How To Repel Lizards From A Garage? A Comprehensive Guide
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How To Repel Lizards From A Garage?
Lizards come in many sizes and colors. The Komodo Dragon of Indonesia, bigger than a human being and a tourist attraction, is ultimately just a lizard. But, right now, I imagine, you just want to know how to repel lizards from a garage?
House Lizards (aka house geckos) are in your garage for three simple reasons; food, water & shelter. Remove these and the lizards will not be interested in infesting your garage any more!
Following homemade remedies, natural scents and commercial products are quite effective in repelling lizards.
Why are Lizards in My Garage?
Your garage is a great place for a lizard. Even better than your home or the yard. Many garages are not well lit and overstuffed with storage. This invites all kinds of flying & crawling insects to make your garage their home.
Lizards follow because they love feeding on them. They also find water from leaks, drains or even water bowls of pets. A garage crammed with junk gives them ample space to hide too!
The yard around the garage is also a good place for lizards to thrive. It is quite natural for them to move into your garage through the gaps and cracks. Seal them and use a garage door screen when the garage door is open, to block their entry.
Most lizards, especially house geckos are harmless. But they are creepy and gross. You certainly do not want them in your garage. In this post I explain the ways to get rid of lizards from your garage. I also give you tips on how to repel and prevent them from entering your garage.
Are House Lizards Dangerous?
House lizards are not dangerous in the way snakes are, for example. House Lizards are not poisonous. For the most part they stay away from humans and pets. They only come out at night to feed on insects & moths.
House lizards are harmless. They bite only when really agitated. But the house gecko has such small teeth that they can not even break into your skin.
House lizards do not pose any danger to you or your children. However, they are carriers of Salmonella. The salmonella bacteria does not affect the lizards but can lead to flu-like symptoms in humans.
House lizards are also no threat to your pet dog or cat. The only problem is that dogs & cats may chase, kill & eat a lizard. This could make them pretty sick, sometimes.
How to Get Rid of Lizard Poop in Garage?
Actually the lizard poop in garage is more dangerous than the lizard itself. The salmonella bacteria resides in the mouth & stomach of the lizards. As a result the lizard poop in the garage has salmonella bacteria too!
The bacteria can find its way into humans, through improperly washed garden vegetables or inhalation of dust which may carry the bacteria from the dried up poop. So you need to get rid of the lizard poop in your garage before the salmonella bacteria gets you.
Lizard poop is easy to identify, as it has a white tip. Get rid of it, when you see it, as under:
- STEP 1: Wipe clean with a damp cloth or rag, dipped in soap water
- STEP 2: Wipe the same area again with another damp cloth or rag, now dipped in an antibacterial disinfectant such as Cavicide Fragrance-free Disinfectant
What Kills Lizards Instantly?
To kill a lizard instantly, you would need to apply physical impact or high temperature. No house lizard will survive a hit on the head or being immersed in hot water. Of course, these actions are quite messy and impractical.
You could try killing them by using strong insecticides or poisons. Lizards are much larger than mosquitoes or roaches, so they will die rather slowly. A home made mixture of coffee & tobacco powder balls is known to be poisonous to lizards.
The other way is to use traps, especially glue traps, similar to the ones you use for mice. Once trapped, they will die over a period of time. Another way to catch them is to spray them with cold water. This will make them immobile for a while.
However, I think there is no need to trap or kill lizards. Just repel the lizards away from your garage and make them stay away.
What Scent Repels Lizards from a Garage?
Fortunately, there are many scents that lizards can not stand. Use them in the garage and they will disappear pretty soon.
The scents that repel lizards away from a garage or home can be grouped as under:
- Home Made Remedies
- Natural Oils & Scents
- Chemicals & Sprays
Home Made Remedies that will Repel Lizards from A Garage
- Coffee Powder + Loose Tobacco – Mix the two together and make small balls. Stick the balls at the end of toothpicks. Tobacco is poison for lizards
- Onion or Shallots – Slice them and leave them around your garage. Lizards hate the smell
- Garlic – Mince Garlic, mix it with water and put it in a spray bottle. Spray when needed to drive lizards away. Or just leave a few garlic cloves around.
- Black Pepper Spray – Ground Black Pepper mixed with water and vinegar is very effective at repelling lizards
- Tabasco Sauce Spray – Dilute it with water so that it can be sprayed. Lizards can’t stand the strong smell
- Egg Shells – Don’t throw them the egg shells after making your breakfast. Keep them in a plastic bowl in areas that lizards frequent. They hate the “sulfur” smell of the eggs.
- Peacock Feathers – This is an interesting hack. Lizards are scared of peacocks because peacocks eat them. Just a few feathers will make lizards think there is a peacock around. They will run for their lives.
Natural Oils & Scents that will Repel Lizards from A Garage
- Lemongrass Oil
- Eucalyptus Oil
- Japanese Mint
- Citronella Spray
Chemicals & Sprays that will Repel Lizards from A Garage
Some good products to consider:
- Exterminators Choice Lizard Defense Spray can be sprayed on garage and home walls to keep lizards away. A coat is effective for a full month.
- Snake Stopper Snake Repellent by Bonide Products works on snakes, lizards & iguanas alike. It just drives them away. No trapping or killing is involved.
- BuyBlocker 705105111131 Blocker All Natural Lizard Repellent are available in granular form. Spread them around your garage. They are non toxic and bio degradable.
An ultrasonic electronic device such as Neatmaster Ultrasonic Pest Repeller Electronic Plug in Indoor Pest Repellent is also quite effective at keeping lizards away from your garage.
Which Plants Can Keep Lizards Away?
You can repel lizards away from your garage by surrounding it with certain plants. These plants usually have a strong, distinct, pleasant smell.
Fortunately, for us, this smell confuses the lizards and they are not able to hunt down their prey. The lizards will not stay around, if they can not find food.
The plants that keep lizards away includes:
- Peppermint
- Japanese Mint
- Herb of Grace
- Pencil Tree
- Eucalyptus Tree
You could actually grow some of these herbs in your garage. Find tips on How To Grow Vegetables In Your Garage? (What You Need To Know)
How to Get Rid of Lizards Permanently?
You can, with some effort, get rid of the lizards in your garage permanently. Take these steps and chances are that you will not see any more lizards in your garage.
Eliminate Food Sources
The lizards are in your garage because they can find insects & pests that they can feed on. Roaches and moths are their favorites. But they will eat other pests too such as flies, spiders etc.
If your garage is pest free, it will be lizard free too. To learn more about how to get rid of roaches, moths & flies check out my blog posts:
How To Get Rid of Roaches From Your Garage? (What You Need To Know!)
How To Get Rid of Moths From Your Garage? (What You Need To Know!)
How To Get Rid of Flies From Your Garage? (What You Need To Know!)
Lizards will eat fruits & vegetables too. Do not leave any uncovered food overnight in the garage. Put it in airtight containers or in the fridge.
Do Not Offer Them a Drink
Next to food, lizards need water to survive and thrive. Cutting off their water supply will make your garage inhabitable to the lizards.
Make sure that there are no leaks in the plumbing and the garage drain is not clogged. Lizards are often found under garage utility sinks or in the drains.
Keep the garage floor dry at all times. Let there be no water pooling at low spots. Do not leave drinking water for your pets in open bowls, if possible.
Keep your Garage Clean
A clean & well organized garage does not offer places to hide. Lizards like to be out of sight most of the time. They only come out when they are foraging for food.
A clean & well organized garage is also an important step in keeping common pests such as roaches & flies out of your garage.
Seal All Cracks
Ensure all joints, especially around windows and the garage door are sealed tight. Lizards can slither in through the tiniest of cracks.
A well sealed garage is anyway good for energy saving and keeping your garage insulated.
Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and useful.
