Let’s face it, flies and mice just come with the territory of barn life. There are a lot of ways to keep pests away, but they often involve dangerous and expensive pesticides or poison. If you have barn cats, dogs, or children you are probably a little nervous to leave a block of poison sitting in the corner of your tack room. Try this much cheaper and safer method to keep your barn pest-free! 

Tip: Use Irish Spring Soap bars to repel mice, flies, and to prevent horses from chewing on wood. 

Instead of putting a block of poison or using heavy pesticide spray, simply place a few bars of soap around your tack room, feed room, and other areas of the barn. The strong smell of Irish Spring Soap is what deters the pests rather than killing them. If your barn dogs or cats happen to pick up the soap, it won’t do them any harm and they most likely won’t go back for seconds because of the strong smell. The best part is, you can buy a 12 pack of this soap for under $6.00 from stores like Amazon or Walmart. 

To keep flies away, try hanging bars of soap in mesh bags in areas heavily populated by flies. It’s a good idea to cut the soap into pieces so it releases an extra-strong scent. 

Bonus Tip: You can also rub some on wood in stalls or pastures to prevent horses from chewing on it!