4 Ways to Keep Raccoons Out of Trashcans

Raccoons love a free meal. And your garbage provides them this privilege every night. To make matters worse, raccoons are smart, and will remember where all the good food spots are at. This means they will continue to rummage your trashcans, spreading garbage all over the place, unless you finally take matters into your own hands.

Continue reading to learn 4 safe and humane tricks to keep raccoons out of trashcans.

Louisville Raccoon Removal and Control 502-553-7622

Louisville Raccoon Removal and Control 502-553-7622


Keep in mind that raccoons are nocturnal, so they are most active between the hours of dusk and dawn. While you sleep is when they make their massive mess all over your lawn and driveway. So in order to combat their destruction, you must do something that will prevent them from accessing your garbage behind your back. T

he best method for this is to simply keep your trashcans in an enclosed space, like a garage or shed, and only take them out on the morning on trash collection day. If there are no trashcans to rummage, raccoons will move on to the next easily-accessible food source.

If keep your trashcans enclosed in a garage or shed is not an option, there are still some other things you can try. Here are 4 effective methods for protecting your trashcans from raccoons:

Bungee Cords and Lid Locks

Raccoons have human-like paws that are highly dexterous. Opening doors and lids is not a challenge for them at all, which is why you need to lock them down tight. Use some standard 24 inch bungee cords with hooks at each end to keep your trashcan lids secured overnight. You can also purchase trashcan lid locks, which may be available at your local home improvement store.

Ammonia

If you want to keep raccoons and other nuisance animals (like dogs) away from your trash, sprinkle each bag with a few dashes of ammonia. Ammonia is the common chemical found in urine. Raccoons will avoid the smell of ammonia because it will tell them that the area is soiled. It will trick them into thinking the area is ruined. Just be careful handling ammonia, and keep it out of reach of children and pets.

Talk Radio

Have you ever tried to approach a wild animal? They usually run away before you can get too close. Raccoons are just like most other animals; they avoid threats and potential predators, which would be us. If you place a boom box set on a talk radio station next to the garbage cans, it will trick raccoons into thinking there are humans nearby; so they will not come close. After a few nights or so, they will remember that your garbage is near humans, and will stop coming around.

String Lights

Another element that scares away raccoons is lack of privacy. You can install motion-detection lighting outside to flash on when animals scurry by, but this can sometimes be costly. As a cheaper alternative, try streaming string lights (i.e. Christmas lights) around the basin of the trashcans. The added lighting will turn raccoons off from your property because they do not have a safe place to rummage in the dark.

Nothing Work for You? Contact a Pro

Louisville Raccoon Removal

Louisville Raccoon Removal 502-553-7622

If you are experiencing raccoon problems, let us help. We offer 24 hour raccoon removal, as well as, raccoon proofing and prevention, minor restorations for raccoon damages, raccoon cleanup, and much more. We are DNR licensed and insured, and provide both residential and commercial raccoon control services in Louisville, Kentucky and throughout its surrounding areas. Call our office directly at 502-553-7622 to request a free estimate or advice, today.

The Cheapest Options for Raccoon Control

When it comes to getting rid of pesky raccoons, most homeowners are looking for an effective, but inexpensive option. Fortunately, this is possible with the right knowledge and materials. Continue reading to learn which options are the cheapest for raccoon control.

Louisville Raccoon Removal and Control

Louisville Raccoon Removal and Control 502-553-7622

Environmental Modifications

The absolute cheapest method of non-professional, do-it-yourself raccoon control is environmental modification and monitoring. This entails nightly observations and daily logs to record when and where the raccoon activity is taking place on your property, followed by making changes to the surrounding environmental to thwart raccoons from returning night after night.

Basically, you must find out what it is that’s attracting nuisance wildlife to your yard, and then eliminate what that may be. Most likely, it is food and water, such as pet bowls, water dishes, bird baths, squirrel feeders, accessible garbage or compose piles, and any other possible forms of food, water, or shelter.

A costlier, but still affordable, method of environmental modification is to install motion-sensing lighting, automatic sound machines, or premise fencing. You can also place a small stereo or radio in the area that has the most activity, and leave it on a talk station, overnight. This can trick raccoons into thinking there are humans around, in which case, they would steer clear.

Homemade Raccoon Repellent

Another highly effective and affordable option is to make your own homemade raccoon repellent spray. You may not even need to buy supplies if you have them at home already. All you need is a plastic spray bottle, some water, and a few household spices or essential oils. Raccoons hate cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, chili powder, eucalyptus, menthol, spearmint, peppermint, and similar strong scents and spices.

Simply mix these with water and spray the perimeter of your property. Apply your solution more generously in areas where raccoons hang out the most. Just be careful with pets that wander outside since the spray can also irritate their nose, mouths, eyes, and throat.

The Importance of Raccoon Removal

If you have raccoons in the attic or other area within your home, you cannot put a price on safety and comfort. Not only are raccoons incredibly destructive, they are known carriers of several infectious diseases that can be passed onto people and pets. So regardless of how expensive it is to resolve a raccoon infestation, it must be done without questions. The massive mess will only continue to get more expensive as time goes on, so the best route for saving money when it comes to a raccoon infestation is to tackle the problem right away. The longer raccoons are living in your home or building, the more damage will occur, making the restoration project more expensive.

Louisville Raccoon Control

Louisville Raccoon Removal

Louisville Raccoon Removal 502-553-7622

Call 502-553-7622 for DNR licensed Louisville raccoon control services that are both safe and humane. We never harm or kill raccoons, and neither should you! Instead, enlist the services of our licensed wildlife rescue contractors for non-lethal raccoon exclusion and control. We don’t just get rid of raccoons, we also provide cleanup services and minor attic restorations from raccoon damages. Request a free estimate, today.