OK, I humbly submit an on-going disagreement between wifey and I about this issue.
Occasionally, we get a spider in the house. This immediately freaks my wife out. She’s going “Get rid of it! Get rid of it!!!”
So, I have the never-fail method of disposing of said unwanted guest. I get a clear glass tumbler from our pantry and a slim piece of cardboard or paper (those subscription inserts in magazines are perfect for the purpose). I guess the spiders don’t “see” the clear glass coming over the top of them, but for whatever reason, I am easily able to pur the glass over them onthe wall. Then, I slip the paper under the glass, take said glass outside and shake the sipder friend loose.
Then I replace said glass int he pantry.
Here’s the point of disagreement (aside from her desire that I just smash the poor thing). She wants the tumbler washed, or at the very least, rinsed out. I say that spiders are very clean and we don’t need to worry about such.
So, what say you? This isn’t GQ, but I’d really like more than just an “Ewww, it’s filthy, sterilize the glass!! Destroy the glass…nuke it from orbit!!”
On second thought, never mind. Give me your opinion regardless.
It would depend if the spider was walking around all over the inside of the glass on the way to the release point. If it was, I would probably give the glass a quick wrinse of water under the tap and shake it dry before putting it back on the shelf. If it spends all of its time on the magazine insert, then the glass is still clean enough for me.
Um, that would be to drop the thing onto the floor…Your suggestion is good, don’t get me wrong, but I just don’t think that will exactly work.
(migawd, what if there’s **spider venom ** on it?? <<uh, baby, spiders don’t bite glass, and anyway, spider venom is sterile. furthermore, touching it would not hurt you>> shriek spider venom!! spider germs!! spider…uh…stuff!)
I think I can stop reading right here. Do what your wife wants.
Marriage advice is EASY.
On a less joking note, I’d rinse it out. I wouldn’t take up space in the dishwasher, but a quick rinse works for me.
She won’t touch the outside of a glass that a spider has been in? How can she walk on floors where spiders have walked? What if she sees a spider on a kitchen cabinet? Do you need to remodel your kitchen?
If you don’t wash the glass, but just replace it it the pantry, how can she ever know that the glass she currently holds is not a spider glass?
I’m not sure about the common spiders you find in your house, but I know that tarantulas sometimes will flick off their abdomen hairs (like a bizzare porcupine) when they are distressed. The hairs contain an irritant to deter predators. For this reason, I’d be inclined to wash the glass. But hey, if you ain’t skeered, then more power to ya!
I agree with Contra, give it to your wife if she’s that worried.
I have the “Spider can” (Spider can, spider can, does whatever a spider can…). Any way, it’s an old coffee can that I always use. Why not have a designated spider glass, stored somewhere away from the drinking glasses? Everyone’s happy (even the spider).
I would assume spiders are covered with bacteria just like everything else, but do they have any larger parasites that they might have left in the glass?
In general, I suspect that contact with a human would contaminate the glass more than contact with a spider. And the tiny amount of venom that may have dripped from the fangs of a non-deadly spider is surely not going to hurt you. But there is the possibility of secretions and excretions–not only waste but perhaps some sort of signaling pheromone?
Really, it’s hard to imagine that anything that comes off a spider would be in a large enough quantity to hurt you. I’d say give it a quick rinse for psychological comfort.
But why don’t you just designate one cheap tumbler as the spider glass?
While I can see that someone who has no qualms about spiders might not care either way if the glass was washed or not - rinsing a glass is pretty easy and quick. How hard could it be to quickly slosh some water around in a glass for someone you love who is clearly uncomfortable about it? It’s not a huge amount to ask. I agree she may be overeacting a little - but everybody has things they overreact to, or most people do, in my experience.
And if that’s too much - why not designate one glass the ‘spider catching glass’? Never to be used for drinking and kept in a special place.
ETA: I should learn to preview.
And I quote: :How can she walk on floors where spiders have walked? What if she sees a spider on a kitchen cabinet? " I can onlypray that these thoughts do not enter her head…else…Know what? The hell with (else). There IS no else. I am NOT moving to Antarctica.
This is how I grew up. Growing up, we had a “bug jar” and piece of paperboard that we kept on top of the fridge specifically for insect/arachnid removal, used for no other purposes. No risk of getting spider-cooty-contaminants in one’s drinking glass when there’s a dedicated tool!
Unless I somehow squished the spider inside the glass, I wouldn’t bother washing it. An easy solution to this would be a bug vacuum. It seems to kill the offender, but no matter, there is no washing involved. This one is way cheaper and you can view your prisoner with 5X magnification. Perfect for freaking out the wife.