Seal gaps, remove food, trim access routes, and use taste repellents; one-way doors clear attics while trapping or relocation may be regulated.
Squirrels love easy meals and easy entry. Keep them out by making your place dull for food, tight at every seam, and hard to reach from trees and wires. The plan below shows what works, what’s a waste of cash, and how to clear an attic without harm or fines.
Quick Wins To Keep Squirrels Away
Start with small moves that flip the cost-benefit for a curious climber. Move the buffet, close the shortcuts, and block the holes. These steps give fast relief while you line up sturdier fixes.
| Action | What It Does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pull bird feeders 10–15 feet from launch points; add a pole baffle | Cuts easy access to seed | Use seed mixes squirrels like less, such as safflower; capsaicin-coated seed can help some setups (humane tips). |
| Rake fallen fruit and seal trash, compost, and pet food | Removes steady food cues | Switch to latching lids; feed pets indoors. |
| Trim tree limbs back from the roofline | Breaks jump paths to the house | Aim for 6–10 feet of clearance where you can do so safely. |
| Cap the chimney and screen attic vents | Stops routine entries | Use metal caps and 1/4-inch hardware cloth; inspect after storms. |
| Walk your roof edge in daylight | Find gaps before they grow | Look for gnawed wood, loose soffits, and daylight at eaves or gables. |
| Skip ultrasonic gizmos | Avoids wasted spend | Squirrels tune out sound scare tools fast. |
How To Keep Squirrels Away From The House Safely
Lasting results come from exclusion. Seal every entry and deny the ladder routes. Patch in metal, not foam alone, and test your work. When you close off the food trail and the access points, visits drop fast and the roof stays quiet.
Inspect Like A Pro
Circle the home from ground to roof. Check soffits, fascia, roof vents, ridge caps, gable vents, and where lines meet siding. Pencil-size gaps can turn into fist-size holes after a few nights of chewing. Mark each spot with tape so nothing gets missed when you go back with materials.
Common Entry Checklist
Use a headlamp and camera. Snap photos as you go so you can zoom in later. Hot spots include:
- Ridge and gable vents with loose screens.
- Roof-to-wall step flashing where shingles meet siding.
- Soffit returns at front porches.
- Openings around attic fans and satellite mounts.
- Gaps where siding meets fascia at corners.
- Rot near gutters that holds a claw grip.
Close Openings With Tough Materials
Back small gaps with steel wool and seal over with exterior caulk, then sheath the area with metal flashing or 1/4-inch hardware cloth fastened to solid framing. For vents, add screw-on screens and keep the louvers. For seams and chew points, bend flashing into an L and screw it down on both faces. This combo stands up to teeth and weather.
Step-By-Step Sealing
Cut hardware cloth with snips and pre-bend it to shape. Add pilot holes for screws carefully. Sandwich mesh under flashing when you can; the metal blocks chewing and the mesh keeps noses from starting a new hole. Use washers so screws don’t tear the mesh. Seal edges with exterior grade sealant to stop drips and drafts.
Use A One-Way Exit If Squirrels Are Inside
Hear scurrying or find a nest? Don’t trap babies behind a patch. Leave the main hole open, seal all others, and fit a one-way door on that last hole. Adults can leave but can’t push back in. Listen for two quiet nights, then remove the device and seal the hole for good. If a litter is present, wait or hire help to reunite the family before you close the house (humane steps).
Food, Shelter, And Paths
Yards packed with nuts, fruit, seed, and low effort climbing routes pull in more visits. Shift those signals and you cut traffic. Pick fruit often, prune vines that reach the roof, and move feeders onto baffled poles set well away from fences and trees. Where netting fits, guard a single tree for the short harvest window.
Garden Beds And Bulbs
Wire cages over tulips and crocus keep bulbs in the ground. Lay one-inch chicken wire flat on a bed and pin it down with garden staples, then top with mulch. For fruit trees, net a single small tree during the two weeks of peak ripening and remove the net right after harvest so birds don’t snag feet or wings.
Bird Feeders Without The Drama
Store Bird Seed The Right Way
Seed in a thin bin turns a garage into a snack bar. Use a steel trash can with a tight lid and raise it on bricks. Label the can and tape a scoop to the lid so no one leaves the bag open. When you refill a feeder, sweep up spills so the scent trail fades by nightfall.
Trees, Vines, And Lines
Trim limbs that hang over the roof and pull ivy off the siding near eaves. Where safe work isn’t possible, a certified arborist can take the cut. In some yards, a 6–8 foot gap stops most leaps; in tight spots, reach for 10 feet as a stretch goal (see the Cornell note linked above).
Repellents And Scare Tactics
Taste and odor sprays can spare bulbs or a small bed for a while, but they wash off and need steady re-application. Predator urine and shaker granules fade fast. Motion sprinklers can guard a plot during peak raids. Sound boxes and flashing lights don’t hold up; squirrels learn and ignore them in days (UC IPM testing).
The Mothball Myth
Mothballs are for sealed containers, not rooms, attics, decks, or gardens. Using them as a wildlife repellent breaks the label and can poison air, soil, and water. The label is the law; skip this route and pick safe methods instead (NPIC guidance).
Attic Or Wall Visitors? Do This
Confirm the animal and the season. Many attic guests are moms with a spring or late summer litter. If you seal while young are still inside, the mother may tear new holes to get back. Wait until you hear only adult movement, then use the one-way exit plan and follow with metal patches. Afterward, check for chewed wires and wet insulation, and bring in an electrician if anything looks risky.
After The Eviction: Cleanup
Ventilate the space. Wear gloves and a mask. Bag droppings and nest fluff into heavy trash bags. Replace soaked insulation and any duct wrap with chew marks. Wipe hard surfaces with a mild detergent first, then a standard disinfectant. Keep pets out until the area is dry.
Simple Test Before You Seal
Roof Edge Repairs That Last
At chewed soffits, pull loose wood, then fasten a new backer board to sound framing. Wrap the edge with prebent aluminum or steel and tie it into the drip edge. Where water stains point to a leak, add a kick-out flashing at the wall end of the gutter so runoff can’t rot the same spot again. Paint cut edges to slow rust.
Stuff the active hole with a loose ball of newspaper and watch it. If the plug stays put two full days, the space is empty and you can close it. If it pops out, leave the one-way exit for a bit longer and keep listening.
Laws, Safety, And When To Get Help
Rules for trapping, moving, or killing wildlife differ by state and even by species. Some states ban relocation off your property; others require permits. When rules feel unclear, skip trapping and stick with sealing, pruning, and cleanup; those steps are safe, repeatable, and accepted in every state and city year after year. When in doubt, ask your state wildlife agency.
Wear gloves for cleanup. Avoid bites and scratches. Small rodents like squirrels are rarely linked to rabies in the U.S., and human cases from them aren’t documented, but a bite still needs basic wound care and local advice if the animal looked sick.
Keeping Squirrels Away From Your House Year-Round
Plan a light, steady routine. A few ten-minute checks each season beat a big repair later. Use this quick calendar to stay ahead of chewed wood, loose screens, and easy food.
| Season | Top Tasks | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Inspect roof edges after storms; fix screens; clean gutters; set baffles; watch for nests | Stops fresh damage and blocks new access during the first breeding window |
| Summer | Trim limbs; pull vines; relocate feeders farther from jump points; cap chimneys | Removes ladders and secures common entry points in dry weather |
| Early Fall | Pick fruit fast; store seed in metal cans; re-check attic vents and gable louvers | Cuts food lures and seals chewed spots before cool nights start |
| Winter | Listen at dusk; look for fresh gnaw marks; test suspect holes with paper plugs | Finds mid-season entries when trees are bare and sound carries farther |
Tools And Materials That Hold Up
Keep a small kit so fixes happen the same day you spot a gap. A drill/driver, aviation snips, tin snips, a caulk gun, exterior sealant, gloves, eye protection, a headlamp, and a ladder that reaches the eaves handle most jobs. Stock 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth, metal flashing, vent screens, a chimney cap sized to your flue, stainless screws with washers, and a sturdy pole baffle for feeders.
Troubleshooting Stubborn Visits
If traffic keeps up, hunt for a food source you missed or a new path across wires, fences, or a trellis. Ask a neighbor to move a feeder that sits on your fence line. Swap plastic vent covers for metal. Replace chewed wood trim with fiber-cement or metal wraps. Where lines touch the house, ask the utility about line guards or safe clearance.
If They Still Break In
Persistent chew marks at one spot signal a scent target. Wash the area, then add a wider metal wrap that spans clean wood on both sides. Where cable and phone lines touch trim, fit a short sleeve of split PVC or ask the provider for a tidy stand-off. If a tree still bridges a gap over the roof, move the feeder again or switch to deck trays near windows so you can enjoy birds without fueling raids.
Common Mistakes To Skip
- Closing holes while animals are inside.
- Relying on spray foam alone at chew points.
- Leaving seed, fruit, or pet dishes out overnight.
- Using poisons or glue traps.
- Tossing mothballs in attics, decks, or gardens.
- Skipping ladder safety or roof fall protection.
Skip These Shortcuts
- Stuffing rags in holes and walking away.
- Leaving a trap unattended.
- Painting over chew marks without fixing the cause.
- Blocking a chimney without a cap.
- Storing seed in thin plastic bins.
When A Pro Makes Sense
Quick Price Snapshot
Most home centers stock hardware cloth for a modest price per roll and simple chimney caps in common flue sizes. A pole baffle runs less than a family takeout night. Pro exclusion jobs scale with roof height and number of holes; ask for an all-gaps price, not a per-hole tally. Warranties vary, so a written plan helps you compare bids.
What A Good Service Looks Like
Ask for photos of every entry before work starts. The quote should list one-way hardware if animals are present, full metal sealing on all gaps, and final roofline proofing. Ask about a roof-wide warranty on re-entry, at least through the next breeding season. Keep copies of photos so you can compare during later checks.