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You can get rid of raccoons quickly by making your home an undesirable place to live. Here are the best ways to get rid of raccoons fast:

• Repair broken vents and screens leading to your home.

• Seal open access points into your home. Many raccoons sneak in through the attic, roof, or chimney.

• Trim trees and branches so raccoons don’t have easy access to your roof and chimney. 

• Thoroughly clean out garbage cans, remove all trash, and secure the bins.

• Don’t keep food or water outside.

• Add raccoon guards to outdoor bird feeders. 

• Clean up brush around your home—raccoons like to gather loose yard materials for bedding.

Some animals, such as bats or birds, will be able to get out of chimneys on their own since they can fly. Other animals, however, may have a harder time and will require the help of a professional to escape. Squirrels and raccoons in particular may become stuck inside a chimney, especially if you have a buildup of soot or creosote inside. This can prevent them from being able to climb out, in which case you’ll need to call an animal control expert to help remove them.

Although raccoons aren’t particularly picky regarding food, certain sounds, metals, and smells bother them. You can place these items around your home to keep raccoons away:

• Place wire mesh screens around and underneath decks and porches to prevent raccoons from nesting. 

• Put metal sheeting around the edges of your roof or at the base of trees to deter raccoons from coming close. 

• Place a loud battery-operated radio near the raccoon’s den to keep them from nesting.

• Keep a bowl of cider vinegar on your deck or porch.

• Remove old raccoon scents by thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting underneath porches and decks.

Squirrels hate not having access to secure shelter or food sources. Your best line of defense is to make your property less attractive by removing access to these things. There are chemical squirrel repellents, but these have mixed success. According to Pennsylvania State University, you can apply products containing the bittering agent denatonium saccharide to a squirrel's favorite fence, tree, or roof spots. However, you need to reapply repellents regularly, which aren’t scientifically proven effective.