Best Ways to Get Rid of Lizards
After considering a number of different solutions to get rid of lizards, I learned that there are 3 steps you need to take in order to drastically reduce the number of these reptiles swarming your home (you can click the items to jump ahead):
Something very important to note is that if you have a ton of insects in your house, no amount of repellent will keep hungry lizards out. This is why the 3. step is very critical and shouldn’t be overlooked.
want to Skip All the Research? Then Hire a Decent Exterminator In your Area!
Check out our exterminator search tool where you will receive free quotes from thoroughly vetted exterminators in your local area!
Table of Contents
1. Recommended Lizard Repellents
Since the commercially available lizard repellents seems to be hit or miss, I recommend that you get a few spray bottles with an adjustable nozzle and create your own homemade lizard repellent.
This way you can test a bunch of different ingredients while not wasting too much money.
Natural Solutions: Homemade Lizard Repellents
You can reuse spray bottles if you clean them thoroughly. And I mean really thoroughly. Having some leftover chemicals in your homemade lizard repellent, is not a good idea.
If you need to buy spray bottles, you can easily order these from Amazon. They not only provide the adjustable nozzle, they are also heavy duty. So, you don’t have to re-purchase them too often. This will save you quite a bit of money in the long run and allow you to experiment to see what works best in your area as this is a 4-pack.
Lizards hate the smell of eggs, coffee powder, garlic, onions, chili powder, dried chili, lemongrass, and cinnamon among other things. The best thing is that you likely have all of these things in your kitchen! So, you really don’t have to spend anything on these sprays themselves.
Fill a spray bottle with water and add an ingredient of your choice. You can even combine multiple items, such as garlic, onions, and chili powder. It may maximize the effect.
If you are a fan of a step-by-step approach, you can start with single ingredient repellents and work your way up until you find the homemade solution that repels the lizards in your home.
So, where do you spray this stuff? You can apply it on the outside of your home, your fence, and/or porch to discourage lizards from coming any closer. This way you don’t have a garlic smell inside your house.
You can also use some porous bags filled with some pepper or egg shells and leave it in corners or other high traffic areas to repel lizards. Click here to order a 12-pack of cotton bags from Amazon.
Commercial Solution
Not everyone has the time to experiment with DIY lizard repellents. In this case, your best commercial option is the Lizard & Gecko Elimination Kit by Exterminators Choice.
The Elimination Kit combines the Lizard Defense Spray by Exterminators Choice with a 6-pack of glue traps.
The spray made of all-natural oils is used as a repellent, while the 6 glue traps are used to fulfill step #2 and rid your home of existing lizards.
Chemical Solution
Another simple method you can use is frequently cleaning your house with chemicals. Lizards really don’t like the smell of chemicals. It will keep them away from your house.
I, personally, rather use vinegar and other natural products to clean my house. So, I don’t use chemicals that often and, therefore, it is in the end of these suggestions.
If you don’t mind using bleach, go for it. It should help with your lizard invasion.
2. Recommended Tricks to Remove Lizards
Repelling lizards is one thing but you also need to get rid of the existing reptiles. Some of those sprays may scare lizards and geckos away. To be sure or to fight the crawling invasion, you have to remove the lizards.
There are three effective ways for the lizard removal: Actively capturing the lizard, using glue traps, and attempting a passive live trap.
1. Ice Water Spray
Since lizards are cold-blooded, you can spray them with some ice water and it will temporarily immobilize them or at the very least slows them down.
At this point, you can scoop them up with a piece of cardboard and release them outside.
Simply fill a spray bottle (you can easily order these from Amazon) with cold water and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. You can also add ice cubes if they fit through the opening.
The downside of this method is knowing where the reptiles are hiding. You may have so many hideout opportunities that you won’t find all.
2. Live Traps
First, you need bait and finding the right bait for the lizards in your area can be tricky. Insects are always a good option, but obviously not something you want to be handling. On a positive note, you don’t kill the lizards with this trap.
Out of all the live traps, I have researched the only one that seems like it would work and that is the RatzFatz Mouse Trap.
It allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the trap which is important since lizards do not weigh much.
The downsides are getting bait and finding a good spot for a bulky trap. Not every high traffic area that lizards like provides room for this product. In this case, the ice water spray would be more effective if not a bit more of an active solution.
3. Glue Traps
I always recommend glue traps as a last resort. Since it is very unlikely that the lizard will live through this experience, especially if you rarely check the traps, this is not a fair pest control method.
For some, this is not an issue, and frankly, others just do not have the time to chase lizards with a spray bottle all day. In addition, they are more compact than the live traps.
Although it is less humane it is quite effective if you place the traps in “high-traffic” areas along walls, baseboards, corners, and anywhere else you notice a lot of these pests.
If you want to use glue traps then I recommend PestGuard’s 24-pack of baited non-toxic glue traps (you can order it here from Amazon).
You can use them both indoors and outdoors. Although it is best to lay these glue traps flat on the ground, they can also be folded to form a box with 2 open sides. This will prevent dust and other particles from landing on the glue.
The manufacturer states that if your pet happens to get stuck to the glue trap you can use vegetable oil to painlessly release. However, I think it is best to be careful when using glue traps especially when you have furry friends or children present.
Decrease the population of bugs in your house - The Most Important Step
There are many reasons why your house might be attracting lizards to it. In fact, this is such a common question that we created an article covering 7 reasons why lizards keep coming into your home.
The #1 reason is food. It’s so obvious. Critters stick to a healthy environment where they can get food. So, if you have lizards in your home, you may have an abundant food source that you need to cut off.
The absolute #1 way to discourage lizards from entering your home is to reduce the insects in your home. No amount of repellent will keep a hungry lizard away from an easy meal.
There are a few ways to reduce the number of insects:
- You can use natural pesticides
- Clean up any trash or food crumbs… so basically remove the insect’s food source.
- Essential Oils
- Hire an exterminator if the problem is more severe – Get your free quote here!
- If all else fails a good bug zapper can definitely reduce the number of insects, in your home. We go more into detail about bug zappers here.
By following these 3 steps are you well on your way to a lizard-free home.
