Top 6 Scent That Will Keep Raccoons Away Forever (How to Use)

One of the characteristics of a living thing is the ability to smell and irritability. This is why some animals, like raccoons, are irritated by some smells. Different smells can help you repel raccoons and give you rest, and that will be our focus in this informative content.

What Scent Will Keep Raccoons Away?

Some scent affects raccoons, and using some of these scents can be a successful way of repelling raccoons since they don’t like them.

Raccoons have an acute sense of smell, and overwhelming scents such as black pepper, garlic, peppermint oil, vinegar, ammonia, cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Onions, Naphthalene, Epsom Salt, Predator Pee, Rose, and other scents can keep raccoons away.

Raccoons are sensitive to smells because they have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find food sources and identify unpleasant odors.

What Smell Do Raccoons Hate Most?

Due to the abilities of animals to smell, there are some smells that raccoons hate to perceive, and they are:

Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil is one of the smells that can repel raccoons away due to its share smell. The high concentration of methanol in this peppermint oil does cause a burning sensation in raccoons, and it can irritate their smell receptors. 

Before you use this oil, make sure you locate the hotspots of the animals, which are majorly gardens, windows, trash cans, open fence gates, and so on. After knowing their spot get some cotton balls, soak them in this peppermint oil, and spread them across. In the alternative, you can mix the peppermint oil with oil and sprinkle it outside your house.

Black Pepper and Cayenne Pepper

They are good remedies for repelling raccoons because they are powerful and have spicy scents. Raccoons’ eyes and noses can feel burning due to the pepper’s hot ingredient, capsaicin. This can discourage them from entering an area where this pepper is used.

Spread the spice around your area and properties if you want to repel raccoons using cayenne and black pepper. It’s vital to comprehend that, despite its potential effectiveness, this might not always work. Ensure you wash your hands well after using this pepper, as it can cause a burning sensation.

Garlic

Is garlic an effective raccoon repellent, even though it is thought to be one of the smells they dislike? Garlic works well because it contains some sulfur enzymes called allicin. When you ground the garlic, it releases allicin which is a great aroma from garlic.

The pungent smell of this garlic is what raccoons don’t appreciate. You can use garlic differently: planting garlic around your yard or garden, especially close to the flower beds, trash cans, and below porches.

If you are not a gardener, you can use garlic as a powder or oil and spray it around those entry points. In addition, you can use it to form a garlic spray and to make this, juice a few garlic cloves and mix with water. Spray the mixture or solution in places where raccoons visit or have visited. This mixture will repel the Raccoons, keeping them away from your property and yards.

Ammonia

Another smell that can send raccoons away is the ammonia smell, and this is because it has a strong and choking smell. We can even conclude that ammonia is a hazardous chemical and should be handled carefully.

Too much inhalation will cause a respiratory issue, and any contact with the eyes or skin can cause burns and irritations. Fortunately, using ammonia to scare the raccoons away is highly advised because it produces a smell comparable to pee, making pee usable.

Vinegar

Vinegar is also a good and eco-friendly alternative that can keep raccoons away. The spray bottle must be filled with water and a dab of white vinegar. The acidic smell from this solution interferes with the ability to locate food sources, which makes them lose interest and can push them to disappear from your yard for good.

Spray the mixture into areas of your yards and properties, or you can soak a cloth material in the vinegar and place it around your garbage cans.

You need to ensure it is not a sunny day because your rag can dry up, and the vinegar will evaporate and make it useless and impotent repellant for raccoons. To ensure the effectiveness of this mixture, spray the solution a few days or after a rainstorm; this will help retain the aroma and keep it from being washed away.

Does Camphor Repel Raccoons?

Because of its powerful, well-known scent, some people think that camphor might keep pests like raccoons away. The usefulness of camphor as a raccoon repellent has, however, received less scientific support.

Raccoons react to camphor differently; some see it as very effective, and some feel it is ineffective. This is because raccoons might become accustomed to the smell of camphor over time, which lowers the repellent’s effectiveness.

If raccoons still disturb you after using camphor, you can consider using rodent repelling trash bags. These bags are made from strong smelling oils, like mint and camphor, which can repel raccoons. The aroma from the bags keeps the raccoons away from your trash bins without hurting adults, young ones, and pets.

If you still experience some raccoon issues, seek help from a professional wildlife expert who can implement safety strategies to vacate raccoons.

Are Onions Toxic To Raccoons?

Even though raccoons can consume anything they see, some substances are hazardous and should not be consumed. Onions are one of the spices that many people, even human beings, react to, and raccoons are not exempted.

Raccoons are affected by onions because the animal develops hemolytic anemia; it can destroy the red blood cells of raccoons. The body sees the red blood cells as foreign objects and destroys them, preventing oxygen from entering the animal’s tissue.

It can cause the animal to faint because the brain lacks enough oxygen. Any raccoon suffering from this disorder does get very tired quickly. Also, they always have pale gums rather than a pink color. So, if you are trying to repel a raccoon, using onions is a great feat and cheap. The smell of onion always irritates their sense of smell. 

To use this, add a cut-up or blended onion into some boiling water, and place the mixture in areas where raccoons visit to repel them. You should know that you must change the mixture weekly, as it can only keep raccoons away for weeks after the smell has weakened.

How To Keep Raccoons Away Naturally

There are different ways to keep raccoons away naturally, and they will be highlighted below. You will consider these as effect strategies, and they are:

1. Always secure your trash bins, as raccoons can come to scavenge for food in those garbage cans. Ensure you have a tight-fitting lid to cover the bins and cans.

2. Remove every food source from your environment and yard; this can attract raccoons to invade your space. Ensure no pet food is left overnight, and ensure your birds are not easily accessible by raccoons.

3. Make use of motion activated lights and sprinklers; the presence of bright lights can deter raccoons, as well as spraying them with water.

4. Close all entry points, and ensure those small openings or gaps are closed; raccoons can take advantage of them and invade your house.

5. Make use of repellants like rose, garlic, peppermint, onions, and so on to repel those raccoons.

6. Use noise or radio to scare them away because noises can scare them.

7. Trim tree branches because raccoons are good tree climbers; by trimming the tree branches, you would have cut out their chance to climb trees.

All these and more are natural ways to keep raccoons away naturally and do not always forget to avoid raccoons because you don’t know which one is carrying diseases. By implementing these methods, you have reduced the chances of raccoon invasions.