As soon as people find out they have a raccoon in their attic, the first thing they think about is whether they can get rid of it themselves. So, they go surf the Internet to see what other people are doing.

Out on the web are a lot of sites that have all kinds of “home remedies” or do-it-yourself solutions. These can range from coyote urine to ultrasonic emitters, to loud rock music and bright lights. Unfortunately, raccoons are highly adaptable, like suburban and urban life, are clever and relatively fearless creatures, and are not deterred by small inconveniences.

Some of these chemical repellents are basically composed of mothballs (i.e., naphthalene) or ammonia. These chemicals are very stinky and give off a smell that will permeate your house with an odor that is nearly impossible to get rid of until it dissipates on its own six or more months away. Truth be told, hey don’t really seem to effect raccoons much.

Predator urine that you can spray or apply to entrance areas is sometimes touted as the be-all and end-all of keeping raccoons or other varmints out of your attic or eaves. Although these might be great for generating revenue for the seller, they are marginally to not effective at all.

A similar story holds for the ultrasonic devices you can see being sold as repellents. Raccoons and other mammal invaders into your house are generally not affected by lights or a radio playing up in the attic. Only if you are personally up there, will they tend to vacate. As soon as you leave, though, they will return to house and home.