They’re quite cute, don’t make a lot of noise, and work diligently to keep your home bug-free. Geckos seem like the perfect housemate except for a glaring flaw: they’re prolific poopers. The agile lizards will happily inhale ants, roaches, termites, bed bugs, and roaches like an insect Roomba. The problem is the more they eat, the more they indiscriminately relieve themselves on your floors, furniture, frames, and just about every other household item. At some point, their talent for debugging may pale in comparison to a feces-free home. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend time and money hiring professional pest control. Instead, the secret weapon you need to keep geckos out of your home is essential oils.
Geckos are common inhabitants of homes located in warm climates and are generally considered more of a nuisance than a threat. However, they are capable of carrying germs and parasites, and transferring dirt and bacteria from filthy crawl spaces. Still, compared to other household pests, geckos are harmless reptiles just looking for their next meal. And they are consistently successful in doing so thanks to their acute sense of smell. Geckos possess olfactory receptors that allow them to detect potential food sources and pinpoint their location. However, this highly developed olfaction also makes geckos vulnerable to odors they find particularly offensive such as lemon, lavender, eucalyptus, and peppermint. One of the easiest ways to evict geckos from your home is to use eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils as natural repellents.
How to use essential oils to keep geckos out of your home
Essential oils are concentrated liquids that contain compounds extracted from plants. They’re made by distilling flowers, bark, leaves, or fruit to create an oil that smells like the plant from which they are derived. Moreover, they come conveniently bottled and readily accessible to craft effective gecko repellents that can be applied to various spots throughout your house.
To make a spray, start by selecting either eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil. The advantage of using peppermint is that the scent also repels rodents. Next, fill a spray bottle with water then add in 15 drops of your chosen essential oil. Thoroughly shake the bottle and liberally spritz areas where you have seen gecko activity or places where you believe they may have entered your home, including cracks and gaps in doors, windows, or screens.
Another option is to identify key spots with large amounts of gecko droppings, place 2 teaspoons of peppermint or lemongrass essential oil on a paper coaster, and monitor the area. If you notice a decrease in the number of turds deposited in the geckos’ regular dumping domain, the repellent is working. Paper beverage coasters make ideal application pads as they readily absorb the essential oils; however, you could substitute by soaking several cotton balls with the essential oil of your choice and placing them on a small plate or in a compact container, as long as the scent is not obstructed in any way.
