How to Get Rid of Ticks In-Home

Ticks are commonly found in wooded or overgrown areas. They feed on animal blood and are generally brought into a home through a household pet that has been outdoors. If you find just one tick on you or your pet, it is likely a solitary incident. But if there are several ticks you want to take measures to get them out of your house as soon as possible. Ticks carry diseases, such as Lyme disease, that can be spread to people. It is important to get rid of ticks to ensure the safety of the people and animals in your home.

Things You'll Need

• Medicated pet shampoo
• Topical pet spray
• Topical tick repellent
• Outdoor tick-killing spray
• Indoor tick-killing spray
• Vacuum
• Disposable plastic bag
• Laundry detergent
• Fogger
• Dry ice
• Sticky tape

Instructions

Treating the Source

1. Determine how the ticks are getting into your home, generally by either a dog or cat. Treat the source of the ticks.

2. Give your pet a bath using a medicated shampoo specifically for killing ticks and fleas. Although these products are ineffective in killing tick eggs, they will kill any adult ticks on the animal.

3. Spray your pet with a topical spray recommended by your veterinarian. The spray should be one that provides residual protection against tick eggs. Tick dips are also helpful at killing adult ticks instantly but few provide protection against eggs.

4. Purchase a topical repellent from a pet store or vets office for your animal such as Advantage or Frontline. These are applied directly to the skin of the animal and not only kill ticks but repel them as well.

5. Apply a tick-killing spray to your yard, fences, patios and any dirt-covered areas surrounding your house. Purchase a spray that is effective at killing adult ticks and their eggs. This will prevent more ticks from entering your home by killing the ones outside.

Treating the Problem

1. Vacuum up any ticks that are visible. Be sure to search in baseboards, crevices, under furniture and cushions, bed frames, pet cages and pet bedding. Close up the vacuum bag inside of another disposable bag and place it in an outdoor garbage can. To ensure the ticks are dead and do not take over your home again, place the sealed plastic bag in the freezer for two days.

2. Wash bedding, clothes, pet bedding and any other fabric or upholstery you can put in the washing machine in hot, soapy water. Soft pet toys and any other washable items your pet is in contact with should also be washed.

3. Apply a spray product designed for killing ticks that is appropriate for various spots in your home. There are specific types that treat floors and carpets, walls, upholstery and clothing, respectively. You can buy such products at home improvement stores, garden centers and some veterinary offices.

4. Use a fogger inside of your home. Some foggers have a time-release agent that will kill ticks for several weeks after application. Many also feature growth regulators to prevent the eggs that are in your home from hatching.

5. Set up carbon dioxide traps in your home. Place a pile of dry ice in the middle of each room of the house. Surround the piles with large circles of sticky tape. The ticks will try to get to the carbon dioxide and instead get trapped by the tape.

References

• Family Vet
• United States Army
• Gardens Alive