As a homeowner, there are a few things you can never dodge. A case in point is the war against unwelcome intruders. From armed robbers to spiders and roaches, there will always be something or the other that tries to make its way into your home uninvited.
Yet, of all these intruders, raccoons are among the most notorious. Usually, they will invade your garage between January and September and can be a nuisance once they come.
Now, if raccoons have turned your garage their home, you might be wondering how to get rid of them. After all, these creatures can be dangerous and incredibly destructive to have around. So, to be in the know, keep reading to the end!
Should You Call Animal Control To Get Rid of Them?
No, you shouldn’t call animal control to get rid of raccoons from your home unless under certain circumstances. In most cases, raccoons will leave on their own for a new den when they feel it’s time to do so.
When you see a raccoon in your garage, chances are it’s a mother raccoon. As said, these raccoons show up in homes when searching for a more favorable place for nursing their young ones.
Mother raccoons are a bit caring and feel the wild is too cruel to raise their young ones. So, they do all in their power to find a safer place. Once they feel that your garage is ideal, they set up their den in there.
Now, evicting a mother raccoon can endanger her young ones. Sometimes the mother raccoon may act aggressively towards you because she feels you’re a threat to her young ones.
Hence, the best thing you can do is wait for the mother raccoon and her young ones to leave at their pleasure. They eventually will. This way, you won’t have to harm any of them, and you’ll be in the clear!
However, that doesn’t mean you should always wait for the raccoons to leave. If you feel that the mother raccoon and her young ones are a real threat to your safety, call animal control.
Sometimes you may find raccoons making noise than you’d be willing to tolerate. If that’s it, go ahead and bring in the right personnel to evict these creatures from your home.
Just ensure that you don’t take the eviction assignment on your own. It can be pretty tricky and dangerous.
What Do Raccoons Hate The Most?
Raccoons hate any scent that irritates their noses. Raccoons value their noses and rely on them for various things, from identifying food to detecting danger. So, any smell that seems out of place is enough to send them running for the hills!
You have that one thing that doesn’t settle right with your nose. Well, that’s how raccoons feel about some smells. Actually, it should be even worse for them, considering they have a keener sense of smell than we do.
And yes, you can use this to your advantage by investing in products that release smells that raccoons hate. When properly used, these products will keep the creatures from finding their way into your garage in the first place.
What Smells Deter Raccoons?
The smell of onion and pepper, Epson salt, garlic juice, peppermint oil, and hot pepper deter raccoons. Hence, if you want to get rid of these unwelcome visitors from your garage, give these smells a try.
Let’s take a closer look at these products;
- Onion And Pepper: A combination of these two produces a pungent smell that raccoons hate. You can chop some onions and mix them with ground pepper and water, then sprinkle the mixture around your garage.
- Epson Salt: Opt to use it as a fertilizer for your yard and it will also do the extra bit of keeping raccoons away from your home.
- Garlic Juice: It’s another effective way to repel these creatures off your home. Garlic juice produces a more long-lasting pungent smell that most raccoons can’t withstand.
- Peppermint Essential Oil: Its use cuts across various applications, one of which is keeping raccoons at bay. The smell will also not settle fine with raccoon’s noses and will keep them at bay.
- Hot Pepper: You can use it to make a spray that will irritate the creatures’ olfactory receptors, keeping them off your premises.
All of the above products should work to keep your home from raccoon invasion. But again, they only provide a temporary solution. The best way to keep raccoons away is by calling a professional for their removal whenever you spot them in your garage.
7 Ways To Keep Raccoons Out of The Garage
You can get raccoons out of the garage by making the place more unsupportive for their stay. Light, ultrasound devices, and DIY raccoon deterrents are just a few ways of keeping raccoons off your garage.
To understand bet how you can keep raccoons off your garage, let’s take a more detailed look at each method;
1. Motion-Activated Light
Raccoons are nocturnal animals, so they’re more active at night. A well-lit garage makes it harder for the creatures to stay and rummage through your things.
A motion-activated light would be ideal as it will only come on when there’s movement, conserving power.
You can also go a step further by installing floodlights in some areas and keeping them on throughout the night. The light will act as a deterrent, forcing the raccoons to look for an alternative place to stay.
2. Ultrasound Devices
Another way to keep raccoons out of your garage is by using ultrasound devices. These devices emit high-frequency sounds that are unbearable to the creatures.
When shopping for an ultrasound device, get one that’s specifically intended for repelling raccoons. You can find these devices in most hardware stores.
Again, ensure that you position them well, considering that the creatures are very good at finding their way around things.
3. DIY Raccoon Deterrents
You can also make your own raccoon deterrents using household items. For example, you can use ammonia-soaked rags or cayenne pepper to keep raccoons away.
To use cayenne pepper, mix it with water and spray the mixture around your garage. The pungent smell will keep the raccoons away.
As for ammonia, soak some rags in it and place them around the garage. Ammonia has a strong smell that raccoons can’t stand, so this should work to keep them away.
4. Secure Your Trash Can
Raccoons primarily show up in the garage when finding a place to nurse their young ones. But that’s not always the case. These creatures can also invade your home in search of food.
If you have an open trash can, raccoons may come looking for food. To avoid this, ensure that you secure your trash can. One way to do this is by tying the lid down with a rope or bungee cord.
You can also opt to buy a trash can with a locking lid. These usually come with a foot pedal that you can use to open and close the lid.
5. Seal The Entry Points
If you can effectively do this, be sure that raccoons will never find their way into your garage. Raccoons don’t just appear out of nowhere.
More often than not, they find their way into the garage through small openings and holes. To keep them out, you need to seal these entry points.
You can use caulk or expanding foam to fill in the holes and cracks. For the openings, you may need to install wire mesh to keep the creatures out.
6. Use Motion Detector Sprinklers
It doesn’t sound practical to use a water sprinkler in your garage. But that’s not it. You only need to install these sprinklers at strategic positions around your home.
A sudden blast of water is enough to startle the creatures and send them running for their lives. What’s more, raccoons don’t like getting wet. So, this should work as an effective deterrent.
7. Hire a Professional
Finally, you may need a professional to keep these creatures out of your garage. Here, call animal control or a pest control company.
These professionals have the necessary tools and equipment to get rid of raccoons. They also know how to do it in a way safe for you and your family. Remember that raccoons can be dangerous, so it’s best to leave this job to the professionals.
How To Prevent Raccoons From Coming To Your Home?
The most effective way to prevent raccoons from coming to your home is by installing an electric fence. An electric barrier serves as a long-term solution and will keep raccoons away for good.
Installing an electric fence isn’t the cheapest way of preventing raccoons from your home. However, it’s one of the most effective methods. It will keep raccoons and other wildlife off your space.
But if you can’t install an electric fence for whatsoever reason, you can still try other ways of keeping raccoons off your home.
They include;
- Remove Food Source: As said, raccoons may come to your property searching for food. So, by removing the food source, you can effectively keep them away. To do this, ensure that all the food access points are raccoon-proofed. That includes the trash, bird feeders,
- Making Your Home Less Accessible: You may need to use screens, mesh, and other physical barriers. You will also need to block their potential hiding places such as chimneys, attic, and other areas.
- Use Live Cage Traps: These traps capture raccoons without harming them.
- Use Repellents: You can use various chemicals to deter raccoons from coming into your home. Predator urine, cucumber plants, and blood meal may also do well keeping these creatures at bay.
- Get A Watchdog: If you can’t do any of the above, getting a watchdog may be the only way to keep raccoons away. A dog will bark at the raccoons, scaring them away.
With the above information, you now know how to get rid of raccoons in the garage and keep them away from your home. Use the tips above, and you shouldn’t have to worry about these creatures anymore.
Conclusion
Raccoons will come to your garage in search of food or shelter. To get rid of them, know what’s attracting them in the first place. From there, you can respond by removing their source of attraction.
And while more likely raccoons will leave on their own, sometimes you may need to bring in the big guns. That’s why it’s essential to know how to get rid of raccoons in the garage should they decide to make it their home.