So, Does Irish Spring Soap Repel Squirrels?

Depending on where you live and what you do, squirrels are either a quaint and cute instance of backyard wildlife or an irrepressible menace that deserves no mercy. If you ever had squirrels take up residence in your attic or raid your prized garden you might fall into the latter camp. Sometimes there are no two ways about it, you need them gone…

If you have ever had the misfortune of having squirrels nibble away at the fruits and veggies in your garden, you know already that they are tough to discourage and such expert climbers that virtually nothing keeps them out for long.

Wouldn’t it be better if you could get rid of them without killing them? This is where, some say, a common bar of Irish Spring comes in. It is said that it can actually keep squirrels away from your plants and out of your house. Is it possible? Does Irish Spring actually repel squirrels?

No, there is no scientific evidence that Irish Spring soap repels squirrels, either long or the short term. While squirrels have very sensitive noses and the scent of Irish Spring could confuse them at first and avoid the area, they will probably come back again and ignore it. At best, this could be a short-term trick, nothing more.

So there you have it. If you don’t believe me and want to give it a try, just head to your local grocery store or your own bathroom (if you use it) and grab a couple of bars of Irish Spring.

Also, the fragrance of Irish Spring doesn’t do much to repel other animals, perhaps with the exception of deer, and even some squirrels might avoid it at first, but this is not a reliable repellent for them.

Now, Irish Spring is not a cure-all when it comes to keeping other animals away, either. It has its own shortcomings and limitations, which we will talk about, and it does not do anything whatsoever against insects and arthropods as is sometimes reported.

Will Irish Spring Harm Squirrels in Any Way?

Not that we know of. Evidence for this is, again, lacking. The fragrance of Irish Spring may or may not be harmful to squirrels, and there are no reports that it could be. They aren’t getting a whiff of harmful vapors or anything like that, but I can’t give you a definitive answer.

Will Irish Spring Harm Squirrels if they Eat it?

Possibly. It seems unthinkable that any animal would willfully eat something as gross tasting as soap, but you have to remember that we are dealing with squirrels here, rodents. Rodents might eat or at least chew all kinds of things, and not for reasons of nutrition necessarily.

So why would a squirrel try to eat a bar of Irish Spring? Mostly, they would do it out of instinct: the incisors of all rodents (including squirrels) grow continuously throughout their life. If they don’t gnaw on things, their teeth will grow too long, because the way they maintain their length is through wear and tear. This is why they, as well as other rodents will chew on all kinds of things, possibly including soap.

Hopefully, the animal would quickly quit the idea up after tasting the soap, but it’s not impossible that it would eat some of it. What happens then? Theoretically, if a squirrel ate enough of this soap, there is a chance it could die.

Ingesting soap can cause all kinds of problems in animals, including mild GI irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, , and sometimes dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

How to Use It to Try to Repel Squirrels

If you have some of this soap at home and want to give the idea a try, anyway, using it is pretty straightforward.

To keep squirrels away from a particular area, like your bird feeder or a specific plant, just put a bar of Irish Spring soap near it. Place it close enough so that the squirrel can get close to it approaches the feeder. You can also hang it from a mesh sack or other cloth bag to better position it.

You might actually get better results by maximizing the scent produced by the soap, and to do that you’ll need to cut the soap into small cubes or even grate or whittle it into flakes. Then you can spread it around the area you want to protect, using as much or as little as you need. You can also put the small pieces into a bag the same as a whole bar for even better results.

Now, the most important thing to keep in mind about all of this is that the fragrance will dissipate pretty quickly. There isn’t anything in the soap that will last a long and continue to repel squirrels. So, you’ll need to replenish the soap periodically, especially if you live in an area with a lot of rain or your soap is exposed to direct sunlight. This is why, overall, I can’t recommend it to repel squirrels.

Squirrels May Climb Over Your Perimeter

Lastly, don’t think for a second that just because you put out your Irish Spring that squirrels cannot get on your property or to your plants. Not quite.

These tree rats are excellent climbers and can easily scale many vertical surfaces, regularly jumping from branch to branch and path to path with ease. If they want to get on your property or around your soapy perimeter they will find a way, so don’t think that putting out soap is a foolproof solution to all of your squirrel problems.