How to Rid Your Home of Ticks

If you own a pet, you may at some time face a home tick infestation. Tick infestations usually occur when ticks latch onto your pet outside, then drop off and lay eggs indoors. Once these eggs hatch, the ticks can multiply rapidly. This is a potential health problem for the home's human inhabitants, since ticks sometimes carry serious illnesses such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. To prevent the spread of disease, it's best to rid your home of ticks as soon as possible. Fortunately, getting rid of ticks is fairly simple.

Things You'll Need

• Thick gloves
• Dry ice

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Instructions

• 1

  Confirm that there are ticks in the home by setting carbon dioxide traps using dry ice. Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide. Using thick gloves, carefully place a mound of dry ice in the middle of every room. Surround the dry ice with a wide circle of double-sided tape. Ticks are drawn to the carbon dioxide. When they head for the dry ice, they will be caught on the tape. Leave the traps out overnight, and check the tape for ticks the next day.

• 2

  Clean your home thoroughly to get rid of ticks. Pay extra attention to areas where your pet sleeps. Wash all of your pet's bedding in hot water, and vacuum to remove any ticks hiding in your carpet. Steam-clean all furniture.

• 3

  Treat your home with insecticides designed to kill ticks. Read the instructions and warnings carefully to ensure you use the product properly. Spray wherever ticks have been found, and especially target hiding places such as crevices and baseboards. Another hiding area to spray is the point where floors and walls meet. Repeat applications of the spray to ensure no ticks remain in your home.

• 4

  Take precautions to prevent future tick infestations. Always keep your lawn trimmed, and remove weeds and brush. Wear long socks and cover your arms and legs with light clothing when heading into the woods. Cover every inch of your skin, excluding your face, with an insect repellent containing DEET. Treat your pets with products designed to repel ticks on animals.