The Ultimate Guide To Raccoon Repellents & Deterrents
Dealing with raccoons can be quite infuriating due to how persistent they can be. Whether you are just recently having them visit and torment your home and/or yard or they have been a reoccurring problem, finding the right tool can be vital when it comes to getting rid of them for good or getting stuck with them.
Below is a list of the top 5 raccoon repellents and deterrents that you can use to help end the nightly raccoon parties and a simple buying guide that answers the most common questions that consumers have on repellents and deterrents.
- Repellent type: Light
- Number of uses: Reusable/rechargeable
- Used on the ground or mounted: Mounted (around 1 foot off of the ground)
Best Raccoon Repellents and Deterrents
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Best Choice | PREDATORGUARD Solar Powered Predator Deterrent Light
| Check Price |
Also great  | RODENT SHERIFF Pest Control Spray
| Check Price |
Best Short-term Solution  | Hoont Motion Activated Solar Powered Ultrasonic with Flashing Strobe
| Check Price |
Most Durable  | Raccoon Deterrent by Critter Pricker
| Check Price |
Simple & Effective  | Repellent Cat Scat Outdoor
| Check Price |
PREDATORGUARD Solar Powered Predator Deterrent Light – Simple & Effective
This is a simple solar light deterrent that uses a solar-powered light to scare away a variety of pests and predators alike including raccoons, skunks, foxes, deer, and more.
The light unit is pretty small, being only 4 inches wide and 3.25 inches tall, and has a built-in mounting/screw hook at the top for it to be attached to the side of a building fairly quickly.
One of the best features is that it can come in a single pack for smaller homes or yards, but it is also available in a 4-pack for large homes and properties. However, if you have a large yard, you will probably need to buy mounting posts since they cannot be used on the ground.
Due to the design, it works really well against smaller animals (predator or prey), but larger animals are less affected and eventually can come to completely ignore the lights.
Is it recommended? For raccoons, absolutely. It is less common for them not to be afraid of these lights when compared to other deterrents and lights.
Pros
- Works great against smaller animals
- Requires little upkeep
- Only needs 4 to 5 hours of sunlight
Cons
- Can be less effective for larger yards
Rodent Sheriff Pest Control Spray – Best For Multiple Kinds of Pests
The only repellent on this list, this is actually one of the more popular choices of repellent because of how effective it is against insects and rodents alike. It is also one of the more affordable repellents, though it can be more expensive in larger packs compared to the smaller packs.
Each bottle can be sprayed about 1000 times, but because of how strong it is, one bottle can last as long as one to three months depending on how often you need it and how much you need.
There are no harmful chemicals in the repellent, making it available to be sprayed closely around pets or children, and the peppermint oil within the repellent smell good to most people. However, there seems to be less peppermint oil within the mixture since it is usually a hit or miss with most raccoons but still works well against other rodents and insects.
Is it recommended? For mice, rats, roaches, and ants, definitely. However, you may want to get a single bottle first to test if it will actually work against raccoons before committing to getting a 2 or 3-pack.
Pros
- Available in 1, 2, or 3 pack
- Works well against insects and rodents
- Does not bother most pets
Cons
- Can be less effective than regular peppermint oil
Hoont Motion Activated Solar Powered Ultrasonic with Flashing Strobe – Best Short-term Solution
This is one of the more unique deterrents that uses a combination of both light and sound to scare away a variety of animals and pests including birds, squirrels, raccoons, cats, dogs, foxes, deer, and more.
Unlike other deterrents, this unit has control knobs that you can use to adjust both the sound and the light that it emits, making it easier to find which settings are more likely to scare away the animals that are as far as 30 feet away. It is also weather-resistant, making it able to be left outside every day and not worn down, which can be an issue for many deterrents.
When it comes to its uses for other animals, this can work very well. However, with many raccoons, it can only scare them away for anywhere from a few days to a few months before they start to get used to the sound and light if they are persistent enough.
Is it recommended? If you have other animal or pest issues or you are looking for a way to slow them down before finding a better solution, yes. This probably is not the best long-term solution if your raccoons keep coming back no matter what you have done in the past. Even so, it can work very well if raccoons are only recently bothering you and you have not used other methods to scare them.
Pros
- Can work quickly
- Sound is unnoticeable
- Settings are easily adjusted
Cons
- Tends to attract them after several weeks or months
- Is more effective against other animals
Critter Pricker Raccoon Deterrent – Most Durable Rubber Mat Deterrent
This is one of the less popular deterrents, but that is because many people try to avoid using mats because of how they look and how frail they can be. However, these mats have thicker spikes that remain firm and strong despite being walked on.
The mats work remarkably well against cats, dogs, and other animals that invade your yard. However, they are large enough that squirrels do not really care about them.
They can work especially well in the garden because of how well they camouflage into the ground and how difficult it is for the raccoons to move it out of the garden. They can also stay attached to the roof really well, even at steep angles.
One of the ways that these can be rather ineffective are the clips that attach them, which do not stay together well, and the poor effect they have when they are vertical. If the mat is placed in a vertical manner, most raccoons just use the spikes to climb.
Is it recommended? For gardens, on roofs, or around pools, yes. For fences or other areas where they would be used vertically, no.
Pros
- Works well when used in a garden
- Stay attached to the roof well
- Affordable and easy to set up
Cons
- Fall apart pretty easily
- Does not work well when used vertically
Gardener’s Supply Company Repellent Cat Scat Outdoor – Great For Subtly
These mats are similar to the last ones in the sense that they work the same and deter dogs, cats, raccoons, and other animals. However, the spikes are much thinner and taller than the last deterrent, making them more and less effective against certain animals.
They seem to bother dogs more, cats about the same, and squirrels much less. They affect raccoons about the same as the other mats.
However, because these mats have thinner spikes and more space between them, they weigh much less than the other mat and need to be secured down more in order for them to not be dragged away by an animal or even blown away from strong winds. The space between the spikes also seems to make the mats work slightly less when it comes to certain raccoons, usually the smaller ones.
Is it recommended? If you are using other deterrents and/or repellents, yes. If the other deterrents/repellents do not work, these can help to keep raccoons and other animals away. However, there are times when they do not work and you may wish that you should have used other deterrents and/or repellents.
Pros
- Can be used well against cats and rabbits
- May need heavy materials to be held down
- Is affordable and easy to place
Cons
- Holes in the mat are large enough to be ineffective
- Can be easily moved if not secured
Best Raccoon Repellent – Buyer’s Guide
How do repellents and deterrents work?
Most repellents for raccoons are made with peppermint oil, something that they cannot stand to smell or be around. The oils come in a spray bottle that can be sprayed around your house, garden, trashcans, pool, and other places where your wild pests are drawn to.
Because the scent from the spray can be washed away from rain or fade over time, it does need to be applied on a semi-regular basis in order to keep any raccoons and/or other pests away. Depending on how often it rains or how big your pest problems are, you may need to apply the spray from once a month to once every few days.
There are several different types of deterrents: rubber mats, lights, and sound. Rubber mats can be used in areas to stop raccoons from reaching certain places like your pool or garbage can. Raccoons hate the feeling of the rubber spikes poking into their feet; other animals too.
Lights and sound are motion activated and can scare the more reluctant ones away, but they sometimes do not work if the raccoons are used to motion lights. They are usually either staked into the ground or mounted on something like a wall or cut out.
Many of these are solar-powered, but they do need batteries for when there is not enough sun. They also need to be cleaned every
Should you use repellent or deterrent?
If you have problems breathing or being around strong smells and sprays, especially if you have a condition like asthma, then you may want to either avoid repellents or consider wearing a breathing mask while you spray it. The smell will linger for a while depending on where you spray it, so you will probably want to avoid spraying it somewhere you will be often.
You may want to a deterrent if you cannot handle the smell, are allergic to peppermint or peppermint oil, and/or if you do not have the ability or time to spray the areas on a regular basis.
Deterrents are a good substitute if repellents are out of the question, but you will have to make sure you arrange them well around the area they like to go to or be around. Some like to be extra persistent and look for any way around the mats, or they are unaffected by lights and noise.
You may want to use a repellent instead of a deterrent if you would be walking, driving, or mowing in the areas where rubber mats would be placed since this can wear them down or destroy them pretty quickly.
Why would you want repellent or deterrent?
Raccoons love to get into three major sections of your house/yard: the pool, trash cans, and garage/attic. If they get to that point when you need to call pest control to get them out of your house safely, then it could end up costing you a few hundred dollars or more compared to repellents and/or deterrents which cost significantly less.
Where should you use your repellent or deterrent?
If you are using a repellent, try to spray around the areas where the raccoons are drawn to. Spraying areas like the trash can, the side of your house, or the edge of your pool can make these areas or objects smell for a while, and some people cannot stand the smell. Spraying a few feet away from these areas can be better so the smell is not as obvious to you, your family, your pets, your neighbors, or your guests.
The type of deterrents can determine where they should be placed. Rubber mats should be placed right next to areas like the pool or around the trash cans. However, light and sound deterrent can be placed close to the trouble areas or as far as the edge of your property where the raccoons may be coming from.
Will the repellent or deterrent hurt the raccoons?
Repellents are usually natural and contain no chemicals that can harm the raccoon’s health. It is more like a foul smell that they cannot tolerant and want to avoid at all costs.
Lights and sound deterrents are also safe since they only scare the animal away, usually because they think it is a human or animal that is about to come after them.
Rubber mat deterrents can provide them with discomfort since the rubber gets in between the firm parts of their paws and pokes their soft areas. However, many of them immediately step away from the mats when they realize they can not comfortably walk on them.
Can they harm pets?
Both cats and dogs respond to repellents and deterrents the same way the raccoons do unless they are used to these smells, lights, sounds, and/or mats. If this is the case, then your pets may be completely unaffected by the repellents and/or deterrents.
This is usually what happens if you have shown your pets these things, but it can take a while for most pets to get used to the smells or avoid the areas where the mats or other deterrents are placed.
What are the advantages of repellents and deterrents?
The most significant advantage of repellents and deterrents is that they are both affordable. They can save you a lot of money compared to other ways to get rid of or prevent raccoons from coming near your home or yard, usually between a hundred dollars or more depending on what alternative methods you may need to use.
They are also one of the more family, pet, and environmentally friendly choices since there are no harmful chemicals or contraptions involved. They also do not require you to get close to or handle the raccoons as some traps do.
Can repellents and deterrents be used together?
Yes, they can. However, if you are planning on using them together, try not to spray the repellent around the deterrents since this can cause the raccoons to explore the areas around the deterrent. Basically, this can lead the raccoons either to the areas they want to go to or new areas where they can cause trouble.
A good way to use both on your property is to spray around the edge of the property and put the deterrents closer to your home or the troubled areas in case the repellent is not strong enough to keep them away.
Are there other things that can help to repel or deter raccoons?
Possibly the most simple thing that you can do to keep them away from your home is to keep your trash can lids on all of the time and/or keep your cans inside if possible. Usually, they are most attracted to a house because they can smell food or other interesting things from a trash can that is left outside.
Building a fence or increasing the current height of your fence can also help to keep them out of your yard, something which may be most needed if you have a pool. Pools attract raccoons often because they like to poop in them, usually in-ground pools since they are easier for them to get to.
Special traps are made to trap raccoons, but some cities, counties, and/or states have laws against trapping them, even if it is only to prevent them from coming onto your property. However, there are private trapping services that can properly relocate the animal if it is caught.
If you plan to put traps out yourself, you should check with your local officials to make sure it is completely legal first. You should also call local pest control companies to make sure they can properly remove the animal even if you trapped it yourself. Some will only remove the animal if they placed the traps themselves due to their company’s safety policies.
What should you do if the repellent and/or deterrent is not working?
Other than the alternative methods that were just mentioned above, you could always try a different type of repellent or deterrent. There are many different kinds and some raccoons and other animals respond to them differently, especially the stubborn ones.
Conclusion
Now that you know nearly everything there is to know about raccoon repellents and deterrents and which are some of the best ones that you can get today, you can take the first step to get rid of your raccoon troubles, hopefully quickly and painlessly.
Because they are pretty clever and learn quickly, new repellents and deterrents are made every year or so to help keep these troubling balls of fur out of your hair, house, yard, and trash. So, if one of these methods from above ends up not working anymore, you may want to take a look at other deterrents like motion-activated sprayers that shoot a safe amount of water at the small or big creatures to scare them away.
Leave a Reply