Why Your Yard Is Attracting Raccoons (And How To Keep Them Out)

Raccoons may look cute on social media, but when you have wild raccoons rummaging through your trash, it’s not so adorable. These animals can make a mess of your yard, create nests for their families under your home, and even carry diseases like rabies. This is why you must discover what is attracting raccoons to your yard, and learn how to get them out as quickly as possible.

Raccoons are attracted to areas with ideal nesting locations, a steady food source, and yards with few obstacles. To keep raccoons out of your yard ensure there is no food source by keeping trash cans sealed tight and treating your lawn for grubs. Keep a clean and tidy yard, and install fencing or thorny bushes. Spray repellents, and incorporate motion-activated lights and sprinklers to scare off raccoons.

If you keep spotting raccoons in your yard, you must address the problem sooner rather than later. These animals can quickly make a home on your property, rip through your trash, and even harm your pets. Below is a list of the reasons you may be attracting these animals into your yard, as well as the top ways to keep raccoons out of your yard for good.

 Reasons Why Your Yard Is Attracting Raccoons

1. You Have A Safe And Warm Nesting Location

Raccoons don’t build elaborate nests. Instead, they look for well-equipped shelters and then call them home. Hollowed-out trees and crawl spaces under decks and sheds are all ideal homes for these animals.

If you have natural hiding and living spots for raccoons, then there’s a good chance they will eventually migrate to these ideal locations.

2. There’s Nothing To Scare Them Away

Raccoons don’t like being disturbed. If you have an outdoor space that is rarely frequented, then it’s easy for a raccoon to feel comfortable. The less light, rain, and human interaction these animals have, the longer they are likely to stick around.

3. Your Yard Has A Food Supply

The main reason raccoons are attracted to a person’s yards is food. Raccoons are hungry animals and they will always gravitate towards places with an easy-to-access food supply. If you leave your trash unsealed, have an unprotected compost pile, or a garden ripe with unpicked vegetables, then you are unintentionally inviting raccoons onto your property.

4. There Are Plenty Of Hiding Places

Raccoons are very unlikely to nest or congregate in open spaces. They aren’t going to set up shop in the middle of a pristine lawn. They choose dark areas, like bushes, or spots with overgrown plants where they can easily hide.

If your yard is wild or unkept, then raccoons are likely to feel more comfortable and less exposed.

5. Your Yard Has No Obstacles Or Barriers

If you don’t have any fencing or privacy hedges, then it's easy for wild animals to come into your property. Raccoons can claw their way through barriers, but they are more likely to enter yards with no barriers at all. If you have no fencing or barriers, then you are making it all too easy for these animals to make a home in your yard.

11 Methods To Keeping Raccoons Out Of Your Yard

1. Keep Trash Cans Sealed Tight

Raccoons, perhaps more than any other animal, love to go through trash to find food. If you make it easy to access your smelly food remains, then raccoons will choose your home over others. 

To ensure your garbage doesn't attract raccoons, you must seal and secure your trash cans. Use a quality trash bin for starters. Never overfill your bins too much so that you can’t close the lid. If necessary, use bungee cords or straps to add an extra layer of protection to keep your trash lids closed.

2. Maintain A Clean And Tidy Yard

If your yard is free of debris and is kept tidy, it is far less appealing for a raccoon. These animals don’t like being in the open, so a clean and organized yard with no overgrown plants is not an ideal home for them. Furthermore, it will make your outdoor space more desirable in general.

3. Make A Repellent Using Cayenne Pepper

Raccoons don’t like spicy smells and tastes, and hot peppers, and they particularly hate cayenne pepper and hot sauces. You can make a spray with cayenne pepper and spray it anywhere you see these animals to help repel them.

4. Build Fences Or Barriers To Keep Raccoons Out

One great way to keep raccoons out of your yard is to make it difficult for them to enter. You can build a fence to keep these pests out. This is a good idea if you have a small dog and are worried about predators.

You can also plant privacy hedges or even thorny plants. While this method is not foolproof, it will make your yard significantly less desirable to raccoons, especially if you also implement other methods on this list.

5. Plant Alliums, Lavender, And Spicy Peppers In Your Garden

Raccoons hate several smells. They don’t like onions, garlic, and most other alliums. They also don’t like the scent of lavender. As mentioned previously, they also dislike spicy peppers. Consider planting some or all of these plants in your yard if you are worried about raccoons. These smells will encourage raccoons to leave your property fast.

6. Install Motion-Activated Sprinklers

Raccoons, like most animals, don’t like getting sprayed. For this reason, if you install motion-sensor sprinklers and activate them at night, you are sure to make your yard highly undesirable for raccoons. All it should take is a few strong sprays before these animals pack up and head to another yard.

7. Use Ammonia To Deter These Animals

Ammonia is another smell that raccoons despise. If you suspect raccoons have set up a nest somewhere on your property, you can spray ammonia. These animals particularly hate ammonia near their nests. In turn, this chemical is a great way to evict raccoons quickly.

8. Kill The Grubs In Your Yard

Trash isn’t all raccoons eat. They are also fans of grubs, just like moles. If you want to get rid of moles and raccoons at the same time, then treat your lawn for grubs. Getting rid of grubs is another way to eliminate a raccoon’s food source.

9. Destroy Or Seal Off Potential Nesting Areas

If you are worried about raccoons nesting under your deck or elsewhere, make it impossible for these animals to get there. If you have vulnerable potential nesting sites, like crawl spaces, then seal them off. This will make it impossible for raccoons to find a desirable nesting location on your property.

10. Install More Outdoor Lighting

Raccoons are nocturnal animals, which means they generally dislike light. They particularly dislike motion-sensor lights as it is bound to startle and scare them. Installing more motion-sensor flood lights in your yard is a great way to scare off these animals while you are fast asleep.

11. Sprinkle Epsom Salts

If you have some leftover Epsom salts, don’t throw them out. You can use Epsom salts to ward off raccoons. Epsom salt irritates a raccoon’s sensitive paws. After walking on Epsom salts once or twice, these animals will likely leave the area and find somewhere more comfortable to walk and roam. Sprinkle Epsom salts in any potential nesting location, but be careful not to damage any plants with the salt.

Summing Up Why Your Yard Is Attracting Raccoons

As cute as they might appear from afar, raccoons are animals you want to keep as far away from your yard as possible. They can hurt your animals, cause sickness, and make a mess of your trash. To rid these animals from your yard, seal off potential nesting locations, or use smells like cayenne pepper, alliums, or ammonia to repel them. Keep your yard tidy and consider installing fencing or hedges. Most importantly, always seal your trash cans tightly and remove all potential food sources.

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