Going to the mailbox and finding frogs there is never pleasant. In fact, it can be downright irritating. If it happens regularly, it can be frustrating, but fortunately, there are simple ways to not only get the frogs out of your mailbox but to keep them out as well.
The best ways to keep frogs out of your mailbox are to use vinegar as a deterrent, clean away debris and areas the frogs can hide, surround the box with coffee grounds or use lemon juice spray.
This article will explore 8 natural ways to keep frogs out of your mailbox.
8 Natural Ways to Keep Frogs Out of the Mailbox
When you keep seeing frogs in your mailbox, and you want to deter them from going in there in the future, it’s best to use natural ways that allow you to do this without killing the frogs. These include the following:
1. Use Vinegar
Frogs hate certain smells, and vinegar is one of them. Just mix equal parts of water and white vinegar, place the mixture in a spray bottle, and spray the inside of your mailbox. The odor that comes with the mixture is a natural deterrent to both frogs and other pests.
Even better, the smell eventually gets weaker with time, so you don’t have to worry about being inundated with it every time you open your mailbox. If your frog problem is worse than normal, you may have to spray the mailbox on a daily basis in order to keep them away.
2. Clean the Area Around the Mailbox
If you have any type of debris anywhere near your mailbox, it’s a good idea to go ahead and clean it because frogs love to congregate anywhere there is debris of any type, and the closer they are to your mailbox, the easier it is for them to get inside of it.
Some people put plants and vines on the poles of their mailboxes, and this is even worse because it is often easier for them to jump up on the pole and eventually get inside the mailbox.
3. Use Coffee Grounds
After you make a pot of coffee, take the used grounds and put them aside to use as a deterrent for frogs. Just sprinkle them in your mailbox towards the back (so they won’t mess up your mail), and the frogs will likely stay away.
There is an acid in coffee grounds that causes skin irritation in frogs, and they won’t come back after that happens. In fact, used coffee grounds are one of the best deterrents when you want frogs to go away and stay away.
4. Use Lemon Juice
When you buy lemon juice for this purpose, it should be 100% lemon juice with nothing added. Use the juice at full strength with no dilution and spray it on the inside of your mailbox.
Lemon juice has an acid in it that slightly burns the frogs’ feet, and once that happens, they’ll leave your mailbox and never come back. While it doesn’t kill the frogs or make them too uncomfortable, lemon juice is rather harsh, which is why this method should be tried after others have failed.
5. Use Baking Soda
This is a simple method because all you do is sprinkle a little baking soda in your mailbox. You can even buy containers of baking soda that have a top with holes in it and which are made for sprinkling the baking soda wherever you need it to go.
The reason it works is that it irritates frogs’ sensitive skin and, therefore, keeps them away from your mailbox from that point on. If you don’t have baking soda, you can use regular table salt in much the same way, and you don’t have to use a lot of either item for it to be effective.
6. Check Your Mailbox
Before you rush out and buy any type of product to get rid of the frogs in your mailbox, you might want to check the box itself and make sure it closes all the way and doesn’t have any openings that allow frogs to get in there and become a pest.
Remember that frogs can jump quite far and have fingers and toes that allow them to “stick” to many surfaces, so if they can get up the pole and get anywhere near the mailbox, it’s possible for them to eventually make their way inside.
7. Get Rid of Any Water That’s Nearby
Frogs are amphibians and not only love water but need it, too. When it rains, make sure your mailbox is closed tight so that no water gets inside it.
The more water that is on, in, or even around your mailbox, the more tempting it is for frogs to try to get in there. Even standing water around your mailbox might entice the frogs to stick around to enjoy the moisture, which means they could eventually end up inside the mailbox.
8. Use Essential Oils
There are certain scents that frogs hate, and if you buy essential oils in those particular scents and place about 10–15 drops of the oil in a small spray bottle, you can spray the inside of your mailbox to deter the frogs.
You can add more than 15 drops if you like, and while the scents may be pleasant to you, the same can’t be said for the frogs inside your mailbox! For the best results, try oils such as lemongrass, citronella, and any of the citrus-based oils such as lemon or orange.
Conclusion
The best thing you can do when you want to get rid of frogs in your mailbox the natural way is to use products with smells they hate. Most of these repel the frogs quickly because they detest the smell and will do anything to get away from it.
They also will remember where the scents are and will stay away from that point forward. Some of these items, such as the vinegar, will harm the frogs but only slightly, and they still have the result you want—keeping frogs out of your mailbox so they can’t wreak havoc on your life.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.