Key Takeaways

• Homemade squirrel repellents like vinegar are effective due to their strong odor.
• Crushed garlic mixed with vinegar acts as a natural squirrel deterrent, driving pests away from gardens.
• Pet hair and deterring plants like daffodils can work as natural and easy pest control repellents against squirrels.

Though cute and cuddly onscreen or from a distance, squirrels are a menace for many due to the havoc they inflict on the garden. They are pests and if they have the chance, they will damage your outdoor spaces.

Unfortunately, the trouble doesn’t stop at their incessant chattering. They inhibit your plants' production, scare away beneficial birds, and even make a mess when building their homes! And when it comes to your newly planted garden fruits and vegetables, the last thing you want is to start over.

Wondering how to get rid of squirrels and keep them from wrecking what you’ve sown? Discover these homemade squirrel repellents for your garden and keep those vexing critters out!

How Does Squirrel Repellent Work?

First of all, what is a repellent?

A repellent keeps someone or something away from a specific item. Gardeners use repellents to discourage wildlife and insects from harming plants. But when it comes to squirrels, how do you prevent them from coming to your lawn and garden completely?

The answer: homemade squirrel repellents! DIY squirrel deterrent recipes utilize basic items found around the house and require minimal effort for application.

Squirrels have a keen sense of smell, which they use to locate hidden caches of food they store away. Researchers at Cornell University have even found that scent is how squirrels identify their kin. While their sense of smell is good for finding food, it is also a trait to use to your advantage!

Apply strong, harsh odors around your yard and say farewell to the squirrels.

1 Vinegar Scent Drives Squirrels Away

An everyday household item and secret weapon

Vinegar is a common ingredient in the pantry that helps to keep away those squirrels.

Vinegar, both apple cider and white, has a potent scent that is unpleasant to squirrels. Not only does it keep the squirrels away, but vinegar also acts as a pesticide for creatures like ants, slugs, and snails.

There are a few ways to use vinegar squirrel repellents in and around your garden.

• Put vinegar into a spray bottle and spray it directly on the areas squirrels most commonly visit. Mix equal parts vinegar and water for an effective pest control solution.
• Soak rags or cloths in vinegar and place them throughout your garden. Replace these cloths after heavy rains
• Avoid pouring vinegar in the soil too close to your plant's roots, as it affects the pH of the soil and may harm the plant's growth.

Enhance the strength of your squirrel repellent spray by adding other pungent ingredients to your vinegar, such as crushed garlic.

2 Garlic: The Strong Scent Pests Hate

Many garden critters are driven away by the smell of garlic

The component that gives garlic its strong smell is the compound allicin. It is this substance that acts as a repellent for wildlife. If you're wondering how to get rid of squirrels, look no further than the grocery store!

To create a garlic squirrel deterrent, crush some freshly stored garlic and place it in a bottle with equal parts vinegar (pests don’t like vinegar!) and water. Let this mixture sit for a few days to allow the garlic to infuse into the solution. Once made, pour it into a spray bottle and mist around your garden.

Grow your own garlic (Allium sativum) in the garden to have a ready supply of natural squirrel repellents.

3 Peppermint Oil Repels Many Pests

A natural squirrel repellent for easy pest control

Use peppermint oil for another natural option to keep the squirrels away from your garden. Because peppermint oil smells so strong, animal noses can detect even a small amount from afar and they stay away.

Mix this essential oil with water or vinegar to create a spray. Because peppermint oil is potent, not much is needed for your solution. Mix 10 to 15 drops of oil into 1 cup of water to create an effective pest control spray.

Soak cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them around the garden where you want to repel squirrels. The strong scent will keep pests away, but the balls will need to be replaced after heavy rains

If you have pets roaming the yard, yucky-smelling squirrel deterrent may also bother them. Dogs have a strong sense of smell, and any powerful ingredients you spray over your garden and yard may affect them, too. In these instances, try other DIY repellents to say bye-bye to squirrels for good! Trying to find out how to get rid of squirrels is often a trial-and-error process.

4 Pet Hair Is a Natural Way to Repel Pests

Keep critters away with pet hair as a natural repellent

Do you have a cat or dog who sheds? Use this to your advantage! Squirrels are wary of areas where predators are lurking, so your pets are sources of natural squirrel repellents that work wonders.

Your dog’s barking and cat’s prowling will deter squirrels from your garden when they are outdoors. And when pets are indoors, using pet hair increases the span of their range and makes critters fear them all the time.

Scatter pet hair over your garden and along any areas around your vegetable and flower beds where squirrels tend to travel. If they run along your fence or linger in a specific tree, these are good places to start your DIY pest control!

Pet hair has varied results and is not always effective against braver squirrel souls. But in cases of success, this option is natural and free, and it deters other pests from coming and feasting on your garden offerings as well!

5 Deterring Plants Are a Pretty Solution

Grow the right plants to keep the wrong critters away

Want to know how to get rid of squirrels in a way that's even easier? One common food source sought out by squirrels is bulbs. The very bulbs you plant in your garden! A solution that prevents squirrels from digging in your garden is to plant more plants.

Certain plants repel and deter squirrels from entering the garden beds. Daffodils, for example, keep these pests away naturally.

Daffodils (Narcissus) are toxic flowers, and the bulbs of the plant are poisonous, a fact that is understood by squirrels. They avoid areas with these flowers, and many gardeners have successfully used daffodils as a squirrel repellent and to repel animals of all kinds.

Learning How to Get Rid of Squirrels for Good

Use homemade solutions, mixtures, and other squirrel deterrent options to keep those pesky squirrels out of your garden. These items are an effective and low-cost solution to keep troublesome paws away.

Natural squirrel repellents and homemade pest control methods keep critters away from your garden areas.