How to Dispose of a Removed Tick

Of the approximately 899 species of ticks worldwide, more than 90 of them inhabit the United States. Ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. While not all ticks carry these pathogens, if you have found a tick attached to your skin, pull it out promptly. Ensure that its head has left the wound to reduce your risk of an infection. You could save the tick for future identification, just in case you become infected. Otherwise, dispose of it so that it cannot attach to another human.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic container
• Tape
• Rubbing alcohol
• Rocks
• Detergent
• Antibacterial ointment
• Tweezers

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Place the tick into a hard plastic container and seal it tightly to save the tick for identification. If you do not have a container handy, place it on a piece of clear tape and fold the tape over itself to trap the tick.

• 2

  Place the tick into rubbing alcohol to kill it if you do not wish to save it for identification. If you do not have rubbing alcohol, flush it down a toilet. If the tick is in a sealed container, you could also throw it in the trash.

• 3

  Dispose of the tick by crushing it between two rocks if you are outdoors and have no supplies handy.