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Do Dryer Sheets Repel Chipmunks? (Read This First!)

Chipmunks are little mammals. You can find them all over the world. They are so fast that you cannot catch them easily. The problem occurs when they invade the garden. That’s why sometimes you need to repel them by using non-lethal repellent. 

Let’s see if dryer sheets can repel chipmunks.

Dryer sheets to repel chipmunks

Dryer sheets can repel chipmunks. Dryer sheets are used while washing the clothes. It disposes of a beautiful smell along with it helps the laundry or clothes to be soft. As chipmunks stay away from any sort of harsh smell. Dryer sheets repel chipmunks because the smell is not suitable for them.

Dryer sheets are made of fibers coated with different fatty acids and made with different chemicals. This is commonly used for cleaning your clothes or making the clothes softer. These dryer sheets are made by different brands, and these sheets come in different fragrances.

People use these sheets not as a repellent generally. Though dryer sheets can be used as repellent as well. Dryer sheets are made of polyester material which is coated with different chemicals as we have said earlier. 

Though the main problem arises as these sheets can clog inside the pipe and polyester is a kind of plastic material, which will not dissolve quickly. Dryer sheets help clothes not to generate static electricity while spinning with one another. This thing helps the cloth to stay soft. 

The chemicals used in dryer sheets are not liked by chipmunks. Chipmunks have highly sensitive noses; they use their nose to search for food. Generally, fruits and vegetables don’t come with a harsh smell, but different types of essential oils and chemicals have a harsh smell. 

Chipmunks try to avoid anything with a strong smell. 

The good thing about using dryer sheets is that they don’t dissolve. Also, that is not fully biodegradable, which is not good for nature. That’s why when you use dryer sheets, don’t spread the dryer sheets randomly. 

Use a plastic box, make a hole in the box, and place them on every corner of your garden. Along with that, try to identify the way chipmunks use to get inside of the garden, then place dryer sheets accordingly.

Basically, here the powerful sense of smell of chipmunks is used against themselves. Dryer sheets are non-lethal, and it works really well. The smell of dryer sheets is good for humans, but it will not let the chipmunks, or any type of rodents come near to it. 

Dryer sheets work perfectly on squirrels and mice as well. So, if you use them, it will cover a larger portion of invaders away from your yard.

Plastic materials are not good for nature. So, if you dump more and more plastic materials like dryer sheets, then there is a chance that you are ruining nature. After you use a dryer sheet, you should take it and dump it in a dustbin. 

Keep the invaders away and keep your place neat and clean. Moreover, you can use essential oils to get rid of chipmunks and other animals like them. These dryer sheets will not hurt these small animals, but they will keep them away and keep your garden safe as well. 

Just clean the dryer sheets, after you have used them. 

Will dryer sheets deter chipmunk holes?

Detering chipmunk is not an easy task. Though you can push the dryer sheets in the chipmunk holes and keep them away for a long time. There are a few techniques to keep chipmunks away. First, you can keep the food source away from your yard. 

This technique is taken when you don’t have any way to solve the chipmunk’s problem. Second, you can use essential oils, the smell of essential oils can push the chipmunks away. Third, you can use a different deterring chemical to keep chipmunks away. 

Also, you can use dryer sheets as these sheets have come with different types of chemicals and different types of scents as well. Finally, you can use the active trapping technique, by using a snap trap and a professional chipmunk catcher. 

Using dryer sheets on the chipmunks’ holes will work for a few weeks without causing any problem. 

How effective are dryer sheets against chipmunks?

Dryer sheets are second-tier chipmunk deterring material. Because you can buy a dedicated chipmunk deterrent and you can use a trap to catch chipmunks as well. But that doesn’t mean dryer sheets won’t work properly. Dryer sheets can repel chipmunks for quite some time. 

The smell is not pleasant for chipmunks. If you keep the dryer sheet outside, it will spread its smell for a few days or a week, at this time the chipmunks will not bother you. You should change the dryer sheets every 3 or 4 days and keep the chipmunks on move. 

If the chipmunks are away, they will not come to the same place for food. Basically, the smell of dryer sheets is not unpleasant to the human nose. That means you will have a better smell coming from every corner of your home. 

This is a proper win-win situation for you, as you get a good smell and get rid of chipmunks at the same time.

How to get rid of chipmunks using dryer sheets?

You can get rid of chipmunks using dryer sheets by following these easy steps –

Use dryer sheets on every chipmunk hole:

To get rid of chipmunks, find their resting place and push two or three dryer sheets in them. The chipmunks will have a hard time getting inside of their hole or getting out of it. Eventually, they will run away from the place. 

And that is one of the most effective ways to use dryer sheets. As they don’t dissolve with the soil, so it will have a long-term effect.

Cut your dryer sheets and hang them with a stick:

Cut the dryer sheets into pieces and hang them with a stick and put all the sticks in every corner of the yard. It will diffuse the smell needed to keep chipmunks away, as well as the plastic material will not mix with the soil. 

So, by that, you are deterring chipmunks and keeping nature safe from plastic. This technique is quite effective as well.

Use an open-ended plastic bottle:

This is the same procedure as hanging the dryer sheets with a stick. But now you will use a plastic bottle so that the dryer sheets don’t lose their power for a long time. 

A plastic bottle will protect the sheets and one open way of the bottle will help the smell to spread around.

What are the natural scents that repel chipmunks?

There are few natural scents that repel chipmunks, some of them are given below –

Peppermint:

As we know, chipmunks cannot stand strong against any harsh smell, they cannot stand against peppermint as well. The essential oil and the peppermint herbs help deter chipmunks, rodents, squirrels, and even deer. 

Basically, the smell of peppermint deters those animals which have sensitive noses.

Eucalyptus:

Eucalyptus trees are way bigger than small herb plants. But the smell of eucalyptus is still present. The bark of the tree produces a slightly pungent smell, which is not bad for the human nose, but it is bad for chipmunks. 

So, eucalyptus is also a natural chipmunk deterrent.

Garlic:

Garlic is considered to be the most disliked natural good that keeps chipmunks away. The smell of garlic is always unpleasant to humans and to any animal. But when you process it with other spices then you will love it.

Though for chipmunks, just leaving them in the corner of the garden will keep these small creatures away.

Daffodils:

Anything with a slight flowery or pungent smell is disliked by chipmunks. Here daffodils have the aroma that pushes chipmunks away. You can plant daffodils on every corner of your yard, and then you are full chipmunks protected.

Cayenne pepper:

Cayenne pepper is used to make different sauces or cooking. Cayenne pepper is quite hot and if any human smells cayenne pepper, they may have to cough a little bit. So, it is too powerful for those small nostrils to cope. Cayenne pepper deters chipmunks.

Black pepper:

Like cayenne pepper, black pepper has a similar ability to keep the garden clean from any sort of invasion. Black pepper has a strong smell that deters chipmunks.

Coffee Ground:

Coffee ground is not fully natural, but after you eat your coffee, you can use your coffee ground on every corner. The smell of coffee will deter chipmunks.

Final Thoughts

Dryer sheets can deter chipmunks. When you use dryer sheets as a repellent, dump the used dryer sheets in the dustbin. Because dryer sheets are made of plastic material. The chemical in dryer sheets is not bad for chipmunks or the environment. So, you can use them effectively to deter chipmunks.