Squirrels have been described as the cutest rodent, but there’s nothing cute about them destroying your patio furniture. Here’s 10 effective ways to stop squirrels from damaging your patio furniture.
- Use fox urine
- Apply commercial squirrel repellant
- Use natural pantry items
- Add squirrel feeders
- Buy protective covers
- Scare them off with a radio
- Plant mint
- Build a faux predator
- Let your dogs out
- Use an ultrasound repellant
There are lots of great ways to keep those pesky rodents away from your patio and off your cushions, and with a little prep work, you can defend your patio from squirrels. The rest of this article will walk you through each of the methods to deter squirrels from chewing your patio furniture.
Why Do Squirrels Chew on Furniture?
Squirrels have constantly growing teeth, and it’s their natural instinct to wear down those teeth by chewing. Ideally, the squirrels are looking for something soft to chew; unfortunately, that makes your patio cushions a prime target for grinding down their teeth.
Use Fox Urine
Fox urine is a good way to deter squirrels from hanging around your patio and chewing your furniture. Quite simply, fox urine indicates the presence of a predator to squirrels, making them tend to stay away from the area entirely.
Of course, using granulated fox urine on your furniture isn’t ideal, but if you have furniture in storage that you have no plans of using that the squirrels are chewing, this might be a good solution.
Additionally, you can spray the urine around your yard to discourage squirrels from entering in the first place.
Apply Commercial Squirrel Repellant
There are lots of squirrel repellants out there that make chewing on your furniture an unpleasant experience.
Better still, they don’t smell bad at all. Simply spray it on the affected patio furniture, and the squirrels will be much less inclined to chew on it.
Use Natural Pantry Items
Some items you have in your pantry can work to deter squirrels from chewing on your furniture. Hot sauce, garlic, pepper, and vinegar are all popular solutions that you can distill into a solution to spray on your furniture. Depending on the concentration you use, the smell may not be as noticeable depending on the solution you choose.
Add Squirrel Feeders
This may seem counterintuitive to getting rid of squirrels, but giving the squirrels something more ideal to chew on might dissuade them from constantly chewing on your furniture.
Just be sure to set up the feeder a good distance away from your patio and fill up the squirrel feeder regularly so that you’re not attracting even more squirrels to your yard.
Buy Protective Covers
Protective covers are a great solution to preventing squirrels from accessing your patio furniture in the first place, and a lot of covers have the added benefit of protecting your furniture from the rain as well.
Scare Them Off with a Radio
A radio is an extremely unique solution that works pretty well to discourage squirrels from hanging around your patio.
Simply leave a battery-powered radio on your patio running with some music. Squirrels don’t prefer the company of humans, so hearing voices will encourage them to take a hike. Just make sure you don’t turn the radio up so loud that you’re bothering the neighbors.
Plant Mint
Mint is another good solution for keeping squirrels away from your patio furniture. The strong smell is distasteful to them, making them much less likely to come around in the future. Mint works well to ward off other unwanted pests like flies, too.
Build a Faux Predator
The building or purchasing a decoy hawk or owl is a great way to ward off squirrels. When they spot the faux predator, they’ll be more inclined to vacate the area.
Just make sure that you rotate where you put your decoy now and again. Squirrels aren’t stupid, and if the decoy stays in the same place, they’ll eventually realize it’s not real.
Let Your Dogs Out
Who let the dogs out? Letting your dogs out every time you see your squirrels on your furniture again is a good way to give them the scare of a lifetime. Moreover, it communicates to the squirrel that your patio is guarded by a predator. A few rounds of frightful scares, and hopefully your squirrel problems will be dealt with for good.
Use an Ultrasound Repellant
An ultrasound repellant is a great solution to discourage squirrels from hanging around your patio in the first place, much less chewing your furniture. Quite simply, ultrasound repellants produce a high-pitched noise that humans can’t hear.
To squirrels, however, it’s an incredibly annoying noise that makes the area covered by the repellant extremely unpleasant to be in. This loud-pitched sound isn’t harmful to them in any way, so you don’t have to worry about hurting the squirrels. With that being said, the frustrating noise will certainly make them want to vacate the premises for good after hearing it.
Conclusion
Squirrels are cute to watch, but destroying patio furniture is an incredibly frustrating behavior that can be hard to control.
Whether it’s fooling them into thinking a vicious predator roams your yard or adding something unpleasant like mint or squirrel repellant to your patio, there are several effective solutions out there to discourage squirrels from chewing your patio furniture, and many of them have the added benefit of warding off flies, spiders, and other unwanted bugs as well.
Always be sure not to leave any food lying around on your patio to encourage them, and if all else fails, you can store your patio cushions away safely anytime you’re not using them to keep them out of the hands of those pesky squirrels.
FAQs
Will Squirrels Destroy My Outdoor Furniture?
Absolutely. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when. Squirrels need something to grind their teeth down, and it won’t be long before they locate your cushions as an ideal target.
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