The cobweb has become synonymous with neglect and disuse. When we see an image of a cobweb in popular culture, we imagine that an object or space hasn’t been touched in a month or years (as in this clip from the film ‘The Ladykillers’, where the cobwebs on the jail cell key imply that no one has been in locked up in ages).
When our clients find ‘cobwebs’ after cleaning a home, they often assume we missed a spot.
Is that true?
What is the difference between a spider web and a cobweb?
Part of the reason why people associate cobwebs with neglect is the name. Purists insist that genuine cobwebs are abandoned spider webs that bunch together in unusable masses that no self-respecting spider would touch (that is why spiders are never found in real cobwebs).
The word ‘cob’ is derived from the Middle English coppe (spider). So, etymologically, a cobweb is just a spider web. Many people call all spider webs ‘cobwebs’ whether or not a spider is actively using the web. Others say a spider web inside a house is a cobweb and those outside are simply spider webs. Incidentally, in Portuguese, the first language for most of my employees, there is only one expression for cobweb and spider web (teia de aranha).
Regardless of what you call it, webs in houses imply neglect. What’s the truth?
How long does it take for cobwebs to appear?
My purpose is not to turn off readers who don’t like bugs (technically, spiders are arachnids distinct from other arthropod insects; that’s why I lump them together and call them ‘bugs’). Nevertheless, it must be said that if you are inside a dwelling, you are never more than an average of five feet from a spider. They are virtually impossible to eradicate permanently from a house. The overwhelming majority of indoor spiders are pretty harmless, and all are extremely shy, with good reason. The exceptions include the brown recluse, which causes a painful bite. Remember, we are much bigger than they are, and spiders pose no threat to humans.
Now to the question of timing. Any indoor spider can weave a web in under one hour.
In other words, if your cleaner finishes up at noon, you might see a web in a window frame or under a table by one o’clock. It’s that fast.
My teams are trained to take out all webs they see, but they cannot prevent the spiders from reconstructing their webs. I have never challenged an owner who scolds us for ‘leaving cobwebs’, and I will never do so! I only mean that the spider web you see might have appeared since the last time we cleared the space!
Please feel free to call or email me with questions at 339-221-4702, or rob@libertysiqueira.com