Snakes are the scaly, slithering creatures that most people are terrified of. Experts say they have been on earth for as long as 130 million years, longer than humans, so this is their home as much as it is yours.
Although these outdoor creatures belong in the wild, this hasn’t stopped them from occasionally crossing boundaries and finding their way into homes.
This article is a great place to start if you’re looking for an effective home remedy to keep snakes away. We will also consider alternative ways to make your home unappealing to snakes.
Certain scents are natural snake deterrents, including;
- Sulfur
- Smoke
- Ammonia
- Lime
- Vinegar
- Cinnamon
- Mint
- Garlic
- Cloves
You can also keep snakes away by growing snake-repellent plants like;
- Marigold
- Lemongrass
- Tobacco
- Cactus
- Snake plant
Besides using scents, you can repel snakes by making your house inhabitable for them. Keeping a tidy yard free of standing water, debris, or potential hiding places is a good place to start.
Tested Home Remedies Proven to Keep Snakes Away
Snakes are carnivorous creatures that prey on birds, lizards, rats, mice, rabbits, frogs, and insects. As these are commonly found around our homes, snakes can often get lost while hunting and encroach on human property.
When they do, they may stick around if the environment is conducive. This means that a snake may crawl into your shady garage or basement to escape scorching temperatures outside.
Once they enter your house, getting them out may be challenging, so it is best to keep them from entering in the first place.
Here are some effective home remedies you can employ to keep snakes away from your house;
1. Smoke Them Out
The smell of smoke screams danger to snakes. For this reason, one effective home remedy you can use to keep them from encroaching on your property is smoke. Snakes have an elevated sense of smell and are sensitive to strong smoke fumes.
To safely smoke out a snake, all you need to do is dig a fire pit and let it smoke for a few days. You can also keep it smoking longer by using moss or leaves to cover the embers and keep the smoke going.
If you don’t want to dig a fire pit, you can create smoke by lighting up a barbecue grill outside your house.
Keep the fire going for a few hours, and while you enjoy the meaty spoils of an outdoor grill, any snakes lurking around the area will steer clear.
2. Use Garlic Spray To Keep Snakes Away
If there’s one thing snakes detest, it’s the sulfuric smell that emanates from garlic and onions. A good way to keep snakes away from your house is by using a simple, homemade garlic spray, which, when prepared properly, contains loads of sulfonic acid, a compound that scares snakes away.
Here’s a simple recipe you can use to make garlic spray at home;
Ingredients
- Five cloves of garlic
- Half of a large onion
- One tablespoon of rock salt
- Four cups of water
Directions
- Blend the cloves of garlic and onions into a fine paste.
- Add the paste to four cups of water and mix properly.
- Add one tablespoon of salt to this solution, pour into a spray bottle, and mix thoroughly.
- Let this mixture sit for at least an hour before using it.
- Once ready, spray the mixture around the perimeter of your home, near doors, windows, and crawl spaces.
- You may need to reapply this mixture every two to three weeks or more often, especially if it rains.
- An alternative method of making this spray is by adding chopped garlic and onions to boiling water and letting it boil for about five minutes. Once you strain this mixture, add a tablespoon of salt and let it cool before use.
Pro tip: Add a few drops of oil to make the odor of garlic spray last longer.
3. Grow Snake Repellent Plants Like Lemongrass
Lemongrass is one of the most helpful herbs to grow around your house. Besides making a wonderful ingredient for brewing tea, it keeps snakes and other unwanted pests like mosquitoes and ticks away.
Lemongrass releases a citrusy smell which is unpleasant to snakes. The best way to use this plant is by growing it around the perimeter of your property. You can also plant it in small pots for a decorative touch inside your house.
When growing lemongrass, keep in mind that it can grow quickly and spread easily. It is advisable to trim it frequently to keep it from overcrowding your house.
Some other snake-repellent plants you can grow include marigolds, red roses, cactus plants, wormwood, and snake plant, better known as mother-in-law’s tongue.
4. Use Lime To Keep Snakes Away
When squeezed, the smell of lime spells danger to snakes. A good way to deter them from invading your space is by pouring a lime spray around your house.
For more efficiency, you can make a natural snake-repellent spray by squeezing lime into a mixture of equal parts of hot pepper, peppermint, and water.
When poured around the perimeter of your house, the smell of this spray will deter snakes from coming close. Its fumes also irritate snakes, causing their skins to itch. Apply this mixture every two weeks or immediately after it rains, and snakes will not be coming near your property.
5. White Vinegar Is An Effective Snake Deterrent
What may just be a standard household cleaning agent to you is a deathly substance to snakes. Experts tell us that snakes are naturally attracted to bodies of water that may be present in the surroundings of your home.
What should you do if you have a pond, water fountain, or swimming pool nearby? The best way to keep snakes from entering these water bodies is by pouring vinegar around the perimeter.
Clean out any bodies of standing water, as they may attract snakes, mosquitoes, and any other unwanted guests. Mix the vinegar with water before applying it to make it last longer. However, remember that this waters it down, makes it less pungent to snakes, and may reduce its effectiveness.
6. Use Essential Oils To Keep Snakes Out
Certain essential oils can be used as natural snake deterrents. They include cedar oil, cinnamon oil, or clove oil. Besides sprinkling a few drops of these oils in your surroundings, you can also mix drops with water to make a spray, which creates a powerful snake-repellent.
An added advantage of applying these essential oils is that they can also be used as indoor fumigants. If you have a diffuser, add a few drops of oil, and you have an indoor fumigant that will deter snakes from coming close.
Cedar oil is particularly preferred because it contains phenols, compounds that effectively repel snakes. You can also use cedar wood shavings to keep these slimy creatures away.
Sprinkle a few shavings around your house and crawl spaces to keep snakes away while making your home smell pleasant.
7. Remove Sources Of Food For Snakes
As mentioned, snakes prey on rats, mice, lizards, frogs, and smaller mammals. You may attract snakes if you have any of these animals around your house. Hence, it is best to eliminate them before the snakes get to them.
If you have pets, keep their food inside tightly closed containers. You should also remove bird feeders, bird baths, or other features that may serve as food or water sources for snakes.
Once you get rid of their food source, snakes will have no reason to return to your home. If setting traps does not remove the rodents around your home, you should call pest control, as they will apply more effective measures to ensure the rodents do not return.
8. Eliminate Hiding Places
Snakes can crawl into small, dark crevices or shady spaces when the sun gets too hot. If they find a comfortable place to hide in your home, they will most likely keep coming back. The best way to discourage them from doing so is by destroying any areas they may find comfortable.
Carefully inspect the surroundings of your home, taking note to repair any cracks, holes, or crevices you may find. Ensure you also fix any broken pipes, window screens, or damaged ventilation ducts, as they could be hiding places for snakes.
If you have any wood piles or compost heaps, remove them as soon as possible. Additionally, make sure you trim the grass on your lawn regularly. Tall grass only helps hide snakes, so keeping it short, nice, and tidy is best.
What Are Some Other Ways To Keep Snakes Away?
Snakes can be tricky creatures to deter, so they may try to evade whatever methods you use to discourage them from coming around. Besides all the home remedies listed above, here are some alternative ways you can keep the slithering creatures away;
- Gravels: Grass and smooth mulch are welcoming surfaces to snakes. If you can, replace the grass or mulch in your house with gravel. It feels rough on snakes’ skins and makes it difficult for them to move.
- Naphthalene: Apply commercial-grade snake repellents or snake-repellent granules that contain naphthalene. This chemical repels snakes and makes pesticides more effective. Naphthalene irritates snakes without harming them, but it will keep them away from your property.
- Sulfur: Powdered sulfur is harmful to snakes. Sprinkle this powder around your property, and snakes will certainly not come close.
- Natural Predators: Foxes, raccoons, guinea hens, pigs, and turkeys are some examples of snake predators. You can sprinkle fox urine around your house to ward snakes off, or you can rear turkeys or pigs, as they will attack any snakes that come close.
Conclusion
Snakes belong in the wild but can sometimes find their way into houses. To deter them from coming close, grow snake-repellent plants like marigolds, snake plants, lemongrass, or roses around your house.
You can also use garlic, onions, and water to make a natural snake-repellent spray or sprinkle essential oils like cinnamon, cedar, and clove.