You know what’s the worst? Going to bed and dreaming sweet dreams of your lovely home, but being woken up at about three A.M. to the unmistakable sound of something getting into your garbage. It’s an awful feeling. You know who the culprit is; the sneeky raccoon. That little fella has been throwing your garbage all over your lawn since you moved in, and quite frankly, you’re fed up with it. Come on, how many times have you been sleeping and you were shaken awake by the sound of what seemed like a rock climbing through your garbage cans? How many mornings have you gone out in your bath robe to pick up mold covered bread and other filthy articles of trash? How many raccoons have you seen smiling at you while you do this back-breaking labor? Well, maybe not that extreme, but it could happen. The point is that enough is enough!

Do you usually keep your garbage cans outside? If there is some way to bring them into a closed area inside, then the raccoons won’t have easy access to it. As well, do you have lids on your trash cans? Make sure they are fastened tightly on, and if you could get a trash can with a locking lid, that would be choice. You probably also have pets that you don’t really want to let out all the time, so you installed a pet door for them. This is a great way for raccoons to get into your house and eat your food, or go into your pantry. If you can’t possibly live without the pet door, get one that you can lock eventually, maybe at night time when the pets are inside.

It’s not hard to get rid of raccoons. You just have to manage your trash and lock up your house. Raccoons are like any other pest; don’t give them any reason to hang around, and they won’t. Do everything to keep them out, and you’ll notice that you are the one smiling, not them.