Preventing Tick Bites at Home
Your home is your safety zone. It is where you can relax, be yourself and not have to worry about fending off bugs like ticks. If you have never been bitten by a tick, consider yourself lucky. If you want to keep it that way or hope to never have to deal with it, here is how to prevent tick bites at home, whether you stay inside or venture outside.
The good news about preventing tick bites whether you are in your yard or inside your house is that the steps to take are all relatively easy. You don't have to call in professionals right away, go through tips to see if ticks decide they don't like your house.
It Starts Before You Leave the HouseTick prevention starts before you go on your walk. Being active is important, and we don't want the chance of a tick clinging to you to deter you from exercising. There are simple things to do to keep the ticks from thinking you are an easy target.
Check Your ClothingIt might be a beautiful day outside, but if you go hiking in a wooded area, it's better to be safe than sorry. Wear lightweight, long-sleeved clothing as often as possible. Who wants a farmer's tan, anyway? Long pants are important, as ticks tend to hide in high grass and will easily attach to you while you walk. If you can wear pants you can tuck in your hiking boots, that would be best, so nothing can crawl up your pant leg.
Long pants and long sleeves are the way to go, but no matter what length your hair is, if you have a hat, wear it. Being properly dressed makes it a lot easier to spot the ticks and remove them before you bring any inside your home, and protects your skin.
Bug repellants smell a lot better than when we were kids, and they still work to keep the bugs away. Wear something with a formula of at least 20% DEET that is EPA-approved. Look for ingredients like lemon, eucalyptus, or picaridin in it, and follow the directions for application properly. The fewer ticks attracted to you, the less you could take home.
Take a ShowerYou might want to relax on the couch after a nice walk, but don't let it be too long. Showering within two hours will reduce the chance of a tick or other bugs from jumping from your body to the furniture or carpet.
Change and Wash Your ClothingTicks can be in your own year, so once you come in, change and wash your clothing in hot water and on high heat. If you were out on a hike, treat your gear with at least 0.5% permethrin when you get home. Do this outside or in the garage so you don't bring any bugs into the house.
One way to keep ticks away so they don't have a chance to bite you is to check yourself before you go inside. Everyone needs to check their neck, behind the ears, in the armpits, behind the knees, around the ankles and at the elbows. Make sure to give your pet a once over in the same areas, and look in between their toe beans.
To Prevent Tick Bites in Your Yard- Keep your yard tidy and mow the grass regularly
- Don't forget about keeping any trees or other greenery trimmed
- If you keep a stack of wood, keep it neat and dry
- If you have a playground or other equipment in your yard, make sure it is dry and away from trees
- Dispose of any old materials like tires, mattresses, furniture and any trash
If you want to keep ticks away from your home, protect your yard. By eliminating areas where ticks would thrive, you can ensure they go elsewhere. Maintaining a clean yard will keep the ticks away from you and your family. Do routine maintenance like keeping the grass short, trimming trees and other greenery and properly discarding any clippings from yardwork.
Keep the rest of your yard clean by keeping any wood piles neatly stacked and dry so other critters that can carry ticks, like mice, don't make a home there. If you have trash or other old items you haven't touched in a while, get rid of them.
Keep Ticks OutsideTo literally keep ticks out of your home so they don't have a chance to bite you and spread viruses, get your home ready to defend itself.
- Seal all cracks and holes around all doors
- Seal all cracks and holes around all windows
Not only will this stop ticks from getting in, but it will help deter ants, spiders, flies and mosquitoes from being unwanted house guests.
- Add a deer fence around your garden
- Sprinkle bark or wood chips to separate spaces and create a barrier of at least a foot around your yard if it backs up to a wooded area
Mice are carriers of Lyme disease, so you want to keep these furry creatures out of your yard. If your outdoor space runs up to a wooded area, adding a barrier of wood chips or bark helps deter them from being able to make it to your yard. And while having deer come up to your house is an amazing thing to see, to keep deer ticks away, think about installing a deer fence.
If you follow these tips and do these tasks for the inside and outside of your home, you shouldn't have to worry about tick bites or the viruses they can carry. If you have done all this and someone in your family gets bitten by a tick, you might want to talk to a professional team about additional measures. Keep yourself, your family and your pets safe from tick bites when you take precautions to keep them away from your home.
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