Although animals are a natural part of the world and deserve respect from a distance, most people do not want them invading their homes or gardens, leading many to seek gentle, DIY methods to deter unwanted pests instead of dangerous traditional traps and poisons. Recently, a viral Facebook post by Elizabeth Liesch caught attention by claiming she successfully keeps pests like mice, rats, skunks, snakes, coyotes, and javelina away from her property by cutting “V” shapes into plastic containers, filling them with water, and adding four to six mothballs so the water-soluble scent lasts and drives pests away.

However, before rushing to try this trick, it is crucial to understand that using mothballs outdoors in water is highly dangerous, illegal in many places, and harmful to the environment, despite the well-meaning intention to deter pests humanely. Instead of using mothballs, it is necessary to skip them entirely and look for truly safe, humane, and minimal-ingredient DIY methods to keep properties pest-free.

The primary reason to avoid mothballs is that they are not mere deodorizers, but rather solid pesticides made of toxic chemicals like naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene.