10 Natural Ways to Get rid of Lizards [Homemade Lizard Repellent]

Lizards are generally harmless, but once their population starts to increase, they can quickly become a nuisance. Moreover, lizards are infamous for littering around the house. Also, some people are creeped out by these insects, so it only makes sense to get rid of them.

Of course, you may use commercial lizard poisons, but many people prefer to use natural substitutes, so in this article, we will talk about several natural ways to get rid of lizards from your home. 

10 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Lizards Naturally

1. Pepper Spray – Homemade Lizard Repellent Spray

A homemade cayenne pepper spray can easily deter any lizard. Not only do they hate the smell of peppers, but they can also get scared if the spray is directly sprayed upon them, which will discourage them from coming into your house again.

Alternatively, you can also use a hot sauce instead of chili powder. 

Required Material:

• Cayenne pepper powder or hot sauce
• Water
• Spray Bottle

Step by Step Process:

• Mix 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, or 1 tablespoon of hot sauce into 1 liter of water.
• Transfer the mixture into a spray bottle.
• Spray this mixture everywhere that you find lizards in. You can also spray the mixture on a lizard directly to scare them away. 
• Regular usage of this spray will drive away the lizards from your home.

Precautions:

Hot sauce and pepper powder can irritate your skin, eyes, or nose, so always be careful while handling the mixture, and keep it away from children and pets. 

2. Use Napthaline balls

Naphthalene balls are great for getting rid of many different insects. However, they are especially good at driving away lizards. The strong smell of these naphthalene balls repels lizards effectively and keeps them away for a long time. 

Required Material:

• Naphthalene balls

Step by Step Process:

• Identify the areas that have the most amount of lizard activity. These areas tend to be behind any closets, or doors, etc. A very good method of identifying lizard activity is to follow their droppings.
• Once you have identified the areas that the lizards frequent, place 3-4 naphthalene balls in those areas. If needed, you can use more balls to cover a larger area. 
• Naphthalene balls evaporate after a while, so make sure to replace them every month or when you see them getting smaller.

Precautions:

Naphthalene balls are poisonous for humans and pets, so make sure to only place these balls in areas that are away from children and pets. 

3. Onion Slices

There are several ways to use onions to repel lizards. Just like the sulfur in the onions make your eyes water, it is also highly irritating to the lizards, so if they smell onions, they would promptly run away. This is, however, a short-term solution as the smell of onions starts to fade quite quickly. 

Required Material:

• Onions 
• Spray Bottle

Step by Step Process:

• You can either cut up a few slices of onion and leave them around the house in the areas where you find the most lizards. 
• You can also juice the onion and spray the liquid in the most lizard-prone areas. To do this, first, blend 3 or 4 onions in a blender and strain the juice using a fine cloth. 
• Then transfer the liquid into your spray bottle and spray around the house. 
• Since the sulfur in the onion evaporates quickly, you must spray this mixture every day to drive away the lizards. 

Precautions:

Onion juice may cause irritation to your eyes, so make sure to spray the mixture from a safe distance. 

4. Eggshells

Eggshells are one of the most common ways that people use to drive away lizards. Lizards cannot stand the smell of egg hells, and they would quickly run await as soon as they smell it. So do not throw out the shells of eggs after you cook, instead, save them to use as a lizard repellant. 

Required Material:

• Eggshells 

Step by Step Method:

• Do not wash out the eggshells, but make sure to dry them out before using them. You can also use a paper towel to clean out any remaining liquid inside the shell to dry them out faster. 
• Now you can simply leave them out in areas with the most lizard activity to ward off any lizards. 
• Replace the eggshells every week or so to make sure the lizards do not come back.
• Also, make sure to install some preventative methods to ensure that no more lizards come around. 

Precautions:

Eggshells are sharp and can cause injuries to children or pets, so always make sure to place the shells in areas that are not accessible to pets or children. 

5. Use Garlic cloves

The pungent smell of garlic can ward off many insects including lizards. Although not a very long-term solution, placing a few garlic cloves around the house is definitely going to get rid of the lizards for a while.

Always make sure to install more preventative methods to keep them out permanently. 

Required Material:

• Cloves of Garlic

Step by Step Process:

• Take a few cloves of garlic and smash them using a knife or the back of a spoon. This will help release the smell of the garlic. 
• Now place the smashed garlic cloves around your house. Put them in areas that have the most lizards. 
• Replace the garlic cloves every 2-3 days, or until the smell fades out. 

Precaution:

The garlic smell will disappear eventually, and so the lizards may return, therefore, installation of permanent barriers is recommended to keep them out for a long time. 

6. Coffee and Tobacco balls

Tobacco is poisonous to lizards, and so when they consume it, they will die very quickly. To make it more attractive to lizards, coffee grounds are often added to tobacco.

Some people say that the smell of coffee will drive away lizards, however, most lizards are actually attracted to it. These homemade balls are perfect to kill off lizards without worrying about any toxic chemicals. 

Required Material:

• Loose Tobacco
• Coffee ground 
• Water

Step by Step Process:

• Mix together one part of coffee grounds with one part of loose tobacco. Put a few drops of water into the mixture and stir until it becomes dough-like.
• Now form them into small balls of about 2 to 3cm diameter.
• Keep these balls around your house, especially in areas with the most lizards. You can also drop a few of these around your garden. 
• As the lizards eat them, they will die. Find the dead lizards and dispose of them safely. 

Precautions:

Make sure your pets or children do not accidentally eat these balls, as it may pose a health risk to them as well. 

7. Catch them with rat glue

Rat glue pads are not only great for catching rats, but they are also great for catching lizards. The only difference between rats and a lizard is where they walk.

While rats walk on the ground, lizards usually stay on walls, so you have to find a way to put the rat glue traps on the wall in order to catch lizards. This is a highly effective method for catching a large number of lizards, and it is also quite foolproof. 

Required Material:

• Rat glue traps
• Double-sided tape or removable adhesive

Step by Step Process:

• First, you must decide where to place your glue traps. Usually, it is a good idea to put them on the walls where you see the most lizards. 
• Depending upon the type of wall you may use double-sided tape or removable adhesive to attach the glue traps to your wall. You can also put them on the ceiling if you need. 
• Open the glue trap and optionally you can add some vegetable scrapings or dead bugs to attract the lizards. 
• Once you have caught the lizard, carefully take it off and dispose of it safely. The glue traps can usually be reused multiple times to catch multiple lizards. 

Precautions:

Do not touch the glue on the trap, since it is quite sticky and does not come off easily. If you accidentally get some glue stuck to your finger, you can remove it using vegetable oil and then soap. 

8. Spray Cold Water

Lizards live in warm environments, and they usually hide away in the winter times. If you splash cold water on them, they immediately become paralyzed, so you can then catch them and release them far away from your home.

This is a good way to get rid of a few lizards, but it may be time-consuming if there is a lot of lizards. 

Required Material:

• Water
• Spray Bottle

Step by Step Process:

• Fill any spray bottle with water and then put the bottle in the fridge. Do not freeze the bottle. 
• Whenever you see a lizard, spray the cold water onto the lizard directly. The lizard should immediately become immobile and stop moving. 
• You can catch it and put it in a plastic bag or mesh bag and then release it far away from your property. 

Precautions:

If the water is not cold enough, then the lizard may run away instead of becoming paralyzed. 

9. Citronella spray

Citronella is an inedible variety of lemongrass and it has a pretty strong smell that can drive away bugs of all kinds, including lizards.

You can buy ready-made citronella sprays from the market, or you can make your own. It has a pleasant smell, so not only will you be getting rid of lizards, but your house will also smell nice. 

Required Material:

• Citronella essential oil 
• Witch hazel or 75% rubbing alcohol
• Vegetable glycerin 
• Spray bottle

Step by Step Process:

• Into a spray bottle, add ½ cup of water with ½ cup of rubbing alcohol or witch hazel. Add ½ teaspoon of vegetable glycerin, but it is optional. 
• Now add 30 to 50 drops of citronella essential oil, depending upon how strong you want the smell to be. 
• Close the bottle and shake it to mix it well. 
• Now you can spray this everywhere around your house. The strong smell will drive away lizards as well as other insects. When you remove the other insects as well, you make sure that the lizards do not get attracted by these bugs. 
• Spray every 3 to 4 days, and you should be able to get rid of lizards quite well. 

Precautions:

Sometimes lizards can get used to the smell of citronella and come inside despite the strong smell, so make sure to install more preventative methods to keep them at bay. 

10. Peppermint Spray

Peppermint has a very strong smell, and most insects are repelled by it, which includes lizards. In fact, many commercial lizard repellants are made with peppermint oil.

But if you want to make a peppermint spray at home, it’s quite easy to make. This spray is great for getting rid of a large number of lizards from the house, while also keeping your house smelling fresh. 

Required Material:

• Water
• Peppermint essential oil
• Spray Bottle 
• Witch hazel or rubbing alcohol

Step by Step Process:

• Mix ½ cup water with ½ cup of rubbing alcohol or witch hazel in the spray bottle. 
• Now add 20 to 30 drops of peppermint essential oil into the bottle. 
• Shake it well to mix the spray well, and now you’re ready to use it. 
• Spray around the house, concentrating in any closed off spaces, where lizards thrive. 
• You should see some lizards going out instantly, but you can keep spraying the mixture around your house every 2 to 3 days to get rid of all the lizards. 

Precautions:

The lizards may eventually come back if you stop spraying the mixture, so make sure to add some prevention methods as well. 

5 Natural Ways to Prevent Lizards

1. Remove the food sources

Lizards are omnivores, so apart from eating insects, they also feed on human food. This is why lizards are quite commonly found in dirty kitchens and around dustbins.

One key part of removing lizards from your home is to make sure they do not have a reason to come to your house in the first place.

To ensure this, get rid of all food scraps, and keep your kitchen clean. You should also try to get rid of any bugs or small insects that may be living in your home because Lizards are easily attracted by them since it’s a major food source. 

2. Seal any entry points

If you have cracks or holes in your house, that may become a potential entry point for Lizards. In fact, any exposed drains, pipes, or ventilators can also allow lizards into your home. To ensure no lizard inside the house, you must seal off all the potential entry points.

Fill in any cracks or holes in the wall, and install mesh barriers in front of any exposed pipes, drains, etc, to make sure there are no entryways open for Lizards to come in from. Also, keep your windows and doors closed whenever you are not in the room.

3. Plant lemongrass or peppermint

Lemongrass and peppermint both have a very strong scent, which helps keep lizards at bay. Additionally, both of these plants can be used as spices in your food.

So, if you have the space, planting a few lemongrass plants and peppermint plants can keep out the lizards, while adding to your kitchen spices. 

4. Keep your house and garden clean

A clean house is always the key to keeping out insects. Lizards are notorious for living in closed spaces. If you have a pile of junk, chances are that there are lizards in it.

This is why it’s always recommended to keep your home organized and clean. Any food scraps should also be removed to keep the lizards at bay. 

5. Keep a Cat

Cats are predators and they kill and eat lizards in the wild. So, if you have a cat at home, they will likely chase away the lizards very quickly and your home can be lizard-free quite quickly.

Even if your cat doesn’t actively chase away the lizards, they will be scared of the cat and would not come inside. 

Top 5 Natural Lizard Repellents Available Online

If you are looking for readily available natural repellents to get rid of Lizards, check below listed 5 best Natural/Organic Repellents.

Final Words:

If you are annoyed by lizards, getting rid of them is the best idea. Natural ways to get rid of lizards are always preferable to any artificial methods as they are much safer for the environment as well as humans.

That being said, prevention is key to keep these pesky creatures out of sight, so make sure to install some preventative methods to keep them out of your house long term. We hope that you can finally get rid of the lizards in your house using these natural methods.