Are raccoons causing chaos in your garden and rummaging through your trash?
Say goodbye to these masked bandits and take back control of your property!
In this post, we will be exploring the various home remedies that effectively keep raccoons away. Whether they are digging in your yard, eating in your vegetable garden or nesting under your porch, these tips and tricks will help you humanely and effectively deal with raccoon intrusions on your property.
Here are seven home remedies that people have used to keep raccoons away, including:
- Ammonia
- Hot Pepper Sauce
- Garlic
- Peppermint Oil
- Noise
- Motion Water Sprayers
- Bright Lights
Ammonia
Soaking rags in ammonia and placing them around the perimeter of your property can deter raccoons, as they have a strong sense of smell and the smell of ammonia is unpleasant to them. Another great place to leave soaked rags is hanging near fruit and vegetable plants. Raccoons hate the strong smell and will stay away.
Hot Pepper Sauce
Mixing hot pepper sauce with water and spraying it on plants you don’t want them to eat or around the perimeter of your property can be a effective way to deter raccoons, as they dislike the spicy smell and taste of peppers. Hot Pepper sauce is also great to mix with the bird feed to deter raccoons from getting into the bird feeder. I personally make my own hot pepper sauce when I have a good crop of hot peppers or you can use Coles Hot Pepper Sauce found on Amazon. If your looking for pre mixed bird seed then Coles Wild Bird Seed works well.
Garlic
Another home remedy to keep raccoons away is garlic. Raccoons are known to dislike the strong odor of garlic, so it can be used to deter raccoons using garlic around the perimeter of your property or mixing garlic crushed cloves with water and spraying it around areas you want raccoons to avoid. The best way to use garlic is to crush up 3 to 4 cloves and leave them in small container near areas you want to deter them. You can also try hanging cloth bags of crushed or minced garlic to deter raccoons.
Peppermint oil
Peppermint oil has been a well know pest deterrent for mice, rats and other rodents. It also is an effective home remedy to keep raccoons away. Raccoons dislike the strong spicy smell of peppermint essential oil. Mix peppermint essential oil with water and spray around the perimeter of your home to keep raccoons away. If used properly, raccoons will avoid the smell. Here is a link to Peppermint Essential Oil, or, if you want something pre-made you can try Raccoon Defense Spray.
Noise
Raccoons are skittish animals and may be deterred by loud noises, such as clapping, shouting, or using a whistle. Try putting out a radio at night in areas where raccoons are raiding you yard. The sound will deter them. A motion sensing noise maker that makes load noise when they approach is also a great way to scare them off.
Motion Water Sprayers
Raccoons dislike getting sprayed with a hose. A motion sensor sprinkler works great as a home remedy to startle them and keep them away from certain areas of your yard. Just set one up in areas raccoons are visiting to give them a good soak. You can find many high-pressure water sprayers to deter them online such as the Havahart Critter Ridder which can detect raccoons approaching from 100 feet away .
Bright lights
Raccoons are nocturnal animals and are sensitive to bright lights, light up areas at night where you want raccoons to avoid. Also using motion-activated lights around their property can be a great way to deter them. I have found that motion activated strobe lights that also make noise works well to keep them away.
Conclusion
It’s important to note that while these remedies may work in some cases, they may not be effective in all situations and raccoons can become accustomed to the smells, sounds and lights so it’s best to use multiple methods or consult with a professional for a long-term solution.
For additional tips or to learn more read my post on the 22 Best Ways to Get Rid of Raccoons.
