The Kitchen Ingredient That Does Wonders For Keeping Raccoons Away

Finding a raccoon rifling through your trash or digesting ripened fruits in your garden can be an unnerving sight. Even though these masked bandits are of the cute and fluffy variety, don't be fooled by their seemingly innocent facade. If left to their devices, they'll make a mess of your property in no time, claw through your roof, garage, and basement, and begin treating it as their new humble abode. Since these wild animals are unpredictable, feature sharp claws and teeth, might carry rabies and other diseases, and are a threat to your pets, it's essential to keep raccoons out of your yard. Luckily, one common kitchen ingredient — cinnamon — does wonders for keeping your yard free of raccoons.

Raccoons are simple creatures led by their nose. They'll try to get inside your yard, attack your pet's food bowl, or rifle through the trash only if there's a chance that they'll score food there. This hack will turn their nose against them and capitalize on cinnamon's strong scent to keep them away.

Since raccoons can cause a lot of damage within a short span of time, it's essential to banish them before they settle in for the long haul and ask their friends and family to tag along. To repel these nocturnal mammals, liberally sprinkle cinnamon powder around your property and areas where you've spotted them. Thanks to the cinnamaldehyde in this kitchen ingredient, the strong scent emitted by this spice will irritate the nasal passage of raccoons and keep them from venturing near those areas. They might even wash their hands of your property completely.

Alternatively, you can mix ground cinnamon powder or oil with waterand pour the solution into a spray bottle before spraying the affected areas. You can even place cinnamon sticks in and around your trash can and other potential food sources to keep these critters away. This is a humane and budget-friendly way to prevent raccoons from wreaking havoc on your property, however, don't forget to reapply the powder after it rains. It's also a good practice to spray the access points after a few days to keep the scent fresh.