Squirrels may be cute and nice to look at, as well as very intelligent and fascinating critters, but they can also be very damaging pests. Even a single squirrel can be enough to damage your vegetable garden or something you’re storing in your attic or basement. And if you are unlucky enough to face multiple squirrels coming to nest in your attic or ground squirrels settling in your crawl space, then you can expect a great deal of property damage, huge quantities of smelly squirrel urine and excrements, as well as the complete destruction of everything you might have deemed smart to store in the squirrels’ new nest beforehand.
All this makes squirrels a rather universal problem that all kinds of homeowners can face. Even if you live in the middle of the city, if you have a small park nearby you can still one day wake up to the sound of squirrels running around in your walls. So, what are some of the preventive measures you can take? There are lots of rodent traps that can work on squirrels as well, but a lot of people are reluctant about using kill traps on these otherwise cute animals. So, other effective options are squirrel repellents, which is what we’re here to talk about.
Squirrel repellents can come in a lot of different shapes, sizes, and types, but one unifying thing about them is that they deal with the squirrel problem by repelling the rodents away from you and your property without killing or harming them in any way, as well as without posing any danger to you, your family or your pets.
Depending on the situation you’re in and the specifics of your property and your problem, different squirrel repellents can make more or less sense but to find out which is the most suitable for you, you’ll have to check them all out.
And this is where our article comes in. Below, we’ve compiled a Top 3 and a Top 10 lists of the best squirrel repellents on the market, as well as a quick guide on how to use them properly. Armed with all this information, hopefully, you’ll get rid of your squirrel problem for good.
First, let’s start with the Top 3 Best squirrel repellents on the market right now:
TOP PRODUCTS
Exterminators Choice Vehicle Protection Squirrel Repellent Spray
We are starting the quest for the best squirrel repellent with this Exterminators Choice Vehicle Protection Squirrel Repellent Spray. A great squirrel repellent for cars and other vehicles, this Exterminators Choice is safe to use for people and other big mammals like most pets, and it has a prolonged preventive effect. It will stop all squirrels, mice, rats and other rodents both from nesting in your vehicle, as well as from chewing on its wiring and other soft parts.
This makes this natural squirrel deterrent excellent for the winter months even for people that are just facing mice and rats. The all-natural product has a scent that is very unpleasant to rodents but is pleasant (or at least tolerable to us). This makes it ideal for vehicles that need to stay in storage for a longer period of time, as well as for cars that are still used daily but are at risk of a rodent infestation during the small hours of the night. This product’s ingredients include 99.40% water and vinegar, with the rest being peppermint oil, white pepper, and several essential oils. The peppermint oil can be felt in the cabin if you’ve applied enough of it, so if you find its smell unpleasant, keep this in mind.
What’s more, this Exterminators Choice squirrel deterrent spray also comes with a 100% money back guarantee if – for whatever reason – you are not happy with its effectiveness.
Click Here for Price & More Info on Exterminators Choice Squirrel Repellent Spray
Pros:
- The Exterminators Choice Vehicle Protection Squirrel Repellent Spray is an all-natural product that includes only safe and natural ingredients
- This squirrel repeller has a scent that’s very strongly repelling to rodents but is quite tolerable to humans and other mammals such as cats and dogs
- Exterminators Choice offer this product with a 100% money back guarantee if you find it not to be working for your situation
Cons:
- As with any other natural squirrel repellent spray that relies on peppermint and vinegar, this Exterminators Choice product can be effective in a lot of cases but don’t expect a 100% guarantee from it
- Vinegar, peppermint oil, white pepper, and many essential oils do repel rodents such as squirrels and mice, but if the conditions from which the rodents are trying to hide are too severe, they might still choose to suffer through the repelling scent of the product
T3-R Triple High Impact Ultrasonic Squirrel Repeller
Next, from TMC Pest Repeller LLC, here is their T3-R Triple High Impact ultrasonic squirrel repeller. This electronic squirrel repellent works by producing ultrasonic sounds that humans and a lot of other mammals (such as most of our pets) can’t detect, but that rodents such as squirrels, mice, rats, and others find insufferable. This device, in particular, is equipped with the innovative Duel Triple Attach Design which allows it to often change its ultrasound frequency for even more effective repelling.
This electronic candidate for the “Best squirrel repellent” prize comes with its own 6-foot long power cable, it easily stands on its own, and it is very easy to set up. A great feature of this ultrasonic repellent is that it can be placed in the middle of a room and reach all of its corners instead of being placed on a wall and having twice less of an effective radius. This is made even more efficient by the 3 separate speakers that this device has.
With experience in the area of over 15 years, TMC Pest Repeller LLC has successfully made one of the most effective ultrasonic repellents on the market.
Click Here for Price & More Info on T3-R Ultrasonic Squirrel Repeller
Pros:
- This electronic squirrel repeller has 3 speakers and comes with a 6-foot long power cable, allowing it to have an effective range of 360-degrees
- As an ultrasonic repellent, the T3-R Triple High Impact repeller is 100% safe to use in homes with people, kids, toddlers, dogs, cats, and any type of other electronic devices
- The T3-R Triple High Impact repeller regularly changes the ultrasonic frequencies at which it operates so that it can be even more effective at repelling rodents
- Great for squirrel prevention, this ultrasonic device will not only drive an existing rodent infestation away but will also make sure that your home stays rodent-free in the future
Cons:
- As an ultrasonic squirrel repellent, even this high-quality item doesn’t provide a 100% squirrel away rate. According to the manufacturer themselves, this ultrasonic repeller has about 73% success rate
Havahart Deer Off Ready To Use Repellent
If you are looking for a good squirrel repellent for garden or for plants, look no further than this Havahart Deer Off Ready To Use Repellent. It’s made specifically for application on plants and trees and is intended as a ground squirrel repellent, a deer repellent, a chipmunk repellent, and so on.
This repelling squirrel spray comes in a 32 oz. bottle that is ready to use. It has a patented Dual Deterrent System formula that includes putrescent eggs solids at 0.78%, garlic, and capsaicin. The garlic, together with the egg solids and a hot pepper taste easily dissuade deer, as well as squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks and other rodents from chewing on your plants and vegetables. This product is also weather-resistant and can treat about 40 – 50 ornamental shrubs or approximately 500 square feet of plants.
This hot cayenne pepper squirrel repellent is also EPA registered for use on plants, bulbs, flowers, and trees, so you’ll have nothing to worry about as you are using it. It won’t leave any visible film over the treated plants and it shouldn’t change their coloring.
Click Here for Price & More Info on Havahart Deer-Off Repellent
Pros:
- This Havahart Deer Off Ready To Use Repellent is made out of all natural ingredients such as red peppers, putrescent eggs solids, garlic, capsaicin, and others. These give it a very strong repelling effect against squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, as well as deer while preserving the plants
- The product comes in a 32 oz. bottle and is enough to treat 40 – 50 ornamental shrubs or about 500 horizontal square feet of plants
- The Havahart Deer Off Ready To Use Repellent is approved by the EPA for use on plants, bulbs, flowers, and trees
Cons:
- This product’s spray bottle does not have a fine spray option which means that the spray will only come out as a stream. You can buy a different spraying bottle separately to use it with
OTHER PRODUCTS TO CONSIDER
It should go without saying that there are much more than just 3 squirrel repellent products on the market. When you account for the various different types of contraptions and mixtures that can be used to repel rodents, there really are thousands of products you can use. Of those, a lot are of subpar quality and aren’t really recommended, but there are some good ones. To give you more than just 3 options, here are several more products that you can use to a great effect:
Let’s kick off our secondary list with two or three ultrasonic squirrel repellents, starting with this VENSMILE Electronic Squirrel Repellent. It too varies its frequencies for maximum effectiveness and it can cover an area of 5,000 – 6,000 unobstructed square feet or 468 – 545 unobstructed square meters. VENSMILE also offer 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their product, which is great for an ultrasonic rodent repellent. It has several functional modes and a LED indicator light. We simply preferred the T3-R Triple High Impact repellent as a reportedly more powerful option but you can decide for yourself if you want.
There aren’t many outdoor ultrasonic repellents on the market so this Diaotec Ultrasonic Animal Repeller certainly stands out from the crowd. It is powered by a solar panel and a set of rechargeable batteries. It doesn’t work all the time but instead uses a PIR motion sensor that detects warm-blooded animals entering the premises. It repels not just squirrels but also deer, dogs, cats, rats, birds, skunks, raccoons and a lot of other animals. Of course, the immediately obvious drawbacks are that it can’t be used indoors and that it’s not suitable for households with pets.
For another outdoor option, here is the Anglink Ultrasonic Squirrel Repeller. It too is powered by a solar cell and rechargeable batteries. It can also be powered by a USB cable if need be. This repeller uses a mix of ultrasonic sounds, sonic sounds, and strobe lights. It too is motion activated and has a range of 900 square feet. It’s a great waterproof product, but again – it can’t be used indoors and it is not suitable for households with pets.
An E-Z pump sprayer, this Bobbex-R natural Squirrel Repellent is made out of all natural and recycled ingredients. It is completely harmless to humans and pets, and it comes in a great and comfortable to use pump bottle. It does have a rather horrible smell, however, so keep that in mind if you want to use it in a habitable space.
If you are looking for a top quality sprayer that can work as a deer repellent, like a flying squirrel repellent, and for anything in between, check out the Havahart Deer Off II Ready-To-Use Deer Repellent. It uses a patented all-natural formula that is weather resistant which makes it a great choice for outdoor situations. Safe for both your family and your pets, this product can cover up to 2,000 square feet of space and is intended for large gardens and properties. One major drawback is that the spray handle and attachment are very subpar, clog easy and you’d do better to replace them with any other suitable sprayer attachment.
An ingenious and all-natural way to deter squirrels, gophers, rabbits, possums, and groundhogs is this Shake-Away Fox Urine Squirrel Repeller Granules product. As is evident from its title, this product is essentially fox urine granules. It capitalizes on the predator-prey relationship between rodents and foxes and counts on that to repel the pests from your property. While great in principle, however, and while it does work in certain situations, this product doesn’t have a high enough % rate of success. It expires too quickly, it works mostly in smaller areas, and some animals ignore it completely.
A great choice for a squirrel repellent attic, garage, basement, etc. product is this Exterminators Choice Small Animal Squirrel Spray. It is an all-natural rodent defense repellent that is equally effective against squirrels, rabbits, mice, rats, raccoons, gophers, chipmunks, and most other small animals. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, and it has a safe, long-lasting effect. Keep in mind that it has a strong odor that’s unpleasant for humans too, so don’t use it in places where you live.
GENERAL INFO ON SQUIRREL REPELLENTS
A quick breakdown of the best squirrel repellents
It easily becomes relevant from the ten products above that squirrel repellents are not just one category of products. They can be anything from essential oil products to high-tech ultrasonic devices that ten years ago belonged in science fiction. So, let’s take a quick look at each group separately so that we can cover them in detail:
Squirrel repellent sprays
Squirrel repellent sprays are simply concoctions – they are mixtures of usually natural ingredients that have a strong, repelling scent. Alternatively, there are also squirrel repellent sprays that give the rodents a painful sensation upon contact or consumption. Either way, these sprays are not meant to kill the squirrels but merely to force them to flee. They usually utilize ingredients such as peppermint oil, cedar oil, cinnamon oil, other essential oils, vinegar, white pepper, red hot pepper, garlic, and more. Other industrial sprays may include some chemical ingredients that burn on impact, but even those are intended as repellents and not as “killer sprays”.
Either way, squirrel repellent sprays are not intended to be sprayed directly on the rodents, but rather in the environment, they are in / they visit / or they might get into, as a way to deter them and push them away.
Ultrasonic squirrel repellents
These electronic devices have a rather mixed reputation. Especially in the early years of their inception, they were regarded as pointless and ineffective “cash grabs” that just lied to the people. And to a significant extent, that was true for a lot of manufacturers. Today, however, the effectiveness of ultrasonic rodent repellents increases with each next model. They still don’t work 100% of the time because there are a lot of complicating factors that can contribute to their ineffectiveness, but by now they certainly are products that are worth considering.
Ultrasonic squirrel repellents work by emitting an ultrasound that neither humans nor most pets (cats, dogs, etc.) can detect, but that most rodents hear and despise. These high-pitched ultrasounds aim to make your home intolerable for rodents and thus – drive them away. The problem with these devices are several:
- They can only work in a fixed area so you’ll need a different device for each different room/space;
- Their effect can be easily obstructed by walls, furniture and even something as small as a vase that’s placed next to them;
- Squirrels, as well as other rodents, can adapt to these ultrasounds and learn to tolerate them. If the environment outside of your home or property is too harsh (like in the winter, for example), the rodents can force themselves to tolerate the unpleasant sounds. A lot of modern ultrasonic devices counter that by changing their frequencies every once in a while to make certain that the rodents won’t learn to tolerate it;
- Ultrasonic devices can’t really affect the rodents that are nesting and hiding inside walls and in/behind other obstructions. Still, you can place ultrasonic devices in more than just your habitable rooms. You can place them in your attic, in your basement, your garage, or even in your crawl space to make sure that the rodents will be deterred from even entering your home in the first place.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that there also outdoor models that have motion sensors and emit their ultrasound only when they detect a warm-blooded creature in their vicinity. This is a good way to keep all mammals and birds away from your property but it’s not a good choice if you have pets.
Squirrel repellent pouches
Designed mostly for vehicles and other small spaces that squirrels might get into, these rodent repellers are just pouches filled with dried up plants and essential oils. They tend to be more effective against other rodents than squirrels but in a small enough space they can deter a squirrel as well with their scent.
Soil additive rodent repellents
These refer to different bits and granules that you can throw around your property to stay on / in the soil and repel various ground rodents such as rats, mice, chipmunks, rabbits, ground squirrels, and others. They can be made out of anything – essential oils, dried up predator urine, pepper and garlic, and others. They are typically natural and eco-friendly since they are intended for use in plant and vegetable gardens. They are not the most effective repellents out there but they can have their contribution to your struggle if used in conjunction with another repellent.
Squirrel repellent plants
If you are looking for some squirrel repellent plants, there is a lot that you can read about online. However, keep in mind that they won’t so much “repel” squirrels as they simply won’t be attacked by squirrels so feverishly. The little critters will still be likely to go to the other delicious plants and veggies in your garden, but they will just leave these so-called “repellents” alone. Still, it’s worth keeping them in mind as you can simply use them as the main greenery in your garden. Plus, if you use a lot of them they can “mask” the allure of your other plants and thus protect your whole garden. Here are some of these plants:
- Daffodils (and other members of the Narcissi family)
- Hyacinth
- Alliums (relatives to onions)
- Fritillaries
- Lily-of-the-Valley
- Geraniums
- Galanthus
Other tools you might want to use
As you can see, there are a lot of different squirrel repellents you might want to consider. Some are more effective while others are intended more as supplement products that need to work together with other repellents. Whichever you decide to use, however, the sad reality is that sometimes even the strongest repellent might not work – either because the particular types of rodents you’re dealing with are adapted to it or because the weather conditions the rodents are trying to hide from (particularly in the winter) are harsh enough to force them to “power through” the repellent’s effect.
In these unfortunate cases, you might need something a bit more conclusive than a repellent. Squirrel traps are usually the next most popular option, with various types of both “kill traps” and “live traps” existing on the market. The good thing about traps is that they don’t care how many rodents you are dealing with – whether one by one or several at a time, traps will eventually deal with every rodent you’re facing.
And, of course, if you are still facing an insurmountable amount of rodents, you can also call an exterminator.
SQUIRREL REPELLENT BUYING GUIDE
Getting the right squirrel repellent on your first purchase is very important as it will allow you to deal with the problem as quickly and as easily as possible. Under no circumstances do you want to leave a squirrel infestation untreated for even just a day – these rodents reproduce very quickly and are also capable of delivering great property damage in no time.
But how do you find the best, most suitable squirrel repellent quickly? After all, just browsing around online and buying every other product you see is equally stupid since you’ll just end up wasting your money on subpar repellents that don’t work. Well, hopefully, our quick list above has given you some good examples, but to further help you out, here are some pointers on what you should consider before making a purchase:
- Is the product you’re looking at of high enough quality? Discerning the quality of the product on its description alone is an almost impossible task – all manufacturers proclaim that their products are “the best in the world”. Finding which of them are actually good typically requires either a lot of know-how in this niche or a ton of reading and research. Usually, it takes both.
- Reading consumer reviews is tiring and annoying since most of them lack context, are incomplete, and fail to take into account the mistakes in the application that the consumers usually make themselves. Industry professional reviews, on the other hand, typically fix all these problems but they can sometimes be biased. It’s through reading both types in large quantities that you can start getting an idea of which products are actually worth your time and money, and which – not so much.
- Additionally, you can also use the products’ brands as a reference. Sure, branding is not a sure-fire way to judge a product’s quality but it can still point you in the right direction. Here are some of the brands that we’d recommend above most others: Exterminators Choice, Havahart, Diaotec, Shake Away, Bobbex-R, Anglink, VENSMILE, TMC Pest Repeller LLC, and others.
- Consider what type of squirrel repellent you actually need. If you have an entire nest in your ceiling, a mere hand spray repellent is unlikely to get the job done. An ultrasonic repellent may also not work unless you can place it in such a way that it’s sure to affect the little critters directly. Stronger, more heavy-duty rodent repellent sprays may be required, but it’s important to make sure that they won’t affect (or put at risk) your pets and kids. Generally speaking, ultrasound repellents are good for large, enclosed and unobstructed spaces, spray repellents are good for gardens, yards, attics, and basements, and outdoor ultrasound solar devices are good for households with no pets. Whichever you choose, however, be sure you know how you’re going to use it before finalizing the purchase.
- How much repellent are you going to need, exactly? Make sure you are aware of the extent of the problem before making a purchase. There is no point in being a 128 oz. tube for just one squirrel, but buying a small hand sprayer for an entire nest will be simply futile.
- Make sure there won’t be any unwanted side effects. If you are going to use a highly toxic repellent, be certain that it won’t be harmful to your pets and family. If you want to get an ultrasonic device, keep in mind that if you have some rodent pets, they won’t be happy about it.
- Consider whether you don’t need two or more different products. In a lot of cases, just one simple repellent is not enough to deal with the problem. A lot of customers view this is negative about the specific repellent, but the reality is that no product works 100% of the time. If you want to be certain that you’ll handle the situation as quickly as possible it may be a smart move to buy two or three different repellents that you can use in conjunction with each other.
If you’ve chosen the right product(s) for your situation and if they are of a high enough quality, you’ll hopefully be able to deal with the problem in a quick, clean and efficient manner.
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT SQUIRREL REPELLENTS
The most important thing to remember about any squirrel repellent is that it’s not guaranteed to work. This is an unfortunate fact but it’s a fact nonetheless. Every repellent manufacturer will advertise its product as “guaranteed” or “100% effective”, but that’s just not so.
Every squirrel or rodent repellent works on the simple principle of making the life of squirrels on your property unpleasant enough so that they’ll choose to leave. However, if the squirrels have already settled in and/or if the conditions outside of your home are too unpleasant, chances are that the squirrels will fight for their newfound home. They will do their best to adapt to the unpleasant smells, sensations, ultrasounds, and other such repelling effects and they might succeed and manage to defy your efforts. Most customers tend to blame the product in these situations, but that’s just the reality of it – squirrels are tenacious creatures.
All this is why if you want to use squirrel repellents you’d do best if you do two or more products at the same time. A combination of a dry repellent, a wet spray, and an ultrasound device will give you the best chance of driving the pesky rodents away from your property without having to kill or capture them. Such a combination of several stimuli working together can often overwhelm the pests and do a good job. However, even that isn’t 100% certain, so always be ready about the eventuality in which you’ll have to just grab several rodent traps or call an exterminator.
Side note: Using squirrel repellents and squirrel traps at the same time is rather pointless as ones try to bait the squirrels with the others try to drive them away. That is unless your property is big enough and you’re using the repellents to drive them from one end of the property into the other, where the traps are.
LIVING WITH & USING SQUIRREL REPELLENTS
Depending on the type of squirrel repellent you are using you might have to take different measures. The shortest and simplest advice we can give is to always follow the instructions on the product you are using to the letter. The last thing you want is to waste your chance of dealing with the rodents in an easy way and letting them grow their population. Still, here are some general pointers to follow:
- Regardless of the type of squirrel repellent, you’re using, remember to remove all squirrel attractants from your home or property. Things such as fallen berries, nuts, acorns, fruits, birdseed, leftover food, pet food, drinks, garbage bins and other trash, and so on – these should all be either removed from your property or adequately secured.
- Limit the accessibility in your home or property. Keep in mind that squirrels are extremely agile and athletic creatures – they can leap across distances of up to 10 feet so trim the trees of any nearby tree. Also, cover all electric or telephone wires in your property with plastic tubing. You should also remember to seal off or cover any holes and access points inside your home, especially to your attic and basement. Don’t forget to use a chimney guard as well.
- Keep a watchful eye about any squirrel activity. Things like small holes in your lawn, gnaw marks through your wood siding, missing bird food from the bird feeders, stolen fruits, and berries, excavated bulbs and seeds in your garden, foot sounds from the attic or in the walls, and so on, can all be rather strong signs that you have a squirrel invasion on your hands.
Apply these squirrel control and prevention steps together with one, two or more top quality squirrel repellents and you should be more or less protected against these pesky and ingenious pests.
TO CONCLUDE
By this point, it should be evident that there is a great diversity when it comes to squirrel and rodent repellents. You can use hand spray bottles, large garden spray tubes, ultrasonic electronic devices, outdoor solar-powered ultrasound repellents, natural pellets and powders, and more. Which product is better or worse is therefore often based on personal preferences and your own circumstances, but quality matters as well, so hopefully our list has been of some benefit to you. Also, remember that in tough situations it pays to use a couple or more repellents at once for maximum effectiveness.
So, with all this in mind, here are our Top 3 suggestions once again:
The Exterminators Choice Vehicle Protection Squirrel Repellent Spray is an all-natural product that includes vinegar, peppermint oil, white pepper, and several essential oil concentrates. This makes it completely safe for people and pets, but also a strong repellent for most rodents such as squirrels, rabbits, mice, rats, and others. It also comes with 100% money back guarantee from Exterminators Choice if you are not satisfied with its effectiveness.
The T3-R Triple High Impact Ultrasonic Squirrel Repeller is a great electronic device for keeping squirrels and other rodents at bay. It produces a very strong ultrasound that humans and most other mammals can’t detect, but that is very repelling to rodents such as squirrels, mice, rats, and others. It has 3 speakers and a 6-foot long power cord so it can be deployed in the center of a room instead of on a side wall. What’s more, this device also regularly changes its operating frequencies which prevent the rodent pests from getting used to them.
The Havahart Deer Off Ready To Use Repellent is an EPA-approved product that can be used on virtually everything in your garden. It is made out of natural ingredients such as putrescent eggs solids, garlic, capsaicin, hot peppers, and more. It’s safe for the plants you can use it on and leaves no noticeable residue or film on them. At the same time, however, it is highly effective at repelling deer, as well as most rodents such as squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and others.
