How to Get Rid of Geckos

Co-authored by Wilson Christner

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 References

Geckos may look unassuming (or even kind of cute), but in large numbers they can be a real pest. If you've spotted more than 1 or 2 inside your home, it may be necessary to gecko-proof it from the inside out. Start by clearing out any lizards you find lingering indoors with a broom or a blast of cold water. Then, take steps to prevent them from coming back. Keep your doors and windows shut. Close up any gaps in your home’s exterior that are vulnerable to infiltration. Try posting a housecat as a guard to chase off invaders that manage to slip by. Once you've taken these steps, it will just be a matter of cleaning up the surrounding environment to reduce the number of hiding places where others may be making their home.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Getting Geckos out of Your Home

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1
Set out sticky traps. Many pest control companies make special adhesive pads that trap larger invading species, like lizards, so you can get them out of your home without having to hunt for them. Place a few of these traps around the front and back doors, basement windows, ceiling light fixtures, and the perimeter of the garage. Check the traps a couple times a day to see whether they’ve caught anything.^{[1]
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- Sticky traps use powerful glues that form a strong bond on contact. As a result, it won’t be possible to humanely release the gecko once it wanders onto the pad.
- If you have small children or pets, be careful not to let them get near the traps you've set.
2
Remove geckos by hand. If you’re quick enough, try catching geckos that have found their way into your home. Run them into a corner, then position a jar or shoebox in front of them and wait for them to dart in before you close the lid. Once you’ve got them contained, take them outside and release them into the wild where they’ll no longer be a nuisance.^{[2]
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- The occasional lizard sighting doesn’t constitute an infestation, and is usually nothing to worry about.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling any type of reptile.^{[3]
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3
Sweep them out with a broom. When you find uninvited guests on your patio or near the front door, use your broom to push them toward the exit. The bristles can also barricade them and keep them from escaping. Sweep with gentle strokes to avoid harming the gecko.
- Brooms are useful for shooing geckos out of cracks, crevices, and other tight spots where they tend to hide.
4
Squirt them with cold water. Fill up a spray bottle and leave it in the refrigerator until the next time you spot a gecko in your living space. Geckos and other lizards are cold-blooded animals, which means they seek out warm surroundings. A few quick spritzes will usually be enough to send them scurrying.
- If you’re swarmed with geckos while gardening or working in your yard, a blast from the water hose will have the same effect.
- It’s important that the water be room temperature or colder—any warmer and it might not be unpleasant enough to be an effective repellent.
5
Call an exterminator. If you have reason to believe that your home may be infested, you may have no choice but to have it treated professionally. An exterminator will lay sticky traps, set and bait manual traps, probe likely hiding places, or employ a combination of these methods. In extreme cases, they may be forced to fumigate the entire house, which will require you to find temporary lodging for a few days.
- Keep an eye out for signs that there may be geckos living and reproducing around your home, like shed skins and small, leathery egg casings.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Preventing Geckos from Finding Their Way in

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1
Keep your doors closed. Make sure all doors to the outside stay shut when they’re not being used. Geckos love to explore, and can sneak in in an instant when you’re not looking. The same goes for windows, as well—since geckos are adept at scaling walls, it’s easy for them to gain entry to places that are inaccessible to most pests.
- If you often leave your door standing open on warm days, install a screen door to serve as a barricade.
2
Close up gaps in your home’s exterior. Go around and look for places where geckos and other critters might be getting in, like ventilation ducts, loose screens, and openings that have formed as a result of the house settling. Patch these areas with wire mesh or caulking. Use weather stripping to cover small cracks and crevices.^{[4]
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- A qualified pest control specialist will be able to help you identify possible access points that you might have otherwise missed.
- Exclusion is one of the best methods for dealing with a lizard problem, as it’s more or less permanent and doesn’t require you to disperse toxic chemicals around your home.^{[5]
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3
Get a cat. Cats are skilled predators that can snatch up lightning-quick lizards with ease. For this reason, they’re one of the best forms of pest control available to the average homeowner. Just bring your feline friend home and let it wander freely around your property. The presence of a cat alone may be enough to keep unwanted geckos from coming back.^{[6]
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- Dispose of gecko remains as soon as you discover them. Otherwise, they’ll soon begin to smell and may become a health hazard.
- If the idea of letting a cat catch and kill geckos doesn’t sit well with you, you may be better off going with a non-lethal option.
4
Spray the outside of your home with a pepper dilution. Mix 1 part hot pepper juice with 2 parts water in a spray bottle and thoroughly douse problem areas where you suspect geckos may be getting in. Most ordinary hot sauces will work just fine for this purpose. The capsaicin in the peppers is a mild irritant that will act as a natural repellent.
- Avoid spraying areas that you and your family frequent too heavily. Hot pepper extracts can bother your airways if accidentally inhaled.^{[7]
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- To help the solution stick to smooth vertical surfaces, add about half an ounce of cooking oil.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Reducing the Number of Geckos Around Your Home

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1
Eliminate clutter around your property. Do away with accumulated messes that may be harboring a horde of unseen geckos. Collect fallen brush and clear out piles of debris. Pick up any toys that are lying around and bring them inside or move them into the garage.
- The occasional cleanup is good for your property, even if you’re not combating an infestation.
2
Make common hiding places uninhabitable. Now that the big stuff is out of the way, survey your property and identify natural formations where geckos may be lurking. Level out stretches of uneven dirt and mulch, cut tall grass and reeds, and pull stones. The less refuge the invading geckos have, the less likely you are to encounter them around your home.^{[8]
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- Geckos can often be found basking in warm, open areas, but they’ve also been known to take cover in dark recesses where their natural predators are unable get to them.^{[9]
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3
Use your sprinkler system as a deterrent. Take the spray bottle solution to the next level by setting your sprinklers to run overnight, when geckos go on the hunt for food. Position the water stream to aim at small leafy trees, shrubs, rocky areas, and other possible places of concealment.
- Be careful not to oversaturate low-lying ground. The standing water may attract insects, which will in turn draw geckos.^{[10]
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4
Kill insects to take away their food supply. Use an organic insecticide to cut down on the number of bugs in your yard, garden, and flower beds. With nothing to eat, the geckos will move on to another area in order to find food. Turn off your outdoor lights at night to avoid drawing more insects while geckos are out.
- Burn citronella oil, incense, or sandalwood to repel swarms of insects in the summertime.^{[11]
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- A bug zapper or set of sticky traps can also be useful for warding off insects near your porch or patio.

Community Q&A

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How to repel geckos naturally from high ceilings?

Kotaro Seki

Community Answer

It is certainly very difficult to get rid of geckos from high ceilings. What you can try is to be patient and wait for geckos to come down and cover it with a towel and release it outside. If it is difficult, it is also important to get used to it!

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Tips

Consider leaving outdoor geckos be if they're not causing major problems. They’re harmless to humans, and can be very helpful for controlling insect populations, especially objectionable pests like mosquitoes and cockroaches.

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Mothballs may discourage geckos from finding their way into tighter spaces like closets and cupboards.

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Birds are the natural predators of most lizards. Try scattering loose feathers and eggshell fragments around your property to make geckos think the area is unsafe.

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Warnings

Geckos don’t bite or claw, but they do sometimes carry infectious bacteria and diseases like salmonella. These diseases can be potentially serious to humans if contracted.

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