5 Effective Deer Repellent Recipe DIYs (Updated)

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While deers are beautiful and graceful animals, they can cause havoc to your well-manicured lawn or perfectly tended garden. Most plants in your garden can make the perfect meal for them, from trees, grass and other woody plants to fruits, berries and leafy vegetables. 

There is a wide variety of store-bought repellents you can use in your garden, but even better are DIY repellents that are affordable, effective, less toxic and safe. The best deer repellent recipe includes ingredients with strong odors and fragrances that are known to deter these ruminants with a very strong sense of smell.

Below are some popular and effective natural DIY deer-repellent deers that will discourage deers from rummaging through your yard or garden.

1. Hot Sauce Repellent

Deers don’t like the burning smell and taste of peppers, so spraying your plants with hot sauce will steer them away from your plants. This deer repellent recipe also works for other pests like mosquitos, rabbits, squirrels, voles and elk. 

For the hot sauce repellent, you’ll need:

• A few dashes of hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon dish soap
• 2 cups water

You can use any hot sauce in your kitchen. Combine a few drops with soap and water in a spray bottle. It’s best to start small so that you add too much hot sauce. 

Feel free to play around with ratios until you find one that works for your situation. The soap will act as a surfactant to ensure your mixture binds appropriately.

This mixture works by deterring animals from eating the parts of the plant it’s sprayed on by altering the taste. However, you should avoid spraying onto the edible parts of plants to ensure you don’t change the taste. It’s also advisable to try a patch test and wait for a day or two to check for any adverse reactions. 

2. Soap Bar Repellent

Strong scented soaps, such as Irish spring soap, will keep deer away from your garden. It’s a great option for fruit and vegetable gardens because it doesn’t come into direct contact with the plants. How to prepare the soap bar repellent:

• Cut the bar of soap into small pieces or shred it with a grater, then place them into a sock or cheesecloth.
• Secure the sock or cheesecloth with a twine to create a pouch.
• Hang the soap-filled pouches on wooden stakes, trees or on the plants you want to protect. 

Leave this outside until all the soap has disintegrated, been completely dissolved by moisture or the scent is gone. Other ways you can use Irish spring soap in your garden to ward off deer and other pests include:

• Placing small pieces of soap on the ground around newly growing plants or soap shavings around seedling beds to prevent deer from destroying your garden. Soaps on the ground also dehydrate aphids waiting to nibble on the plant’s leaves. 
• Rubbing the soap on the bark of trees or shrubs around your garden.
• Dissolving the soap to create a soap mixture and spaying this on deer-attracting plants, like daylillies.  

3. Essential Oil Repellent

Using pleasant smells is a great idea if you have plants near your windows because it doesn’t introduce pungent smells into your home. Rosemary, lavender, mint and cinnamon essential oils produce potent repellents that deers will assume are concealing predators or other threats.

Mixing essential oils with white vinegar produces a mixture that deers and other pests like mosquitos can’t stand while ensuring you can still enjoy the plants. It’s best to avoid spraying on the edible parts so you don’t consume the mixture. 

Mix about 10 drops of essential oil into a cup of white vinegar and shake the mixture well before spraying it onto your plants. 

4. Cayenne Pepper Repellent 

Because deer dislike spicy scents and tastes, applying cayenne pepper to your plants will repel them. In fact, you’ll find that deer hardly eat pepper plants due to their distaste for them. The strong smell of cayenne pepper warns deers against eating spicy plants, and in case they take a bite, it burns and irritates their eyes and nose.

Use this spray on any areas of the plant that deer may eat.

You’ll need:

• 5 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup white vinegar

Cayenne pepper may clog your spray bottle’s nozzle. So, boil your brew beforehand and strain it afterward to create a non-gritty concoction. This makes it strong enough to deter pests without clogging the nozzle. This repellent remains effective for up to five weeks without rainfall. 

5. Egg and Milk Repellent

Spoiled eggs produce a pungent smell that keeps deer, other pests and even humans away from your plants. You should use eggs and milk repellent on anything you won’t eat because your plants won’t be easy to clean afterward. For this deer repellent recipe, you’ll need:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tablespoon of dish soap
• 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil

Blend the eggs, milk, dish soap, cooking oil and water together to create a consistent mixture to spray on your plants. Use it on the produce your plants produce to eat, and aim to spray when moisture has evaporated from the plants. 

This mixture remains effective for up to 2 weeks or after rainfall. You can make a lot of it and store it in the fridge, aiming to spray it again after this duration. 

Use Natural and DIY Deer Repellent Recipes to Protect Your Garden

A safe, home-made deer repellent recipe can effectively ward deer and other large pests from your garden. They’re convenient because you can use easily available production around your home. You can rely on them to remain effective for a few weeks or until it rains heavily before you need to reapply. 

Alternatives to these repellents are physical barriers which must be relatively high because deers are great jumpers. You can also consider strategically planting deer-resistant plants with strong smells or spiky, furry or fuzzy textures to ward deer off. Some examples include oregano, daffodils, sage and chives.

Use these recipes to reclaim your garden and protect your plants. 

Original Publish Date 11/3/2021 – Updated 1/7/2025