Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Snakes Away? (See Fast Results!)

Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Snakes Away

If you’re having an issue with snakes, you’re probably willing to try just about anything to get them away from your property. But, if more traditional options haven’t repelled the snakes, you may get desperate.  So, does Irish Spring soap keep snakes away?

The pungent scent of Irish Spring soap has been known to keep snakes out of unwanted places, including your yard. The sodium chloride and other chemicals within the soap also act as an effective anti-repellant for snakes. 

Of course, there is a lot more to why Irish Spring soap can be used as a snake deterrent.  This article will discuss the odors that drive snakes away, other natural solutions, and what other animals are repelled by Irish Springs.  Keep reading!

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Here’s a Quick Pro Tip!

No one wants snakes slithering around their home and property.  While Irish Spring soap may deter snakes from sneaking around your garden, other options exist.

Next time you’re concerned that snakes are making their home in your house or yard, consider one of these great options to deter them:

1. Snake Defence Spray – This spray comes with everything you need to easily protect your perimeter from snakes. 

2. Ultrasonic Snake Repeller – This device uses sonar to deter snakes and other pests without harming your pets or humans. 

3. Sachets – If you want to stick to the tried and true method of using Irish Spring to deter snakes, try scraping the soap into one of these small pouches, then hanging it from wherever you’re seeing snakes!

Snake-Proofing your Home and Yard

While many people enjoy keeping snakes as pets, it’s entirely different from having wild snakes nesting around your property.  If you need to get rid of nuisance snakes, we understand!  We’re talking about that now!

How Do I Snake-Proof My House?

The best way to snake-proof your home is to keep your landscaping as unfriendly to snakes as possible.  Use gravel instead of grass, so they don’t have a place to hide. Trim the base of bushes and trees to avoid snakes nesting there. 

You should also be very careful about water features, such as bird baths, small ponds, and other water sources. 

Not only does that help snakes by providing a freshwater source, but it can also provide an easy food source. 

What Household Products Keep Snakes Away?

You can use common household products like vinegar and Irish Spring soap to keep snakes away.  Because snakes do not like strong smells, the scent of vinegar and the chemicals in Irish Spring does wonders at repelling snakes of all kinds. 

Plus, neither vinegar nor Irish Spring soap will harm humans if used correctly. 

You can carve off small slivers of Irish Spring soap and sprinkle them around your home or garden, wherever you’re worried about snakes gathering, to deter them from nesting there. 

What Does Irish Spring Soap Repel?

Shaving off small pieces of Irish Spring soap and sprinkling it around your home or yard has been reported to repel snakes, rabbits, and even deer.  Since most creatures dislike strong odor, the scent of the soap warns them to stay away. 

Because Irish Spring does not contain p-Menthane-3, 8-doil, a chemical found primarily in eucalyptus plants; it does not necessarily help in repelling mosquitos, according to the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA.

What Scents Will Keep Snakes Away?

Snakes hate strong odors, so you have many options around the home to deter snakes.  One easy solution is to plant onions and or garlic along the lines of your home.  The smell will deter snakes, and you’ll have plenty of aromatics for your dinners! 

Plenty of common snakes hate living close to onions and garlic, so having those planted in your garden, home, or flower beds can allow you safety and peace of mind while outside. 

What Liquids Do Snakes Hate?

Snakes hate strong odors, including odors from liquids.  Some of their least favorite scents are cloves, cinnamon, peppermint, garlic, and onions.  You can find many of these in oils, but you can also get a snake repellent spray. 

We recommend using a natural snake defense spray if you need to cover a large section of your yard, garden, or anywhere outside. 

It will cover large areas but contains essential oils instead of toxic chemicals. 

You might also enjoy our post on If Snakes Can Climb Walls

Snake Repellent Options

What are your options if you want to keep snakes away but don’t necessarily want to kill them if you can avoid them? 

In this section, we’ll discuss different hacks and find out which option is best to keep snakes away from your home.

What Is the Best Snake Repellent?

The best snake repellents rely on natural compounds to keep snakes away versus relying on harsh chemicals, which are dangerous for pets and children. But, of course, your personal preference tops all else.

You can even DIY your own snake repellent using clove oil, cinnamon oil, and/or peppermint oil. 

You can combine these in a basic spray bottle and mist areas you want snakes to avoid, including your yard, your home, or your garden.

What Chemicals Kill Snakes?

Many people use mothballs to repel and kill snakes.  Because they are toxic, mothballs will do the job.  You can also use sulfur and even calcium cyanide.  Just be extremely cautious when using these harsh chemicals, as they can result in burns if they come in contact with the skin and are just as toxic to humans as they are to snakes!

If you want to use a sulfur-based product, you can easily purchase them online. There are also many effective snake repellents on the market that rely on natural compounds to repel snakes. 

This means you get a snake-free lawn without having to kill the snake.

Quick tip: ensure mothballs are legal in your area, first!

Is There a Spray to Keep Snakes Away?

You can make a spray solution to keep snakes away by mixing clove, cinnamon, and peppermint oils with water in a spray bottle.  You can also purchase natural or chemical sprays to keep pests away. 

No matter which spray you buy or make, start your spraying in a test area. Spray a small patch of grass first to ensure your mix will not hurt your lawn. 

Leave it to sit for 24 hours. Then, if it has not changed your lawn, spray the entire area you wish to be protected from snakes. 

Will Vinegar Repel Snakes?

Because vinegar has a strong astringent odor, snakes do not like it and will avoid an area that smells that strongly.  Therefore you can use vinegar to repel snakes. Simply pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and spray wherever you want to keep snakes away. 

You can also use vinegar around your pools or other bodies of water to deter snakes. 

Not only does this cut them off from their water source, but many snakes also rely on smaller animals around a body of water for a food source.

Snakes aren’t likely to stay around if you’ve cut off their food and water supply. 

Does Bleach Keep Snakes Away?

Snakes do not like harsh smells, and bleach is no exception.  Pouring bleach on the ground will keep snakes away, but beware, it will also kill plants and can be harmful if other animals are around.

We don’t recommend using bleach as a snake repellent.  Because bleach can be deadly to plants, animals, and people, we don’t recommend spraying it around your yard. 

We wouldn’t want a tragic accident to occur.  

Does Ground Cinnamon Keep Snakes Away?

You can attempt to sprinkle ground cinnamon around your yard to deter snakes. Snakes don’t like the strong scent of cinnamon.  However, you may get more luck using cinnamon oil versus ground cinnamon. 

Using cinnamon oil in a spray bottle diluted with water allows you to saturate your yard with the spray instead of sprinkling the powder on the surface, where it may blow away.

This allows you to get complete coverage with minimal waste.

Does Cayenne Pepper Keep Snakes Away?

Cayenne pepper can keep snakes away when used in liquid form.  You can either buy a liquid pepper sauce or boil down the peppers in a saucepot and use the water for a homemade repellent spray.

Use caution if you cut up the peppers and make a spray yourself. 

Be sure to wear proper safety equipment while cutting the peppers, including gloves and eyewear, as getting any pepper on your skin or eyes can result in painful burns. 

You might also enjoy our post on If You Can Legally Shoot Snakes on Your Property

Does Diesel Keep Snakes Away?

While it’s true snakes are repelled by strong smells, diesel isn’t the way to do it.  You’re more likely to poison your plants than you are to poison a snake with diesel.  You also run the risk of accidentally starting a fire. 

If you need a way to keep snakes away, consider getting away from the idea of a liquid and, instead, get yourself an ultrasonic snake repellent.  

These solar-powered stakes emit an ultrasonic sound that won’t harm humans or pets but may prevent snakes from being comfortable enough to nest. 

Other Animals and Irish Spring Soap

Irish Spring Soap has a lot of different cleaning abilities, but does it work to keep animals away?  In this section, we’ll discuss Irish Springs’s effectiveness in keeping various animals out of your home and garden.

Will Irish Spring Keep Mosquitoes Away?

The EPA has stated that Irish Spring soap is ineffective against mosquitoes as it lacks the chemical compounds that deter them.  To keep mosquitoes away, you’ll need something with DEET, citronella oil, or lemon eucalyptus oil.

The EPA has compiled a list of effective ingredients in skin-applied repellents to help you choose the right product to keep mosquitoes away while outside.

You can also purchase citronella-based candles to keep bugs away without having to apply anything to the skin.

Does Irish Spring Repel Spiders?

Irish spring soaps may assist in keeping pests away from your home, but there is no proof positive it works as well as repellents made for spiders. If you want to give it a shot, scrape small slivers of the soap off the bar and sprinkle them around where you see spiders. 

If you’re going to use Irish Spring soap in this manner, make sure no pets or children can reach the soap.  While it’s not deadly, it’s always better to deter pets and kids away from anything chemical-laden. 

Will Mice Eat Irish Spring Soap?

Mice may enjoy eating Irish spring soap or any other soap that contains animal fats as an ingredient.  However, they won’t typically eat enough to cause any health problems, so leaving soap out to kill mice is an ineffective method of extermination. 

Because mice eat such a small portion at a time, they are not ingesting enough of the chemicals in soap at once to do any damage. 

In fact, if the mice develop a taste for the soap, you may find yourself with a bigger infestation on your hands. Therefore, it’s better to stick to the tried and true methods of rodent removal. 

Will a Bar of Irish Spring Keep Raccoons Away?

Raccoons are sensitive to the smell of mint, one of the main scents in Irish Spring.  This means that sprinkling some Irish Spring around your yard may, in fact, keep raccoons at bay. 

You can scrape small bits from a bar of Irish Spring soap and sprinkle it around your garden, trash cans, and even the perimeter of your house to discourage animals like deer and raccoons from attempting to gain access.

You might also enjoy our post on What to Do if Your Dog Eats a Snake

Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Animals Away?

Irish Springs soaps contain strong scents of peppermint, which can aid in keeping certain animals away.  Animals such as snakes, deer, and raccoons have sensitive noses and will be deterred by the strong scents associated with the soap.

You can keep certain animals out of your garden or away from your home by employing a bar of Irish Spring soap. 

Scrape it into small pieces and sprinkle it wherever you’re trying to deter creatures, just be sure pets and small children can’t access it. 

Why Do Animals Hate Irish Spring Soap?

Some animals hate the smell of Irish Spring soap because it contains strong fragrances.  These scents, mainly peppermint, deter creatures who do not associate the smell with food. 

If you do not like the idea of placing Irish Spring soap on the ground of your garden, you can cut the soap into small cubes and use a pouch to keep it together.

You can then hang the sachet from a tree branch or fence post. 

Related Questions

Does Irish Spring Soap Hurt Plants?

The chemicals in Irish Spring soap won’t hurt your plants if they come into contact.  While we do not recommend allowing the soap to seep into the soil around your plants, the occasional bit of soap won’t contaminate or kill your edible plants. 

If you’re concerned that you may contaminate your garden, you can always use a sachet to contain the soap and prevent accidental contact. 

This should still encourage animals to steer clear without compromising your plants. 

What Animals Eat Irish Spring Soap?

Some rodents may enjoy the taste of Irish spring soap due to the usage of animal fats as a base for the soap.  However, they will not eat enough at one time for the chemicals to harm the animals, so it’s not an effective pest eliminator. 

Other animals are offended by the strong scents of Irish Spring soap and will steer clear.  This includes deer, raccoons, and even snakes.

If you’re concerned your pets may develop a taste for soap, be sure to keep it out of reach when not in use.  

Will Irish Spring Soap Kill Grass?

Irish Spring soap will not kill grass if sprinkled on a lawn in small pieces.  Also, it will not contaminate a garden with its chemicals, so it’s safe to be sprinkled on the perimeter to deter pests. 

Of course, you should always wash your produce before eating, even if it came from your garden.  This will prevent chemicals and other foreign matter from being consumed by accident. 

Final Thoughts

Many people enjoy Irish Spring soap for its strong, long-lasting scent.  Snakes, however, feel the opposite. 

So give the soap a chance if you’re looking for a cheap but effective way to prevent snakes from entering your home or garden!  

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