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Killing a spider inside isn't the worst thing you can do, but it's also not really necessary most of the time. Spiders are super useful because they eat mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs that actually bother you. If you let it live in a quiet corner, it's basically doing you a favor without you having to do anything. The problem is that a lot of us are scared of them, so the instinct is to kill it right away, but they really don't hurt us.
If it doesn't bother you that it's there, the best thing is to just leave it alone. Now, if it freaks you out or it's in a place where it bothers you constantly, you can grab a glass and a piece of paper, get the spider inside, and let it out outside without killing it. It's easier than it seems 😄 You just slide the paper under the glass and carry it to the door or a window.
If you kill it, it's not a crime, but you'd be losing a free ally against pests. I try to let them be because honestly it seems kind of pointless to go around killing things that aren't attacking me. But yeah, to each their own, at the end of the day it's your house.
In my house I stopped killing them years ago and I swear everything changed - fewer mosquitoes, fewer flies, basically I save on insecticide! Most spiders just stay in their corner eating annoying bugs, so unless it's venomous (and in most places they aren't), just catch it with a glass and let it outside if it bothers you.
It's not bad in a moral sense, but it doesn't really make sense to kill it if the spider is just chilling in its corner. Your companions are right that they're useful, but I'd go further: a spider in your house is basically free pest insurance. It eats mosquitoes, flies, even some mites. If you leave it alone, it'll handle things that you'd otherwise have to clean or put up with.
What does matter is where it is and what kind it is. If it's in the middle of the living room or on your bed, sure, move it out (without killing it though - just grab a glass and catch it and let it go outside). But those spiders that spin webs in the corners of the ceiling or behind furniture? Let them live in peace. They're not bothering anyone, they're not gonna suddenly bite you while you sleep - that's a myth - and besides, they're doing the dirty work for you. Killing it is just losing a free ally.
What nobody mentions is that a spider inside is basically a 24/7 pest control system that works without you doing anything. People get scared out of reflex, but if you see it on the ceiling or in a corner, the best thing is to leave it alone - it'll disappear on its own when it moves somewhere else or when its life cycle ends. The only reason to kill it would be if it causes you real panic, but if it's just because it's there, think of it as an invisible ally that's doing you a favor.
Don't stress yourself out chasing spiders all over the house just because they creep you out. I found a pretty big one in the bathroom once and instead of killing it I put it in a glass and let it out on the balcony, but then I thought it was kind of pointless because it would just come back in anyway or die outside, so now I just leave them where they are. The truth is once you get used to seeing them, you realize they're your best ally against mosquitoes and other bugs that are actually annoying.
If you're scared or grossed out by it, just trap it with a glass and let it outside instead of killing it - takes 30 seconds and you avoid the internal conflict. What nobody mentions is that spiders have a pretty limited range of movement, so if you leave it where it is and give it space, you'll probably never even notice it exists. The only reason to do anything is if it's exactly where you sleep or where your kids eat, but anywhere else it's just a win to have it there eating bugs for free.
Just grab a glass and a piece of paper, take her out the window - zero drama, zero guilt, and the spider keeps on living, hunting bugs in the garden where she's way more comfortable!
The premise of "it's bad" presupposes a moral judgment that reality doesn't really back up. Where there actually is a problem is with the automatic reaction: most people kill spiders out of fear or instinct, without thinking about what they're losing. The ones who mentioned here the benefit of having spiders in the house are right, but there's a detail that gets overlooked: a spider trapped indoors without access to prey will end up leaving or starving to death, so it's not so automatic that it'll stay controlling pests indefinitely. If the spider is in a strategic corner of the living room or kitchen, yeah it works as a guard; if it's in the bathroom or a hallway with no bug traffic, it'll probably leave in a couple of days.
The important thing is to tell the difference between spiders that actually hunt in your space (those are pure gold) and the ones that end up inside by accident or looking for temporary shelter. If you see one in the corner of the window or near where flies come in, let it work. If it's in a place completely away from any pest flow, it probably isn't doing you much good and sooner or later it'll leave on its own. Killing a spider because it's there isn't a sin, but it doesn't make sense either if it could be doing useful work. Best thing is just not to get hung up on it and leave it alone if it's not an immediate problem.
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