Truth behind tiny black dots on kitchen tiles
A woman who spotted “random” dots in her kitchen was baffled by her discovery – but she’s not alone. Here’s what you need to know.
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Warmer months in Australia can only mean one thing … spiders. And if you have noticed random tiny blobs appearing in your house around this time of year, it turns out there’s a connection.
One woman desperate for answers about the sinister black dots on her kitchen tiles turned to the internet for help stating at first she thought nothing of them.
But when more popped up, she took to a popular Facebook group asking for advice.
“Does anyone have any idea what these marks could be?” she asked members of the UK group, Mrs Hinch’s Cleaning Tips, alongside a photo.
There was one overwhelming response from many claiming it was spider poo (yes spider poo). But were the claims true?
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Ecologist and University of Sydney professor Dieter Hochuli has confirmed to news.com.au the black dots are in fact spider droppings.
“Spider and fly droppings look similar – and those small blobs are liquid nitrogen-rich poo,” Prof Hochuli told news.com.au
“To be honest, I have seem them around my house too.”
He said the dots are common in Australian households around this time, given warmer weather is approaching, but it’s nothing to worry about.
“There is no public health risk about them,” Prof Hochuli said, adding “we live surrounded by hundreds of spiders in our day-to-day lives”.
Online, the reaction to the dots was huge after the original poster said she had noticed the dots appearing in “random little patches” around her home.
“This morning this was on the top of the pc we have in the kitchen,” she wrote alongside a photo of her tiles.
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Many were quick to respond that the splotches were spider droppings, but “wash off with no effort”.
“Defo spider poo got on door due to light outside,” one member of the group wrote.
“Look above and you will probably see a web/spider,” another suggested.
However, not everyone agreed, with others saying the black dots were perhaps from flies.
“Definitely fly poop!” one person wrote.
“It happens a lot this time of year, spiders pooing everywhere, Dettox spray is good for it,” another declared.
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Last September, another woman shared pictures of a similar cluster of black dots that too appeared on her skirting boards and walls.
Prof Hochuli said people often mistake the droppings for coffee grounds, particularly if they’re on kitchen benches.
But if you look in the corners, you will most likely spot a spider hiding in nooks and crannies.
To get rid of the spider poop just use a stock standard sponge and wipe it clean.
Originally published as Truth behind tiny black dots on kitchen tiles