven different types of silk. But most spiders only spin four or five types.  

The silk consists of protein.  And so, there are spiders that at the end of a day, will eat their own webs to recycle that protein.

This way, they have enough protein to spin a new web the next day.

Cobweb Strands – What’s Up With That?

Did you ever see a solitary cobweb strand hanging down from the ceiling? That’s the beginning of a spider web. 

And spiders will spin these long strings and then they swing on them all the way across the room. Then they attach it to a wall or ceiling so they can then build a web.

They build the web from the outside in.

And so, what happens when there is a long strand that’s just hanging, it came unattached somehow. 

So, those are invisible until dust collects on them and then you just run into them and they stick to your face. Or you see them because they have dust on them, and you take them down.

Cobwebs are Seasonal 

spider webs vs. cobwebs, spider web, cob web high reach extension kit

There are times in the house cleaning industry where you’ll see a whole lot more cobwebs than other times of the year.

And, chances are, if you’re seeing them in one house, you’ll see them in all the houses.

And so, we don’t do cobweb removal at every single house cleaning, that’s more of a deep cleaning thing.

But there will be a few times a year where you see a cobweb and you’re like; “Yeah, it’s that time of year.”

Then we grab our long poles that go all the way up. Two stories, with the Swiffer Duster on the end to clean all the cobwebs from the tops of the room.

And, like I said, if you need to do it in one house, you’ll probably need to do it in all the houses.

Cobwebs Are Not Just For Halloween

spider webs vs. cobwebs, spider web, cob web

We make jokes at Halloween, like “Oh, there are cobwebs everywhere!”

That’s a time of the year when cobwebs are popular.

The weather is starting to change, and so, the spiders come inside. And they make nests in hopes that they can find bugs that have also come in from outside.

So, the difference between spider webs and cobwebs: a spider web is an active web, and the cobweb is an abandoned web that has dust in it.

Now, here’s some great information from the Smithsonian Institute.  If you want to learn more about spiders and spider webs.

You Will See Spider Webs and Cobwebs spider web vs. cobweb, spiderwebs, cobwebs Pest Control Guy

So, you will see cobwebs in your house, just because they happen in every type of home. No matter how clean your home is.

The best way to get rid of them is the extension pole with the Swiffer duster on the end. Or you can use your vacuum with the hose attachment.

Reach up in the corners if you have lower ceilings, and follow the corners of the room all the way down to the floor. That’s where most of the cobwebs are. 

Because they’re easy to build the webs from one wall to the next.

Anyway, so that’s a little bit about spider webs and cobwebs.

Alright! So, until we meet again, Leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.

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Resources For This Episode

Smithsonian Institution On Spiders – http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ask-smithsonian-how-do-spiders-make-webs-180957426/

World Spider Catalog – http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/

High Reach Cleaning Kit with 10-Foot Extension Pole- Cleaning Kit for High Ceilings, Windows, Walls and Furniture, Fan and Ceiling Duster, Window Squeegee, Extender Duster, Telescopic Duster, Telescoping Window Washer – http://amzn.to/2wpdFsR

Swiffer 360 Dusters Heavy Duty Starter Kit, 2 Count – http://amzn.to/2wpgMRh

Swiffer 360 Duster Refills – http://amzn.to/2woOJle

Spiders:101 Fun Facts & Amazing Pictures – http://amzn.to/2wsNAJs

Ultimate Bugopedia: The Most Complete Bug Reference Ever – http://amzn.to/2vtGMqe

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Bugs – http://amzn.to/2w2c375

Unseen Spider All Over The World V.2: Photo Book of Spider Children eBook for learning and education – http://amzn.to/2w9nFUn

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