Home Management Solutions for Raccoons

For most of us, the purchase of a home will be our biggest investment by far. It is only logical that protecting this investment should be an important priority. Many homeowners don’t take into account the fact that wild animals can cause great financial damage until they experience it for themselves. Of all the animals that can be a nightmare for our home management efforts, raccoons are the most common of residential and rural nuisances. These ingenious and cunning creatures have a proven track record for breaking and entering. These little monsters are even known to terrorize entire neighborhoods, wreaking widespread havoc.

Thankfully, there are some effective methods for minimizing this threat. By utilizing a few home remedies one can go a long way in protecting the integrity and value of a home. When these resourceful critters exploit the sustenance and shelter that we unwittingly provide, it is understandable. Unfortunately, they often get into trouble and, as already mentioned, can cause extensive and expensive damage as well.

The following are a few problem areas and some tips:

· Chimneys: The best solution for keeping raccoons from nesting in a home’s chimney is a cap. One can buy these at many hardware stores and home centers and “DYI” it or simply hire a chimney sweep to accomplish the task. Should a raccoon family be in place for a couple of months or so, one can motivate them to leave by installing in the flue some rags soaked in ammonia. Loud and constant noise, (a speaker shooting sound up the chimney), along with a powerful flood of light, can be very unwelcoming to a raccoon and often result in them vacating the space. Remember to install the aforementioned chimney cap as soon as they are gone!

· Attic Dwellers: Should raccoons move into your home’s attic, the first thing to accomplish is a thorough inspection to locate all potential entry points for these clever creatures. Exploit the same chimney remedies by strategically placing bowls of ammonia, a blaring radio and some flood lights for as long as three days. Again, once they leave, patch up any potential access into the attic.

· Trash Cans: This is arguably the biggest attraction for raccoons. The trash is their supermarket and do they ever love to go to shopping there! One can dissuade them (and other animals) by moving all your trash cans into a closed structure or by securing the can tops with some kind of locking mechanism. (Ask you local home center pro for ideas.)