Coffee grounds emit a very strong smell that repels many kinds of pests. For instance, squirrels have highly sensitive noses. So do coffee grounds keep squirrels away? Well, squirrels dislike the smell of either unused or used coffee grounds. Most notably, used grounds smell stronger than unused grounds.
When you brew a morning cup of coffee, do not throw away those grounds in the bin. They can be useful to keep squirrels away. Essentially, the smell of fresh coffee feels very refreshing for human beings. However, that is not the case with many pests like squirrels. Let us find out how you can keep squirrels away with the help of coffee grounds.
Why Keep Squirrels Away In The First Place?
Squirrels are the last thing you would want around your garden or home. They can do massive damage to your house or garden. For instance, as they dig around the garden to bury seeds and nuts, they can easily damage the bulbs of roots of young plants.
Also, squirrels often feed on a wide range of plants, which is not a good thing for you. Besides, if squirrels feel they are encouraged to remain around a certain area, they can decide to build their nesting site in your home’s basement, attic, crawl space, or eaves. That is not what you would want.
If squirrels invade your house, they can do extensive damage to the insulation and wiring. Also, they may chew through shingles and wood. Additionally, squirrels can make a lot of mess in their nesting area. To make matters worse, they are known to carry and spread diseases. Obviously, you would not want them to pass any disease to your family or pets.
How Can You Deter Squirrels with Coffee Grounds
You can easily repel squirrels with used ground coffee by sprinkling it around the soil or areas where they frequent. Used grounds are more effective in keeping squirrels away than new grounds. The reason is that used grounds have a stronger smell than unused grounds. Their strong smell repels squirrels from wider areas of your lawn or garden.
You can sprinkle some water over the grounds regularly to help preserve their smell longer. That way, they will remain effective for much longer than when left to dry out.
However, the effectiveness of the grounds only lasts a few days due to sunlight, rain, and wind. Fortunately, if you consume coffee daily, you can always empty the used grounds in your garden rather than dumping them into the bin.
Advantages of Using Coffee Grounds to Repel Squirrels
There are numerous benefits of using coffee grounds to keep those nasty squirrels out of your garden and property including:
1. Affordable option
Used coffee grounds are a waste product of brewing coffee. You can recycle them as a repellent for squirrels. Thus, you do not need to buy any special repellents. Also, if you do not brew coffee at home or you do not like coffee, you can still get used coffee grounds from coffee shops that give them away for free.
2. Beneficial for certain plants
There are several types of plants that thrive from the acidity and nutrients found in coffee grounds. Thus, you can help such plants thrive if you are spreading coffee grounds around them. However, ensure you check the pH level preferences of the plants around which you plant to pour coffee grounds. Avoid pouring them around plants that do not like high acidity.
3. Deterring other pests
Besides squirrels, coffee can help keep away other pests such as slugs, snails, mosquitoes, ants, chipmunks, deer, and moles among others.
4. Friendly alternative
Coffee grounds do not harm the animals they repel. They do not pose any danger to their health. Also, you will love the fragrance of coffee grounds around your garden, even though it smells terrible to pests.
Disadvantages of Using Coffee Grounds to Deter Squirrels
Although coffee grounds are a great alternative for deterring squirrels, they have a few disadvantages including:
1. Temporary solution
You will need to replenish the coffee grounds every time it rains. Rain water washes off their smell, making them less effective unless you keep replenishing them.
2. May harm pets
If there are pets such as cats and dogs roaming around your yard, they may get harmed by large doses of coffee grounds. Thus, do not pour them around the areas your pets frequent.
3. Not the most effective option
Although ground coffee offers some deterrence against squirrels, it is less effective than some other methods.
Final Words
So do coffee grounds keep squirrels away? Squirrels dislike the strong smell of coffee. Thus, coffee grounds help in repelling them. However, used coffee grounds work better than unused coffee due to their stronger smell.
Although coffee grounds are not the most effective method of keeping squirrels away, they are a safer alternative for pests and your garden. They attract birds, and worms, and are beneficial for acid-loving plants. Thus, pour used coffee grounds around your garden instead of throwing them away.
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