If you have unwelcome lizards wandering around inside your home, you are likely to want them gone as soon as possible!
However, it is important to note that they are normally not dangerous and actually act as a sort of pest control, preventing the spread of some deadly diseases by some insects.
Because they are important to our environment, you want to get rid of the little reptiles without harming them. In this article, we discuss how you can safely eliminate lizards from your home and how to prevent them from coming back.
How To Get Rid Of Lizards
Lizards and other reptiles are loved by many and often kept as pets. However, when these creatures come into your home uninvited, it can be a big problem!
You may have seen one running around corners of your home, or you may just suspect that you have a lizard problem.
Lizards release their tale when touched by predators, so seeing one is a tell-tale sign of having at least one, if not many, lizards in your home! Another sign of lizards invading your space is the sighting of lizard skin.
Just like snakes, lizards shed their skin also. Their skin does not grow larger, so they shed it as they grow.
If you have noticed lizard tales, lizard skins, and droppings about 1/8th of an inch with white balls on end, this is a tell-tale sign that you have a lizard or lizard living in your home.
1. Use Naphthalene Balls
Naphthalene, also known as moth balls, is one remedy for unwanted lizards in your home. These balls have a strong smell that doesn’t phase humans but drives pests mad!
Place them around your home where lizards may be hiding, such as basements, under sinks, in closets, or any place you think a lizard has been.
These should only be used in places without pets and kids, as they can be harmful if swallowed.
2. Trick Them With Peacock Feathers
Peacocks are natural predators of lizards, so lizards tend to stay away from areas that smell like a peacock.
Although it may be tempting to get an actual peacock to solve your woes (Like cats get rid of pesky mice), obtaining a peacock probably is not that easy or easy to take care of. However, you can trick them with peacock feathers.
Peacock feathers contain the smell of a peacock, so place them in various areas around your house where lizards may be hiding, and they will run for the hills!
3. Bring Out The Garlic
Garlic is a delicious way to flavor your meals and tastes amazing on buttered bread, but it is also a natural deterrent for many pests, including lizards!
Simply peel as many garlic cloves as you need to place around your home and press them gently to release their aroma. When the lizards begin to smell the pungent odor of garlic, they will get the hint.
You can also use onions, as lizards hate the smell of them as well. Just remember, just like lizards are run off by too much garlic and onions, it will probably be a nuisance for you too!
4. Give Eggshells A Try
Egg shells are useful for many things, such as soil fertilizers and an environmentally friendly way to start seedlings.
However, they may also be helpful in eliminating the lizards from your home as well! It is believed that eggshells not only have an odor that lizards hate but also that it makes them think that larger pests are inhabiting the area and they may be in danger.
Although there is not any proof that eggshells work to get rid of lizards, if you have any eggshells to spare, it may be worth a try.
5. Spray Lizard Repellent
One of the easiest ways to fix your lizard problem is to spray commercial lizard repellent around the outside and inside of your home.
These sprays are usually nontoxic, so they are safe to use around children and pets. I would double-check, though, just to be sure.
6. Spice Things Up
Another great way to get rid of lizards is to use pepper spray. No, not the pepper spray you keep on your keychain to fend off an attacker, although that may be what it feels like to the lizard.
High concentrations of pepper have been known to cause allergic reactions to pests like lizards and even make them feel sick.
You can make a DIY pepper spray solution with black pepper, chili powder, tabasco sauce, or any hot sauce containing cayenne pepper.
Dilute it in a spray bottle with plenty of water and spray the mixture in the places you have seen unusual lizard activity.
Exercise caution when using this method. You don’t want the mixture to be so strong it causes you to have a reaction; just a little bit will do.
7. Back To The Essentials
Some essential oils, such as lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, and cinnamon, are great natural lizard repellents.
Be careful using peppermint and eucalyptus around pets and children under the age of 6, as it could potentially cause a respiratory problem.
To use essential oils, just add a few drops into a diffuser and let them work their magic. Alternatively, you can make a spray by mixing them with water and spraying it in areas around your home where you suspect lizards may be hiding out.
8. Cut Them Off
If you have insects and bugs in areas of your home, you will want to eliminate these as these are a lizard’s main food source. Spray insect repellent around your home and keep doors and windows closed as often as possible.
You will also want to be extra diligent about keeping both the inside and the outside of your home tiny. Sweep up crumbs and, in a timely manner, your inside floors as well as your decks.
Even though lizards prefer tasty bugs, if they are hungry enough, they will come for your food scraps as well.
Keeping anything, they may consider food away from lizards will have them reconsidering their new home and convince them to set up shop elsewhere.
9. Take Away Their Hiding Spots
Do you have a bunch of stuff on your porch? Even benches and potted plants can be great shelters for lizards. It may be wise to pull your benches and plants away from the walls of your home and try not to have anything that is not absolutely necessary for the time being.
The same goes for the inside. Keep things picked up off of the floors and create an inhospitable environment for the pesky reptiles, and they will find somewhere else that lets them have hiding spots.
10. Set A Trap
If you don’t have an infestation, and none of the other methods are doing the trick, it may be time to set a trap. You can easily set a trap using a water bottle, or make a DIY trap using a cardboard box.
Alternatively, you can simply set out a cardboard box with a saran wrap taped to the sides and a slit in the middle.
Simply put, either bugs or fruit-like melon in the trap and wait. The lizard will eventually make its way to the bait and will be trapped.
11. Call A Professional
If you have a lizard infestation, you should probably call a pest control service to remove the lizards from your home. While the methods listed are likely to help you eradicate a few lizards, an infestation is a whole different story.
If you see long black droppings around 1/8th of an inch with white ends, this could be a telltale sign of a lizard infestation!
Extended Tips
- Don’t use glue traps. Glue traps are one of the most inhumane traps you can use. The creature sticks to the sticky surface of the glue and can’t get free, eventually dying of starvation.
- After you get rid of the lizards lurking in your home, you need to seal off any holes or cracks in your walls or windows that lizards may be using as entry points using caulk.
- You should also repair any leaking pipes you may have. Lizards are attracted to cool, damp spaces, like under your sink and in your basement. If you have a basement where water pools up regularly, you are asking for a lizard to come wandering in.
Conclusion
Lizards aren’t for everyone, especially if they are taking over your home. Luckily, you can get rid of these reptiles and keep them gone!
We Hope You found this article helpful! Have you had an experience with lizards in your home? How did you fix the issue? Let us know in the comment section below! We love to hear from our readers!