The Two Kitchen Ingredients You Need To Deter Lizards From Your Garden

Unless you're running a reptile sanctuary, chances are you don't want lizards setting up camp near your house or garden. While they're not as obviously troublesome as flies or roaches in your potted plants, lizards still pose a quiet risk, especially when it comes to hygiene. They can carry salmonella, a bacterium linked to food poisoning, and their droppings often harbor germs from the insects they feed on.

Fortunately, you don't need harsh chemicals or fly traps to keep them away. As it turns out, garlic and onions, two common kitchen ingredients, can help keep lizards out of your garden. Lizards rely on a strong sense of smell and taste to survive. It is a built-in guidance system that helps them detect food and danger. Garlic and onions throw that system off and make your space a whole lot less inviting.

Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which gives it that sharp scent when chopped or crushed. This strong aroma is unpleasant for lizards and can overwhelm their senses. Onions do the same thing. Their sulfur-rich compounds release a strong odor that irritates and disorients lizards without harming them. When these smells linger in an area, lizards are likely to avoid it and search for a more comfortable place to roam. The method isn't foolproof, and may not work completely, but it can definitely help deter lizards.

To deter lizards using garlic and onions, start by placing raw garlic cloves or fresh onion slices in areas where lizards are frequent visitors, such as corners, under potted plants, near doorways, or along compost piles. For heavy-duty outdoor use, make a garlic pesticide spray. Crush five garlic cloves using a heavy knife, garlic press, or food processor. Mix the crushed garlic with 4 cups of water and a few drops of biodegradable liquid dish soap. 

This diluted solution is safe for most plants, but you should always check before spraying around each flower, vegetable, or shrub. After you're sure the blend won't harm your plants, the mixture can be sprayed around garden borders or shady spots where lizards hide. Make an onion spray in a similar way by preparing an onion-water blend and straining it to extract the juice.

For an even stronger repellent, combine garlic and onion into a single spray. Finely chop half a head of garlic and a quarter of an onion, then mix with around a quart of water and 1 tablespoon of grated white soap. Let the mixture sit overnight, strain it, and pour into a spray bottle. A weekly spritz can keep lizards at bay — reapply when they try sneaking back in. If you're short on time, a pinch of onion powder mixed with water can serve as a quick alternative, but the effect won't be as strong or long-lasting.