If you’re struggling with raccoons, then you’re probably looking to do anything you can to get rid of them. So it’s not surprising that you may have heard that Irish spring soap can keep them away.
In this article, not only will you find out whether Irish spring soap is going to keep raccoons away, but you’ll also learn how you should use it, other smells raccoons hate, and other methods you should try to make sure you get rid of them for good!
Does Irish Spring Soap Deter Raccoons?
Using Irish Spring soap can deter raccoons, but only temporarily. While they’ll hate the smell at first, as they become used to it, they’ll continue invading your home!
However, due to the low cost of Irish spring soap, it’s well worth trying it for yourself and seeing what results. Some people swear by it, especially if you only need to deter raccoons temporarily.
How Do You Use Irish Spring Soap To Deter Raccoons?
If you want to use Irish Spring soap to deter raccoons, then there are a few different methods you can try depending on your needs. Here are the different ways to use it effectively!
Soap Flakes
The easiest method is to grate Irish spring soap into flakes. Once you have enough flakes, just sprinkle them around the areas that you think raccoons are frequenting. Or if there are any places in your home, you think they like, you can sprinkle the flakes there as well.
Tie The Soap
If you notice that raccoons have been climbing trees in your garden, then you can also tie soap to the trees as well. To make sure that the fragrance is as overpowering as possible, make sure you’re cutting the soap bars into halves or quarters for maximum effect.
Then all you need to do is place the halves of soap in a mesh bag and then hang them from the tree. Hanging the soap is key, as it will make it much harder for the raccoons to remove it.
For the best results, it’s recommended to space each bar piece of soap about 3 feet from each other, however, you should always experiment to see what works best for you.
Stake The Soap
If you need to protect garden plants from racoons, then using stakes to keep the soap in place is one of the best methods. To do this, you just need to cut the soap in half and add it to mesh bags. Once you’ve done this, make a perimeter of stakes around your plants, with each one being about 3 feet apart. Then staple the bags to the stakes.
How Long Does Irish Spring Soap Last?
Unfortunately, there’s not way to know how long Irish spring soap is going to last. It will all come down to the temperament of the racoons. Eventually though, they will become used to the smell of the spring soap and it will no longer bother them.
Other Scents That Raccoons Hate
Fortunately, Irish Spring soap isn’t the only smell that raccoons hate. You can also use the following to help deter them for a time as well!
Onion & Pepper
Raccoons hate the mixture that is made when you mix onion and pepper with some water! They will stay away from the places where it has been sprayed because the smell from this combination will temporarily disorient all of their nasal receptors.
Epsom Salt
Another effective repellent is Epsom salt, which is ideal for keeping raccoons out of your garden. Epsom salt is a fantastic fertilizer for your garden in addition to being a raccoon repellent, hence why it’s a great choice!
Garlic
Garlic may not be your favorite odor, but raccoons are going to detest it even more! Use garlic juice for the greatest outcomes because the fragrance from the juice is even stronger.
Peppermint Essential Oil
There is some good news when it comes to scents that will deter raccoons. You can also use peppermint essential oil to deter raccoons if you don’t want your house to smell bad because while it will make your house smell great, raccoons are going to absolutely hate it!
Hot Pepper
Last but not least, hot pepper is one of the stronger aromas that raccoons abhor the most, so it’s worthwhile to try this too. Hot pepper will directly damage a raccoon’s nasal receptors, causing disorientation and making it challenging for them to find the meal they genuinely desire!
Other Solutions To Deter Raccoons?
As you can see, Irish spring soap isn’t the best method for deterring racoons for good. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be deterred. Here are some other things you can try to get rid of them!
Keep Your Trash Sealed
The first thing to do is make sure your trash is well-sealed. Raccoons enjoy searching through trash for meals. Making sure they can’t get your trash will therefore make your home far less enticing to them.
Block Off Entry To Your Home
Additionally, you should also make sure that entrances to your property are blocked off too. It’s shocking all the different ways raccoons can enter your home. So you must consider less visible entrances, such as your chimney or cat flap, in addition to addressing any more obvious points of entry.
Remove Pet Food
Make sure that you take away pet food from your pets once the have finished eating. Unfortunately, leaving pet food out all day will also draw raccoons to your house.
Make Sure Trees And Hedges Are Trimmed
You should also make sure that trees and hedges around your house are trimed as well. This is especially true when any of these things are touching your house. A lot of the time trees can give raccoons access to your roof or other areas of the home they can enter.
Try Scare Tactics
Things that make noise can be used to scare raccoons away as well. Wind chimes, could make a raccoon jump when the wind blows, or leaving a radio on can make it seem to the raccoon that there are people in the vicinity.
Motion Activation Systems
Motion-activated sprinklers and lights can also scare raccoons, so the next time they enter your property, they might be enough to scare them away!
Improve Your Fence
If you don’t have a fence, then you should first of all install one to make it harder for raccoons to enter your premises. However, if you already have a fence, make sure that it also goes deep underground as well.
Not only are raccoons good at climbing, but they’re also good at digging, so you need to make sure you’re cutting off both ways in.
Recap
As you can see, Irish spring soap can b a great way to repel raccoons for a period of time. However, to make sure you’re getting rid of them permanently, other solutions should be put into place as well!
If you liked this article, make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise, have a great day!
