Can you use bleach to remove snakes? You can, but we will show you better ways to repel snakes from your property safely.
Snakes have an aversion to all carbolic acids, including the smell of bleach.
This means that the odor of bleach alone can keep snakes away from your home.
However, it is crucial to note that snakes are vulnerable to bleach poisoning, which can occur from inhaling or ingesting the chemical.
Therefore, while bleach has the potential to kill a snake, it is not a recommended method for dealing with a snake infestation and may pose a risk to other animals and humans.
Have you ever encountered a snake and wondered if bleach could be used to kill it?
While the sight of a snake may strike fear in the hearts of many, it’s important to know that using bleach as a means to get rid of the problem might not be effective.
Over half of adults in America fear these slippery creatures, but it’s essential to understand the best ways to handle the situation.
If you happen to spot a snake around your home, it’s important to remember that approaching it directly and pouring bleach on its face to kill it could be dangerous.
In fact, the smell of bleach alone might be enough to ward off the snake.
To ensure your safety and keep your home snake-free, it’s essential to learn about the safest ways to use household items such as bleach.
Related Reading: Can Bleach Kill Bees?
Table of Contents
Can You Use Bleach to Remove Snakes?
Fortunately, bleach can kill snakes, especially for people who live in countries with high snake populations.
However, it is essential to note that many snake species are endangered and legally protected, so you may not want to use bleach to remove snakes.
This poses a problem for individuals who may not be able to quickly identify whether the snake approaching them is protected or not.
Fortunately, there are methods to deter snakes from your home without resorting to killing them.
This is beneficial for both you and the environment in numerous ways.
Below is a list of household chemicals that you can use to keep your home free from serpents.
- Bleach
- Garlic
- Onions
- Clove essential oil
- Cinnamon essential oil
- Vinegar
- Lime and Peppermint/ Hot Peppers
- Rue and Comfrey Tree Leaves
- Powdered Sulfur
- Ammonia
Various household items can be used to deter snakes in multiple ways. Using bleach to remove snakes is one of them.
Some of these items contain odors that the snakes dislike, while others have properties that irritate their skin.
If you’re willing to spend a little extra money, there are also other methods available to keep your home snake-free, such as using electrical or commercial snake repellents.
We shall outline the significant methods of snake prevention in the following sections.
Odorous Snake Repellents
Snakes do not have a sense of smell like humans do.
However, they have a unique adaptation where their forked tongues can pick up scent particles from the air and bring them back to their mouths to taste.
This means snakes are highly sensitive to odors, and unpleasant solid smells can be used as an effective deterrent to keep them away.
Bleach and ammonia have acidic scents that snakes find unappealing. Especially, you can use bleach to remove snakes.
To protect yourself from snakes using bleach or ammonia, you can soak a rag in either of these substances, place the rag inside an open plastic bag, and then put the bag wherever the snakes have been spotted.
You can use bleach to remove snakes using this method.
Garlic and onions contain Sulfonic acid, which is the same chemical that makes us cry when we cut them.
Interestingly, serpents cannot tolerate this chemical.
For optimal results, mix garlic and onions with rock salt and scatter around the home.
Alternatively, mix them with any essential oil and use the mixture to fumigate roofs and basements.
It’s worth noting that snakes are not fond of Cloves and Cinnamon essential oils, although the effectiveness of these scents may not be long-lasting when compared to other scents.
It’s recommended to use this method only in emergencies.
To use, mix the two oils in a spray bottle and spray the mixture at any approaching snake.
However, please remember that the snake will typically move away from the spray in the opposite direction.
Vinegar is best used around waterways to create a boundary for snakes.
Pour a trail around any pool.
Burning the leaves of Rue and Comfrey trees can create smoke that repels snakes.
Snakes are naturally sensitive to smoke, and these leaves are especially effective.
Burn the leaves and place them in areas where you want to keep snakes away.
Physical Snake Repellents
Sulfur powder can be used to repel snakes as it irritates their skin and prompts them to leave your property.
The combination of Lime and either Peppermint or Hot Peppers has a similar effect to Sulfur.
When snakes try to slither through it, their skin blisters.
Additionally, this combination produces a scent that can help in deterring snakes.
Audio Snake Repellents
If you are sensitive to smells and prefer not to leave chemical trails, consider using an audio snake repellent.
Some electric devices can be plugged into standard household outlets and emit a sound that snakes find unbearable.
This sound is at an ultrasound frequency that humans are not supposed to hear.
These devices are most effective in confined spaces, such as indoors.
There are alternatives to using sound to repel animals outdoors.
Some systems use sound and vibrations in all directions to stimulate the central nervous system of animals like snakes, which can be a humane way to keep certain critters away from your property.
Related Reading: Does Bleach Kill Spiders? (+ how to use it)
Final Thoughts
While bleach can effectively kill a snake, it may not be the best course of action due to legal protection and other laws surrounding wild snakes.
Furthermore, attempting to kill a snake using dangerous chemicals can be hazardous.
It’s important to consider other options for dealing with snakes safely and humanely.
To prevent snakes from entering your home, using the distinctive scent of bleach can be an effective solution.
The best way to use bleach is to soak a rag and place it inside an open plastic bag in specific areas around your property.
This will help keep snakes away.
If bleach is not an option, there are alternative commercial and household methods to repel snakes.
Snakes are often found in piles of cut wood and mulch, but fortunately, they are usually not located close to the house.
However, to deter them from coming closer, I have installed sonic stakes.
It is important to check on them regularly to ensure they are still functioning and that there is no water inside the device.
Enjoy living the outdoor life!!!