So, it’s just another Tuesday night. You just got home after a long day at work. You walk into your bedroom, switch on the lights and there he is a lizard just lounging on the wall smirking at you like he owns the damn place! Lizards are pretty creepy creatures and let no one tell you otherwise. They lurk around in the dark, dingy corners of your house, showing up unannounced at the most inopportune moments. And while lizards pose no fatal threats to us (unless you count getting a heart attack when they suddenly jump on you), no one really wants to share their living space with them. Here are some simple and effective home remedies for getting rid of these cold-blooded reptiles (lizards) from your property.
Why Do Lizards Enter Your House?
It is bad enough when the corners of your house are teeming with insects and rodents, add an outbreak of slithering lizards to the list and it quickly escalates to a home maker’s worst nightmare. And while the beady-eyed reptiles keep the pests in check, they are just too gross to handle. Wall lizards have always been an uninvited guest that homemakers cannot handle for long. So, the question remains, why do lizards enter your home when they are so detested? What really attracts lizards to your home? To put it simply, lizards are cold-blooded creatures and thus need external heat to warm themselves up. Secondly, they need the shelter and protection from predators outside.
Lizards are pretty fast and have a knack for blending in with their surroundings (not exactly camouflaging like a chameleon but they’re close enough). So, if you think you noticed something whooshing past you, it was in all probability a tiny lizard just returning to its nest after a hectic day of sitting on the ceiling and staring at nothing. Also, remember all that squeaking and scurrying about that woke you up in the middle of the night? Well, lizards are partying again! Jokes apart, lizards can be an absolute nuisance for any house owner.
So, How Do You Prevent That From Happening?
So, clearly you cannot live with them, what can you do? You’d want to drive them away of course. Outright eliminating the lizards just because they creep you out is a bit too cruel. The next best alternative is to scare them away. These pesky scaly reptiles enter your home through vents, pipes, cracks around the windows, doors, ventilators, AC ducts and other small openings. They are commonly found in the warm area where there is no dearth of food supply i.e. insects. Keeping your house clean and closing in all the cracks around the property is a safe way to remove any sign of lizard in the house.
What Drives Lizards Away?
Lizards are perhaps the only creatures that might make your home their habitat and choose to stay on your property for good if they really like it. Having one or two of them lurking about the house out of your sight is not a major problem. However, it becomes slightly disturbing when you find several of these slithering reptiles running around in the room, porch, garden, front door.
It is pretty easy to get rid of lizards without having to kill them. There are certain smells, for instance, that these reptiles just cannot stand. Naphthalene balls, garlic, egg shells, onions, in fact, anything that has a sting pungent odor takes care of the small domestic lizard problem in your house. We have discussed the other ways to repel lizards below that you can check out;
How to Repel Lizards without Killing Them?
Having pests running around your house can be an unsettling experience for many. You cannot simply avoid lizards and other reptiles when every corner and crevice is full of them now can you? You don’t really have to spend a fortune hiring professionals for a lizard-free home. There are a number of effective home remedies that can naturally prevent lizards from coming in naturally.
1. Eggshells
The pungent smell of eggs like garlic can effectively repel the lizards away. Lizards are particularly picky when it comes to their olfactory senses. They simply cannot stand the unpleasant or strong odor. Retain the egg shells and place them in and around the rooms. Don’t leave out any corner or crevice of the house; you can even hang the shells from the ceilings. Lizards, when they smell eggs around assume that there are other creatures in the house and hence leave to protect themselves.
2. Coffee Powder and Tobacco
Mixing coffee powder and tobacco is a deadly combination for lizards, quite literally. The lizard, when in contact with the mixture, dies almost immediately. You can make DIY death-balls (sounds dangerous right?) at home by mixing the two commonly found kitchen ingredients in the right proportion. Mix generous amounts of coffee and tobacco, roll them into small balls and stick them on matchsticks or toothpicks. Place these baits on and underneath shelves, door hinges, cupboards and other dingy corners of the house. The lizard dies a quick painless death as soon as it eats the death-balls.
3. Garlic
Garlic is a part of your everyday cooking, but this common kitchen ingredient also serves as an effective lizard-repellent if used the right way. Lizards cannot stand the pungent smell of garlic and often tend to flee the place when they sense the presence of anything that smells strongly unpleasant. Garlic cloves near the windows, inside shelves and dark gaps of the house prevent them from building their nests there. You can even prepare a spray by crushing a few garlic cloves, extracting their juice and mixing it with water. Add 2 spoonful’s of garlic juice in a cup of water.
4. Pepper Spray
A pepper spray isn’t just used to keep away lecherous men and unwanted advances on the road but also works well indoors! Yes, pepper sprays, known for their strong, pungent odor leaves a burning sensation on the skin and leaves them numb from shock. You can either get the pepper spray from the store or make one yourself. Grind some pepper, and mix it with chili powder. Add some water to this mixture and pour the diluted solution into a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the walls, inside cupboards, under the shelves and furniture, everywhere you feel the lizards could be.
5. Onions
Onion, an essential ingredient for most of your culinary experiments, can also work as an effective lizard control tool if only you use it the right way. Yes, like garlic, even onions have a pretty strong smell that automatically drives the lizards away. Chop an onion into small pieces and place it on all corners around the halls. You can also prepare an onion spray and sprinkle the mixture on the walls and ceilings. To prepare the solution you have to chop and crush a few onions, extract their juice. Mix the onion juice with water and pour this mixture in a bottle. It’s that simple!
6. Cold water
Dousing the infestation area with cold water is a great way to drive the lizards away. It is perhaps one of the easiest and quickest solutions when it comes to scaring the pests away. Lizards are cold-blooded creatures and depend on external heat to keep warm. Naturally, when you pour cold water or ice on them, it lowers their body temperature. Cold water renders the lizards immobile for a few minutes. You can now throw them away while they are in this paralyzed state. It might be a bit tiring and sometimes ridiculous, as you would have to run after the lizards all day spraying cold water on them and then disposing of them.
7. Peacock Feathers
Many people keep peacock feathers in their homes, which are just not for decorative purposes you know? They serve as more than just aesthetically pleasing décor items, they also drive the lizards away. You see, lizards are absolutely terrified of birds, given the bird’s predatory nature. The lizards are scared of birds and naturally conditioned to run away from their predators for their survival. Seeing a couple of feathers perched on the walls and corners is threatening for the reptile. Peacock feathers, being larger and brighter than most other bird’s feathers are far more effective in scaring the lizards away.
8. Naphthalene Balls
Naphthalene balls keep the mattresses fresh and free of bugs and insects. Your clothes, blankets, and woolen items are protected against termites, ants, and almost every pest including lizards. They’re similar to phenyl or mothballsto ward the lizards away from your house. Place a couple of naphthalene balls on the shelves, the cupboards and other areas where you suspect that the lizards might hideaway. The strong odor of naphthalene balls keep the lizards far away from your property.
9. Tabasco Sauce
Lizards hate the smell of Tabasco sauce, like really, really hate it. The strong pungent smell of the sauce works wonders in shooing the lizards away. Tabasco sauce is a part of almost every kitchen and also available in any grocery shop or supermarket. You need to mix one spoon of Tabasco sauce in a bottle of water, pour the diluted mixture into the spray bottle. Spray generous amounts of this solution in the dark, narrow corners of the house- behind the furniture, in-between door hinges, on shelves, wall corners, everywhere you know the lizard roams about.
10. DIY Lizard Trap
For people who want to deter lizards from coming in their homes but not harm them in any way, a DIY trap is a smart solution. You can make your own cardboard trap or get one from a shop. Simply corner the reptile and then trap it in a cardboard. When it is secured inside, take the box outside and then release the lizard in the wild. Lizards, though a nuisance inside your home, are essentially important for maintaining the natural balance in the environment. Once outside, they will keep the bug population in check and act as a natural pest control solution.
11. Flypaper
Now, flypaper isn’t exactly the most humane way to eradicate lizards from your house. Sure, they don’t kill the reptile, but can cause considerable pain and injury that would leave it immovable and helpless. People use flypaper to trap insects and flies but it works well on removing lizards as well. Place the flypaper in different corners of your house frequented by the lizards. When they crawl over it, the glue sticks to their limbs paralyzing them, until you decide to throw it away outside. Flypapers are cheap, easily available and pretty effective in trapping lizards even in the narrow passages and high ceilings.
Some Precautionary Measures
Lizards, though very adjusting and docile, are considered threatening by most people because of their slithery, scary appearance. And while driving these reptiles away is pretty easy, there are a few precautions everyone must ensure when carrying out the lizard control process. Listed below are some safety measures that you must adopt when dealing with lizards on your own:
- Seal all unnecessary cracks and openings such as window cracks, a gap in-between tiles etc.
- De-clutter your house, clear the trash and get rid of the bugs- the lizards will automatically lose any interest in your house
- Some lizards are poisonous, keep your pets and kids away from them
- Also, ensure that you wear the proper protective gear when spraying insecticides and anti-lizard sprays.
- Be careful when using electric lizard repellents
The Bottom Line
Lizards are seemingly harmless creatures that prefer to stay away from humans; you can easily learn to coexist with them in the house. In fact, some domestic lizard species such as iguanas, breaded dragons, and geckos are kept as pets. However, people who have a lizard phobia are immune to logical explanations, and these creepy reptiles have a reputation for being among the scariest pests that no one wants to deal with. And even though most of us are aware of how beneficial lizards really are in eradicating the flies, spiders and other nasty insects away- the fear and disgust for these creatures far outweigh all the good that they do. Lucky for you, they are easy to get rid of.
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