If you are getting rid of lizards because they keep showing up on walls, screens, patio ceilings, or in the garage, the fix is simple: remove what attracts them, block the entry points, and clear out the insects they feed on. A clean house with tight gaps and less night lighting stops most lizard activity fast. If you want to get rid of lizards permanently, you need exclusion first, not sprays and traps alone.
Why Lizards Keep Coming Inside
Lizards do not move in for your food the way rodents do. They follow prey, shelter, and easy access. If you have moths, flies, roaches, ants, or spiders around lights and windows, lizards will hunt there. Warm walls, cracks, and cluttered storage areas also give them hiding spots.
In homes, garages, and patios, the problem usually comes down to three things: gaps, light, and insects. Seal those up, and lizards stop treating your space like a hunting ground.
How to Get Rid of Lizards in the House
Remove the lizard without spreading it through the room
If you need to remove a lizard from a room right now, stay calm and move slowly. Close the room door, open one exterior door or window, and dim the lights in the room. Use a broom, a long-handled dustpan, or a plastic container and stiff paper to guide it toward the exit. If it is on a wall or ceiling, place the container over it, slide the paper underneath, and carry it outside.
Do not grab it barehanded. Many lizards shed their tails, and a startled lizard will dart into vents, behind appliances, or under furniture.
Clean the room so it stops attracting lizards
After removal, vacuum corners, under furniture, behind shelves, and along baseboards. Wipe up crumbs and pet food. Store dry goods in sealed containers. Fix dripping faucets and standing water near sinks or window AC units. If insects are present, use a labeled indoor crack and crevice insecticide on baseboards, behind appliances, and around door trim according to the label.
For a quick indoor cleanup, focus on the places lizards hide: cardboard stacks, piles of clothing, open storage bins, and wall voids around plumbing penetrations.
How to Get Rid of Lizards in a Garage or Patio
Make the space less usable for them
Garages and patios attract lizards because they stay warm, hold insects, and have easy hiding spots. Start by removing boxes from the floor, stacking firewood away from the house, and clearing leaf litter from edges and corners. Trim plants back from the walls so lizards cannot move from vegetation directly onto the structure.
On patios, reduce the night insect buffet by switching off unnecessary exterior lights or replacing bright white bulbs with amber bug lights. Keep outdoor trash lids shut tightly, and rinse recycling bins so they do not attract flies.
Block the hiding spots they use to enter and stay
Check the garage door seal, weatherstripping, utility penetrations, and expansion gaps near the slab. Install a tight bottom seal on the garage door and close openings around pipes and conduit with steel wool plus exterior sealant, or hardware cloth where the gap is larger. Cover vents with fine mesh that still allows airflow.
For patio enclosures, inspect screen tears, loose frame corners, and gaps under sliding doors. A small opening is enough for a lizard to slip through, so sealing edges matters as much as cleanup.
What to Use to Get Rid of Lizards
The best way to get rid of lizards is to use exclusion and food source control, not gimmicks. Repellents have limited value indoors, but a few products and tools help when used correctly.
- Caulk and exterior sealant for cracks around trim, siding, windows, and utility lines
- Door sweeps and weatherstripping for exterior doors, garage doors, and patio doors
- Fine mesh screen or hardware cloth for vents and larger openings
- Sticky traps only for monitoring in garages, not as a primary fix in living spaces
- Crack and crevice insecticide to reduce the insects that lizards feed on
- Bug lights to reduce insect attraction around entries and patios
If you are asking what will get rid of lizards right away, physical removal plus sealing the room is the fastest answer. If you are asking what to use to get rid of lizards long term, sealant, screens, and insect control do the heavy lifting.
How to Get Rid of Lizards Permanently
Use a step-by-step exclusion plan
- Inspect the house exterior at dusk, when lizard activity is easier to spot near lights and warm walls.
- Seal cracks larger than 1/4 inch with exterior-grade caulk.
- Install door sweeps on exterior doors and a tight bottom seal on garage doors.
- Repair window screens, attic vents, and soffit openings with fine mesh.
- Reduce insects by fixing leaks, cleaning debris, and treating entry points for bugs.
- Clear mulch, stacked materials, and dense plants away from the foundation.
- Move outdoor lighting away from doors or switch to amber bulbs.
That is how you get rid of lizards permanently in practice. You are not trying to chase every individual lizard. You are cutting off the reasons they keep returning.
How to Get Rid of Lizards in the Yard and Garden
Change the yard conditions that draw them in
If you want to get rid of lizards in the yard, start with food and cover. Mow regularly, thin out heavy ground cover, and keep mulch pulled back from the foundation. Pick up fallen fruit, turn over stacked pots, and remove brush piles, boards, and unused planters where lizards hide.
Garden lizards stay where insects stay. Use targeted pest control for ants, flies, and roaches around sheds, fences, and foundation edges. Keep watering to a schedule that does not leave puddles, and fix irrigation heads that spray against the house.
What works around gardens and planting beds
If you are asking how to get rid of garden lizards without harming plants, use habitat changes first. Raise dense planters off the ground, edge beds cleanly, and remove thick weeds along fence lines. Wrap tree trunks and support posts only if they create climbing access to roofs or patios.
A clean perimeter is more effective than sprays aimed at the lizards themselves. When the yard has fewer hiding spots and fewer insects, lizards move on.
How to Get Rid of Invasive Lizards
If you are dealing with invasive lizards, focus on containment and removal, not just deterrence. Do not release captured animals in protected areas or across property lines where local rules prohibit it. Use a covered container or humane trap if allowed in your area, then follow local wildlife guidance for relocation or disposal.
For repeated infestations, inspect the whole property line, not just the room where you saw one. Invasive species spread through sheds, stacked lumber, rock borders, and overgrown fence lines. Tighten those areas first, then seal the home. A lizard problem that starts outdoors ends outdoors only when the yard is cleaned up and the structure is closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get rid of lizards in a room fast?
Close the room, open an outside exit, dim the lights, and guide the lizard out with a broom or container and paper. If it is hiding, remove furniture from the wall and block access to cracks before you try again.
How do I get rid of lizards from home for good?
Seal entry points, reduce insects, clean storage areas, and correct yard conditions near the foundation. That combination removes the shelter and food that keep lizards coming back.
What is the best way to get rid of lizards without chemicals?
Use exclusion, cleanup, and insect reduction. Caulk gaps, add door sweeps, fix screens, remove clutter, and turn off bright exterior lights near entrances.
What can you do to get rid of lizards in the yard?
Trim vegetation, remove hiding spots, store firewood away from the house, and treat the insect problem around the perimeter. A cleaner yard makes the area far less attractive to lizards.