How to Keep Raccoons Out of the Garage

Raccoons are one of the most obnoxious nuisance animals out there; and do you know why? It is because they are very intelligent! Raccoons are smart, and to make matters worse, they have excellent memory retention. These attributes, coupled with their human-like paws, makes it easy for them to trespass onto our properties and cause all sorts of damage.

Whether connected or individually standing, garages are among the most common targets for raccoons since they are often a hotbed of attractive resources, such as food. Items like trashcans, refrigerators, deep freezers, and pet food bins are like treasure chests for raccoons, and they will continue to return night after night for more until someone decides to intervene.

If you have nightly raccoon visitors to your garage and you are looking for solutions, you are in the right place. Continue reading to learn what you can do to stop them for good, safely and humanely.

Indianapolis Raccoon Removal and Control 317-535-4605
Indianapolis Raccoon Removal and Control 317-535-4605

Secure All Food Items

Food is the number one attractant in your garage or shed. Your first step to thwarting nuisance raccoon activity is to secure all food sources. Try installing locks on your trashcans, refrigerators, and freezers. This is inconvenient for you to live with at first, but once raccoons know they cannot get to the food, they will stop coming by; so the locks are just temporary. If you have pet food that you store in the garage, you may want to consider storing it inside from now on. Otherwise, you will need to find a way to make the storage bin inaccessible to raccoons, either via a lock or something else.

Use Automatic Tactics

Your next step is to implement certain strategies that will scare off raccoons without harming them. Some great ideas include motion sensor lighting, radios, and automatic sprinklers. By placing a radio on a talk station just outside your garage every night, you can trick raccoons into thinking humans are around. After a while, they will start to avoid your property. Motion-activated lights and timer sprinklers will also scare them off without causing them any physical harm.

Apply a Non-Toxic Repellent

In addition to food security and scare tactics, you can concoct a non-toxic animal repellent that is specially formulated to offend raccoons. There are infinite combinations of essential oils and natural ingredients you can use to make a homemade raccoon repellent, but the basic choice of ingredients include capsaicin, black pepper, eucalyptus, and menthol.

Combine these ingredients with a little water and oil, transfer the solution to a clean, plastic spray bottle, and then spray the perimeter of your garage, or the entrance they have been using. Be sure to keep pets and young children away from treated areas since these ingredients can irritate their eyes, nose, and throat.

Seal Up Gaps and Entry Ways

Raccoons can use their human-like paws to open windows and doors, pry through siding and roof boards, and push their way into your garage with ease. For this reason, you must do what you can to seal up any gaps, openings, and entry ways that lead to your garage. This includes making sure to keep your garage door closed at night!

Seek Professional Wildlife Control

Sometimes, there is nothing you can do to stop stubborn raccoons. In this case, you will need a professional raccoon removal specialist to help. Not only are they equipped with the proper technologies and resources to provide environmental and structural modifications to abate raccoons, they can provide clean up and restoration services for raccoon damages.

Indianapolis Raccoon Removal and Control

Raccoon Removal and Control 317-535-4605
Raccoon Removal and Control 317-535-4605

Call 317-535-4605 for Indianapolis raccoon removal and control you can trust. We are DNR licensed and insured nuisance wildlife removal contractors who offer a wide range of 24 hour raccoon removal and control services, including raccoon cleanup, raccoon proofing, minor restorations for raccoon damages, and more. Call 317-535-4605 to request a free estimate or emergency service, today.