Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Deer Away?

Yes, Irish Spring soap does keep deer away! It can be a fantastic deterrent to use in your garden to stop deer from coming in and causing chaos. The smell of the soap tends to stop deer from munching on your grass or leaves, and providing the scent is strong and fresh, it should permanently deter them from your garden!

You can place the bar of soap in chunks in your garden where the deer have been spotted, or you suspect they are. It’s best to use the original (in the black box) as this seems to be the scent that irritates them the most.

If you don’t want to cut the soap up, you can sprinkle it around your garden. The best way to do this is with a cheese grater. It will break the soap down into small pieces without getting stuck under your fingernails. Grating it this way doesn’t impact the scent either, so you can be sure deer will be kept away!

You will need to be careful with the soap, though. Any contact with water and the soap will melt and dissolve, taking its deer repellent scent with it! It’s best to replace the soap after any rain or watering your garden. You will want to replace it when the smell fades, too; the stronger and fresher the scent, the better.

Check before using Irish Spring soap that it isn’t harmful to any pets you have that use the garden. The label or a vet is a good place to check. Thankfully the soap isn’t known to impact your garden in any way.

Does Irish Spring soap keep rabbits away?

Yes, Irish Spring soap does keep rabbits away! If you are having issues with rabbits in your land or garden, using Irish Spring soap can be a great way to banish them. Like deers, rabbits have sensitive noses (we have all seen their size) that can be easily upset by strong smells.

As Irish Spring soap has a strong scent, it can irritate their noses, and they are likely to go elsewhere in search of food or shelter. Placing Irish Spring soap in your garden is an easy and affordable way to keep rabbits away. Use the original scent in the black box and place the soap in areas you suspect or know the rabbits have been in.

If you have noticed them burrowing in your grass, sprinkle the soap over the grass or by any openings to rabbit holes. The strong scent should force them elsewhere and stop them from returning to the holes they have dug.

The best way to distribute the soap around your garden is to use a cheese grater to grate the bar of soap. Once grated, you can sprinkle it around your garden in the areas you need it. The rabbits will smell the strong scent and keep far away.

To be effective, replace the soap when the smell fades or after rain or your garden has been watered. Water reduces the scent of the soap and causes it to dissolve too.

Does Irish Spring soap repel bugs?

There are mixed opinions when it comes to Irish Spring soap repelling bugs. Typically, the soap is used to repel mammal pests such as deer, rabbits, and mice. The advice is often that it does not repel insects, and they will continue to feast on your garden, causing damage as they go.

However, soap more broadly can be used as an insect repellent to protect your plants. It tends to work if your plants are being eaten by bugs, both in and outdoors. Indoors, soap will also prevent musty odors, keep your home fresh, and allow your plants to thrive.

You can apply the soap to your plants (check beforehand that it is safe to do so) or use the soap to make a spray. Mix the soap with some water in a spray bottle and give it a shake so that there is a good lather in the bottle.

Spritz your plants and the surrounding area with the mixture. The scent and mixture should make the leaves slippery and difficult for bugs to land on. It should also impact the taste, reducing their chances of returning to the plant.

There is no guarantee that it will work, but as it's a cheap and easy remedy to make, it's worth a try! Failing that, you can look at other natural repellents to keep bugs away or purchase a chemical-based one, depending on your preference.

Whichever you choose, ensure that it is safe to use near your plants and other pets and isn’t fatal to the bugs.

Why do deer hate Irish Spring soap?

Deer hate Irish Spring soap because of its strong smell. Deers, along with other animals, have more sensitive noses than humans. They are susceptible to smells, and strong smells can irritate their noses. They will actively avoid areas with strong or overwhelming scents to avoid being uncomfortable.

It's this reason that makes Irish Spring soap a fantastic deterrent! It probably wouldn’t taste very nice either, so if a deer ingested some soap, they would not enjoy it! The taste and smell are enough to put most animals off, especially deer, so that you can expect successful results.

As far as we know, the soap isn’t harmful to the deer if ingested. But if you do notice a deer ingesting large quantities of the soap or in difficulty, it's best to call a vet for them to be examined. After all, we want to deter the deer, not harm them!

Deer hate the soap when the scent of the soap is particularly strong. Fresh soap is the best, as when it's old, the smell will have faded and be less offensive to their noses. If the smell is weaker, deer might try to approach and enter your garden, so you will need to be mindful of this.

Keep the soap scent strong and ensure that it is placed in areas the deer enters for best results.