Rats can be the biggest problem ever when they start invading your home and start destroying your property. If you are looking for an all-natural method for your rodent problem you can use hot pepper spray!
This spray has been used for centuries by many organic farms and gardeners for repelling these pests, it’s 100% organic and there is an easy way of doing it, the best part of all? It was inexpensive. In this article you are going to learn how to make the best natural rat repellent, so keep reading.
How Hot Pepper Spray Works as a Rat Repellent
Hot peppers have capsaicin, which is a substance that is very irritant to most animals, especially if they taste it or smell it, and rats are no exception to that. Rats have very sensitive noses so when you apply the pepper spray around the areas you want to protect the strong scent will keep the rats away.
After you spray the content, the hot residue will dry out and the remains will coat everything with a spicy hot layer of heat. This will send any rat that comes by scurrying very far away. This is the best way to do it, it will take care of your rat problem and it will make a significant difference in your home environment.
For better results use cayenne peppers, they are one of the best peppers to use when making the mixture. If you cut them first they will be easier to be absorbed by the water.
What about pets’ safety?
If you have pets that constantly patrol the same areas where you have the rodent infestation, worry not. This hot pepper spray will only act as a deterrent and not as a pesticide, so your pets will be safe without any consequences, make sure they are not nearby when you are spraying it.
Let it dry out before allowing them to return to the area again. Also, make sure that you don’t spray on your pet food so it won’t harm them in any way.
Pro tip: It is strongly advised to remove your pet food when they have finished eating, even if they didn’t eat everything. This will repel rats that come by for food consumption.
Making Hot Pepper Spray for Rat Repellent
Gather your supplies and make sure to follow all the instructions below.
Ingredients
For this you will need the following:
- Water
- Hot Pepper Flakes (for better results use cayenne peppers)
- Chopped hot peppers (optional)
- 6 cloves of garlic (optional)
- Biodegradable dish soap
Bonus tip: You can use extra ingredients such as essential oils, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, chili powder, black pepper, white vinegar, and whole cloves to make the solution even stronger.
You can find hot pepper flakes in your local grocery store or in any online grocery store, and the good news is, that you are ready to go!
How to Prepare the Pepper Spray
- Use 1 gallon (3.9 L) of water and combine it with 3tbsp (16g) of pepper flakes. You need to cook the flakes in order for the capsaicin to be released into the water. If you haven’t got pepper flakes you can use 13 chopped cayenne peppers (jalapeno peppers will work as well).
- Heat the mixture and let it simmer for 20 minutes, cover the pot with a lid and let the water reach a boiling point.
- After reaching the boiling point, lower the temperature to medium heat and stir the mixture regularly while it cooks (for more than 30 min), this will help infuse the pepper oils with the water. (Keep your face away from the steam or your eyes will burn too, while you stir keep the pot half-covered, it will help avoid steam).
- Remove your juicy pepper mixture from the heat and let it stand for 24 hours (for better results you can leave 48). Leave the pot covered because it will help to make the infusion stronger. Keep the pot in a safe place to avoid any accidents.
- Strain the mixture and discard the peppers, and pour it through a sieve into another recipient. You’ll want to make sure that you separate all the flakes and residues from the water otherwise it will clog your spray bottle.
- Now you just need to add 2tsp (10 ml) of biodegradable dish soap into the mixture. This will help the spray to stick in difficult areas such as places that have moisture or that are susceptible to morning dew. You can use any kind of dish soap but a biodegradable one will not harm your pets or the soil that you spray it and it is still powerful enough to stick the spray.
- Pour the mixture into your spray bottle and label it, don’t forget to add the date as well. The spray will only be effective within the first 2-3 months. Before spraying it around don’t forget to use gloves and safety glasses to protect your eyes. If the mixture dropped on your skin wash it to prevent any kind of irritation, and never touch your face without washing your hands well.
General tip: If you are looking to do some rat extermination by yourself, feel free to check our complete guide.
How to Apply the Pepper Spray as a Rat Repellent
Before you start to spray your solution to get rid of rats while you work your way through every corner have these tips in mind.
- Don’t forget to use rubber gloves and eye protection before applying the solution.
- If you are spraying your mixture outside your house, use it early in the evening when the temperature is fresher, this will help the solution settle and it will not instantly evaporate thus reducing its effectiveness. If you can’t do it early evening do it in mid-morning when all the dew has dried.
- Be careful if it’s a windy day so it won’t hit you back, if it’s rainy don’t waste your time or the juice as it will not stick. Rain will wash away the solution, so you’ll need to re-apply once it is dry.
- If your garden is attractive to rats and you want to spray in crops or edible flowers near harvest season, make sure you wash them well before consuming them, don’t spray them in the middle of the day because sun heat combined with the solution can have a baking effect and might kill them.
- Spray it in bird feeders if rats are eating the seeds, birds don’t have the same reaction to pepper as rats do.
- Don’t spray it into or near pounds as it can affect the aquatic life.
- Capsaicin is very toxic to pollinators (bees and other insects) be mindful of that when using it outside.
- If you will spray it inside your house make sure you don’t spray door handles or balconies where others can touch it and get skin or eye irritations.
- Use the solution-dipped cotton balls if you want to use them inside your house, they will act as a powerful natural rat deterrent, and keep it away from pets and small children.
- If you are a pet owner be careful when you are spraying the solution, keep pets outside of the action so you won’t have any problems with them.
- In case of heavy rainfall, don’t forget to re-apply once the ground is dry again, if it’s still wet it won’t work. A frequent application keeps the strong smell effective.
If you are looking for other powerful solutions check how antifreeze coolant can kill rats without much effort.
Finishing Thoughts on Natural Rat Repellent Spray
There are many different ways to do rat repellents, you can use natural ingredients or if you don’t have the time, just use pest control products (snap traps, rat poison, ultrasonic pest repellents, etc.), both solutions will keep your rat infestation away.
A rodent spray can be very effective and cheap if you don’t want to spend a lot of money just to solve a minor rat problem, this can be a fast solution and you can make it in a short time.
The key to pepper spray effectiveness is to keep spraying it over and over during the time you want to get rid of rats or to keep them out of that specific area, the effective concentration will be your ally to win this war.
This may require a little bit of trial and error since rats can be very challenging, but when done right it is a great weapon against them. Be careful when making the solution and always wear protective gear.
If you want a homemade repellent that acts as a powerful rodent repellent and it is a good natural product, then this spray is the best choice for you. It will cease all the rodent activity going on and it’s a humane way to dispose of any pesky rat that’s messing around.
