Depending on where you live, a raccoon repellent might be something you use every day or not at all. For some people, these critters have become so much of a problem that they utilize things like ultrasonic pest repellers for outdoor use to make sure they deal with it.
However, not everybody adheres to these types of methods. Even though most people agree that raccoons can be dangerous animals especially with their ability to carry diseases, some of us refuse to hurt them even for protecting ourselves. With that in mind, we put together a guide on how to dispatch your home invaders in a natural, non-violent way.
What to Know Before Warding Off Your House
When it comes to raccoon invaders, the smart thing to do would be to try and stop the situation from happening altogether. If you have certain areas that must be protected, keep in mind that physical barriers around your property can eliminate their entry points and even stop them from getting in.
A great start would be sealing any holes you can find. Since your “furry friends with no boundaries” have a great sense of smell and won’t be ashamed if they are caught digging their way inside your house, anything larger than three inches can turn into their next door. Feel free to use things like concrete, caulk or wood to cover your weaknesses.
When doing this, don’t forget that your house comes already-equipped with some purposeful openings that might still act as a lure for raccoons. These can include your chimney or even your side house vents. Creating a barrier over those openings using things such as mesh or screen can save you a world of trouble.
Since going natural is the new all-around fashion, we have also prepared some raccoon repellent ideas that are completely gluten-free. Furthermore, these are also suited for all types of needs and budgets, so they can prove useful to even the most raccoon-challenged of us.
Cayenne Pepper Spray For Your Garden
Since your furry invaders are renowned chicken predators and will wreak havoc in a vegetable garden, dealing with raccoons can quickly become a very frustrating situation. Cayenne pepper is a great way to repel both critters and pests since the rodents hate the smell of cayenne.
Homemade animal repellent sprays can thus be your salvation if used right. You will need a small canister of cayenne pepper, one gallon of water and 1 bottle of hot sauce. Add the small canister of cayenne and the bottle of hot sauce to 1 gallon of water and stir to taste. Soak your garden plants and bushes in it and wave raccoons away. Do reapply after a rainfall.
Ammonia
It is important to remember that these animals present a distinctive threat, as they can cause problems in both rural and urban areas and they can be a problem all year round. Besides the havoc they bring to trash cans and your clean driveway, raccoons can also carry distemper, roundworm, and fleas.
Since it is so potent, ammonia has a number of uses against them. You can position several rags soaked in ammonia around the entrances to the raccoon’s nest if you know where it is. You can also spray it in the places where you have spotted them or even sprinkle one cup of ammonia inside each of the trash cans to keep them away.
Mothballs
Raccoons severely dislike the odor of mothballs. Do you know what they dislike even more? That would be even more mothballs in the attics and crawl spaces they try to get into. Be warned, however, that if they are left in such places for a long time, the chemicals can seep into the rest of your house.
Never underestimate the dangers that these may represent. The chemical odor notwithstanding, mothballs can even be ingested by pets or small children, so make sure to use this raccoon-repelling method with extreme caution.
Predator Urine
Okay, we know that this may sound weird, but hear us out. Would you go into a cave where you know for a certainty that you would find dangerous predators able to eat you? This is basically the same principle here. This deterrent method will trick raccoons into thinking a big and powerful animal is nearby, scaring them away.
Such goodies can be found in sporting goods stores and also many online retailers. If you have a choice, look for urine from wolves, coyotes, bobcats or mountain lions and other such predators. Use it around the areas the raccoons like to dwell in and watch them melt away.
Epsom Salt
As we said, these invaders can be very damaging to your vegetable garden. Another good solution is deterring them by sprinkling Epsom salt around and inside it. The raccoons dislike it so much that they should avoid the area altogether and likely not return.
However, despite the effectiveness of this solution, it does need a little bit of maintenance. You need to be careful to re-apply it after every rain or after a couple of weeks with no humidity involved.
Some other tips from professionals
Other than the ideas mentioned above, there are certain smaller steps you can take to prevent raccoons from ever coming to your house again. Keep the trash can lids secured with a rope or a bungee cord, while also regularly cleaning your yard to prevent rummaging animals from appearing.
If you have any pets and especially if they are living outside, pick up their food and water bowls every night to keep the invaders from having a go at them.
Another thing you should do is not forget who you are dealing with. Even though these raccoon deterrents are effective, these are intelligent creatures who will eventually figure out what you are doing to scare them away. Respect them enough to observe and understand what will work for you in the long term.
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