Happily for us, brown recluse spiders are native to the Southeast US. For us on the other side of North America, this means a bite from this highly venomous spider is not going to happen unless the spider arrived in some furniture being moved from the South. Admittedly, this has been known to happen- it's just that this is not normally brown recluse territory.
Black widow spiders have a more powerful venom than other local spiders, but they are not roamers. They build webs in secluded areas and wait for insects to get caught it the web. The best way to avoid black widow bites is to avoid putting your hands or feet where you can't see them (such as when you are moving a wood pile, cleaning a shed, remodeling a basement...) That being said, black widow venom is fairly powerful and can in some cases cause tissue break-down and infection requiring antibiotics. On the other hand, if you are bitten by one, you're going to notice it! This is not one of those cases where you just wake up with a tender red bump.
Smaller spiders are just not that venomous around here. If you happen to roll over one in your sleep, they can bite hard enough to break skin but their venom is not going to cause serious tissue damage. Mind you, any break in the surface of your skin can cause infection, but generally keeping the break clean with soap and water, and protected with Neosporin and a bandage is your best means of preventing infection from occurring.
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