Raccoons are highly adaptable creatures that thrive in urban and suburban environments. These nocturnal visitors are frequently drawn to porches and decks, viewing the sheltered spaces as potential den sites or reliable foraging grounds. Keeping them away requires a multi-step approach that removes their incentives and establishes physical boundaries. The following methods offer practical, humane strategies to make your porch an unwelcoming place for these animals.
Identifying and Removing Raccoon Attractants
The first step in deterrence is eliminating the things that draw raccoons to your porch area. Raccoons are motivated by easily accessible sources of food, water, and safe harbor. Their keen sense of smell allows them to detect potential meals from a distance.
Pet food and water bowls are among the most common attractants, especially if left outside overnight. Raccoons are omnivores, and dry kibble is a readily available, high-energy source they prioritize. Securing all garbage containers is important; bins should have heavy, locking lids or be stored inside until the morning of collection.
Fallen fruit from trees or bushes near the porch should be promptly cleared, as fermenting fruit is a strong lure. Bird feeders scatter seeds and nuts onto the ground that become a secondary food source for raccoons. Removing these feeders at night can reduce porch visits. Also, eliminate sources of standing water, such as leaky outdoor faucets or uncovered bird baths, as raccoons require a consistent water supply.
Non-Physical Sensory Deterrence Methods
Once attractants are removed, the next strategy involves using sensory discomfort to make the porch undesirable without creating physical barriers. Raccoons possess sensitive noses and are wary of sudden, bright light and unexpected noise. Utilizing these weaknesses can encourage them to relocate.
Motion-activated lighting is an effective technique, as the sudden burst of illumination startles their nocturnal habits and makes them feel exposed. Motion-activated sprinklers deliver a harmless, unexpected spray of water that is highly effective at driving them away. These devices should be aimed to cover the primary areas they frequent.
Strong scents that raccoons dislike can be applied to the perimeter of the porch. Raccoons have an aversion to the sharp odors of capsaicin from cayenne pepper and the intense aroma of peppermint oil. Soaking cotton balls in concentrated peppermint oil or household ammonia and placing them near entry points creates a temporary repellent. While not a permanent solution, reapplying these scents every few days, especially after rain, can disrupt their foraging patterns.
Structural Exclusion and Physical Barriers
To permanently prevent raccoons from denning under a porch or deck, physical exclusion methods are necessary to block access. Raccoons can fit through surprisingly small openings and are adept at burrowing beneath structures to gain entry. The goal is to install a secure, durable barrier around the perimeter of the porch skirting.
To prevent digging, a trench approximately 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide should be excavated around the base of the structure. Heavy-gauge galvanized hardware cloth, a sturdy wire mesh, should then be secured to the porch frame and extend down into this trench. The bottom edge of the mesh must be bent outward into an L-shape, facing away from the porch, and buried beneath the soil. This L-footer design prevents raccoons from digging directly down along the foundation.
If you suspect an animal is already living beneath the porch, a temporary one-way door should be installed over the main entry point. This specialized door allows the raccoon to push its way out but prevents re-entry. This method should be avoided between January and September, as a mother raccoon may be separated from her young, who would then be trapped inside. Once the animal is confirmed gone, the door can be removed, and the opening permanently sealed with the heavy-gauge mesh.
Handling Health Risks and Professional Assistance
Raccoons carry several pathogens that pose a risk to human and pet health, making cleanup hazardous. The most common concern is Baylisascaris procyonis, or raccoon roundworm, whose eggs are shed in feces. These eggs are not immediately infectious but become so after two to four weeks, remaining viable for years.
Raccoon latrines, communal defecation sites often found on flat surfaces, must be cleaned with extreme caution. Anyone undertaking cleanup should wear disposable gloves, an N95-rated respirator, and rubber boots to prevent accidental ingestion or inhalation of the eggs. Feces and contaminated material should be promptly removed, avoiding dust creation by lightly misting the area beforehand. The contaminated area should be treated with boiling water, as most chemical disinfectants do not kill the resilient roundworm eggs.
Professional assistance is necessary if a raccoon exhibits aggressive or disoriented behavior, which may indicate rabies. If a den contains a mother and her babies, or if a raccoon is trapped or injured, a licensed wildlife control operator should be called. These professionals have the knowledge and equipment to safely remove the animals and address any structural damage.