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There are also several effective repellents available for sale, available at most garden centers and big-box stores. Mothballs and ammonia-soaked rags commonly get touted as household skunk repellents. They’re toxic to humans and animals and may contaminate your garden soil. There’s no need to use toxic repellents to get rid of skunks and keep skunks away from home and garden areas.
Clean Up Your Yard

While skunks aren’t aggressive, there are still many other ways to get rid of them if they’re a nuisance. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through how to quickly get the skunk to leave and stop them from coming back. One of the worst things about skunks is the infamous skunk smell from their spray.
How to Repel Skunks from Your Yard
Occasionally, however, a skunk may also wander into an open garage or shed, which is a compelling reason to secure all outbuildings. Preventive measures, such as removing attractants around houses, will decrease the likelihood of an unpleasant skunk encounter. This includes securing trash, covering window wells, feeding pets indoors, or if fed outdoors, removing food immediately after pets eat.
Safe Removal Methods
However, the tomato juice only masks the smell with its pungent aroma. If a pet gets sprayed, use this DIY pet shampoo recipe to eliminate the skunk smell. The best way to get rid of skunks is to apply your skunk repellent of choice around the entry point of the skunk den. Predator urine is incredibly efficient if there are baby skunks present.
How To Prevent Skunks From Coming In Your Yard
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Of course, they’ll also explore your trash if the opportunity arises or steal food from outdoor pets. Some have even been known to kill chickens while scavenging for their eggs. And, of course, there’s always the risk of a startled skunk spraying a family member.
Tend to your lawn
Their distinctive smell is the easiest way to identify a skunk’s presence. You may notice a musky odor under a building, wood pile, or other structure where skunks burrow. Skunks’ natural scent is pungent and can smell similar to garlic or rotting eggs. Skunks are naturally shy creatures and are most active at night, so you’re more likely to smell them than to see them. However, you will know if you see a skunk, as their signature black and white-striped fur is easy to identify.

Some skunk repellents use urine from common skunk predators, such as coyotes, to scare skunks away. But if a skunk decides to move in, you can get rid of this unwelcome guest by using a safe and humane skunk repellent. However, if you feel that the skunk is acting strangely, it may have rabies, so contact your local wildlife authority for assistance. Citrus has a powerful smell and deters wild animals from coming too close to your home. Or have you gotten in the habit of feeding your own dog and cat outdoors or not adequately sealing garbage cans? An available food supply is one reason skunks might want to make a habit of visiting your yard, especially in the fall.
The Easiest Way to Repel Skunks from Your Yard
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This can be as simple as loosely repacking the den hole with leaves or straw or other material to see if the skunk gets the message and moves elsewhere. If they require more persuading, adding light and noise to make an dark and quiet denning space unattractive may help as well. Make sure the skunk is not close by before setting up the disturbances. Because of the lingering odor, and fear of being sprayed, it may be hard for some people to tolerate skunks living under a deck or old shed. But skunks need shelter when they are most vulnerable (during the coldest parts of the winter and when raising young). Fortunately, these mild-mannered creatures rarely use this potent defense, and provide quite a few benefits to the areas they inhabit.
Whenever you’re dealing with skunks, there is always the risk that you get sprayed. Motion activated sprinklers are a safe way to keep skunks and other rodents away from my house. Add in the sliced jalapeño, onion, cayenne pepper, and sardines. Bring the pepper spray mixture to a boil, and when it starts to bubble, turn the heat off.
If you’re unsuccessful in keeping skunks away, contact a pest company. If the skunk is behaving irregularly or erratically, contact your local wildlife authority. Skunks are nocturnal animals and their eyes are very sensitive to light. Using a motion-activated light or bright LED lights on a timer will scare skunks away at night. Luckily, if you have an unwelcome visitor camping out in your yard, there are several effective, eco-friendly, and humane skunk deterrents on the market. If you have a sprinkler, it is an excellent tool for keeping skunks out of your yard.
It does not require a call to pest control services to control the wild animals in your backyard. There are several home remedies to keep skunks away from the house that do not require animal control. Because these animals are nocturnal, many people believe that keeping skunks away from your home is a complicated process that requires careful attention.