Michigan Lawn Hack: How To Repel Potent Pests With Sacks Of Soap

Maybe I've watched too many A&E prison documentaries, but when I saw my Lansing, Michigan, neighbor walking around his yard with a sack holding a bar of Irish Spring soap, I wondered who would be on the receiving end of a "Code Red."

RELATED: Curious Gardening Tips: Why Use Banana Peels In Michigan?

Cautiously, and from a healthy distance behind the fence, I politely asked, "Hey there, neighbor! Where ya going with that sack of soap?" His answer put me at ease for a moment and also revealed a very clever hack used in Michigan for keeping an odoriferous pest out of your yard.

Why Your Neighbor Isn't Crazy For Scattering Sacks of Soap Around Their Yard

If you were assigned the task of coming up with an absurd activity, you would be hard pressed to come up with something more ridiculous than the following, recommended by House Digest: Take a knife and whittle or grate, very specifically, original scented Irish Spring bar soap in shavings, put them in mesh bags or wrap them in cheesecloth, and scatter them across the yard.

Again, without any context or knowledge of why doing this might be a signal that whoever is engaged in the activity might need some—help. But, if you're yard is home to skunks or you have seen them, then this is a brilliant hack.

Skunks 0 Irish Spring 1

Even Yahoo Life backs the hack, saying that it can also be used to redirect deer from your property. This is when I got a bit nervous, because if my neighbor was repelling skunks, where would they go? I have dogs. I also now have little bags of Irish Spring scattered around my yard and garden.

RELATED: The Dark Side Of No Mow May: Protecting Your Lawn And Pollinators

House Digest goes on to say that this hack, while effective, does take some time. Since the scent does fade, you may need to replace them throughout the year, but you'll be left (hopefully) with a skunk-free yard that smells incredibly fresh. Good luck battling Pepe.