Normally, raccoons are found in forests, marshes, and prairies. But because of their ubiquitous nature, they are now becoming an increasing nuisance in cities. Sadly, this menace goes double in areas where raccoons can use their front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of foods. One good example is North America where raccoons masked like bandits have become a familiar sight. Oftentimes, they tend to eat just about everything edible, leaving wakes of household destruction in their path.
From destroying your vegetable gardens to rummaging trash cans, these cuddly critters are extremely adaptable in their destructive behavior. Not only that, they do so with the agility of a cheetah and the persistence of a wolverine. But then again, people are getting tired. Tired of the severity of destruction that raccoons can cause. As of this moment, many people seek solutions to deter raccoons from their property. In this write-up, we’ll look at how you can do that with natural raccoon repellents.
READ MORE: What Do Grubs Turn Into?
What are natural repellents for Raccoons?
Generally, the best homemade raccoon repellents are categorized into two; taste repellents, and odor repellents. As the name implies, taste repellents utilize strong and very offensive flavors, like cayenne pepper, to ward off a raccoon’s interest in an area. On the flip side, odor repellents use strong and offensive smells. Since raccoons have a great sense of smell, pungent ammonia and mothballs always come in handy to repel them. There you have it; an overview of the common natural raccoon repellents.
However, you need to note that each raccoon repellent, whether taste or odor-based, has special techniques for applying them. Most often, it is vital to firstly remove the raccoon’s access to food. Afterward, you can then add your preferred homemade products. But to discourage the raccoons from getting into your backyard to do their usual damage, there’s a to-do list of things to follow in order to apply the products correctly. Here’s a quick overrun for making natural raccoon repellent recipes:
1. Onion and Hot Pepper.
It’s a rule of thumb that raccoons hate the taste of black pepper and anything associated with spicy smells. Medically, an onion bulb is a bad news for raccoons since it causes anemia. Now, imagine what the combo of these two can result in; a perfect rodenticide specially made for raccoons (a racoonicide, lol).
To make one, you can mix the two spices with water to create an onion and pepper spray. With the mixture, you can spray fallen fruits on the ground. Likewise, you can try to make a cayenne pepper spray by mixing 1 bottle of it with 1 gallon of water placed inside a spraying container. You can also add a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to help the liquid adhere to what you’re spraying. After creating the pepper spray, apply the solution to your plants and vegetables.
In the end, you’ll notice that despite the fact that raccoons love free fruits and vegetables, it’s most unlikely that they will eat the ones you sprayed. For raccoons, a place with no food is no place to be. That’s good news for you, right? We say yes, and this is why cayenne pepper spray and others mentioned here are some of the best raccoon repellents spray. and you can gather the ingredients you need for this with anything between $9 to $20 for a single application.
READ MORE: What do Raccoons Like To Eat?
2. Peppermint Essential Oil.
Like pepper, Raccoons hate the smell of peppermint. As such, you can spray them all over the places where raccoons tend to search for food. This method can be very expensive because you may need to keep on repeating it when the smell fades away. So, a better alternative would be to soak some rags with peppermint. You can then place it in the particular area where your old raccoon friends usually attack.
3. Predator Urine and Raccoon Eviction Fluids.
In the animal kingdom, preys fear their predators. And raccoons are no exceptions. That’s exactly why this predator-prey strategy is very effective in getting rid of raccoons fast. When you spray predator urine on your area, oftentimes, it gets the raccoons thinking that a predator has just arrived. So, as a normal response, they tend to run off to a safer place.
In the same vein, eviction fluids also help to deter raccoons. This is because these fluids release a strong smell that female raccoons may think came from male raccoons. Normally, this replication smell tends to alarm the nursing mother to leave the entire house with her young. So, if a mother raccoon lives in your attic, here’s your best strategy.
Now, if the urine of raccoon predators is enough to scare them off, it would be a good idea if you know about their common predators. So…
4. Epsom Salt.
Of course, for us to mention it, raccoons must hate the taste and smell of Epsom salt. Luckily, you can easily prepare a quick recipe since you don’t need to mix Epsom salt with other liquids.
What you need to do is to scatter them around your garden or even your entire house. In fact, you can even scatter it around your trash bins to deter raccoons from staying there. Aside from warding off raccoons, Epsom salt also has good nutrient benefits to your plants. Hence, you can apply it simply as fertilizer while keeping your home and garden safe from raccoons.
5. Garlic.
Even to some humans, the smell of garlic is irritating. For raccoons with a pronounced sense of smell, garlic is like a mild air poison. As such, many people adopt it as a natural repellent for raccoons because of its strong smell. This irritating smell of garlic disrupts their ability to detect food’s smell. Not only that, its taste lingers on their taste buds. This, of course, can leave a raccoon in a desensitized state for many hours. To avoid that, raccoons would prefer to maintain their distance.
However, to use garlic effectively, you would need to sprinkle crushed garlic cloves or powder in focal areas. That is areas on your property where raccoons are often sighted.
Such areas can include dark spots in the garden and around trash cans. To make a good garlic spray, mix your garlic powder with dish soap and water. All this should be done in a spray bottle. Once it is done, you can then spray the mixture directly on plants or other focal surfaces.
Now, from the list above, you can easily see that raccoons have a very sensitive sense of smell and taste. This is why they would do anything to stay away from anything that irritates them even in the slightest.
Of course, since we humans are smarter than these menacing critters, we fight them at the place where it hurts the most. So, it cannot really be overemphasized to brush through a list of smelly things that can repel raccoons. So, to that big question:
What Scent or Smell Will Keep Raccoons Away?
As said earlier, raccoons hate spicy taste and urine. This is because urine contains majorly urea and ultimately ammonia. In science classes, teachers emphasize that ammonia has a pungent smell. Since it is characteristic of the urine, predator’s urine and eviction fluids from male raccoons will surely keep raccoons away. For the underlying reasons, read the paragraphs above.
Likewise, Raccoons hate the smell of mothballs. So, you may buy a full box and scatter them all over the places where your raccoon friends usually attack. However, these mothballs are quite dangerous to humans and common pets. This is because mothballs contain harmful chemicals that may cause serious illnesses. As such, it is not often recommended for use against raccoons.
READ MORE: Does Alcohol Kill Bed Bugs?
Other scents that keep raccoons away include peppers, onions, garlic, Epsom salt, and predator’s urine. Add to that, raccoons also do not like the smell of mint and blood meal scatter all over the place. So, that makes them effective natural repellents for raccoons. At any point in time, these scents would make raccoons vamoose your area.
So far, we’ve looked at household spices and common plants that repel raccoons. And suddenly, it feels like we’ve exhausted the list. However, not only spices can serve as effective natural raccoons’ repellents. Some household materials like vinegar and some soaps can work as well. So, to the two golden questions:
Does Apple Cider Vinegar Repel Raccoons?
Naturally, vinegar deters most animals. So,… yes! Raccoons are as much irritated with the smell of apple cider vinegar as they are of urine. So, you can utilize it by soaking a piece of cloth in your apple cider vinegar. Afterward, you can place it in your desired area. A piece of advice though; this area should be a focal point where raccoons usually stay. This is to ensure maximum utility to deter the raccoons. Other types of vinegar like white vinegar also work. But many people claim that apple cider vinegar works best.
Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Raccoons Away?
Currently, there hasn’t been any scientific evidence that proves the good work of Irish Spring Soap as a raccoon deterrent. But then, many people claim to use it. And that’s because it has a distinct odor as found in other raccoon deterrents. But since we have no published evidence of its effectiveness, we can’t guarantee any result. However, you can try to use the spring soap and see the results for yourself.
Now, with all that said and done, answer this question yourself: does anything repel raccoons? (Take a moment and read further). Well…yes! Several things can repel raccoons. And you don’t have to break your bank to get these natural raccoon repellents. In fact, you can get it done yourself, right in the four walls of your house!
What Are Raccoons Afraid Of?
Common examples of predators on a raccoons’ most-feared list include wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, and several species of owls.
Now, since raccoons are nocturnal animals, they tend to go out at night. Likewise, they are used to strolling out in a quiet environment. For this reason, they are easily startled by loud noises. These noises can range from radio sounds to the barking of dogs. Other than these stated factors, raccoons are also very afraid of the smell of peppers, vinegar, ammonia, and onions. Of course, you know this already.
But then again, these homemade recipes may appear like a cost-effective way to get rid of raccoons at first. However because the sprays are easily washed away with rainfall, you may need to apply the product often. Of course, that would lead to greater expense and effort to get rid of raccoons in the long run. But we say, it’s worth it!
