Actions To Take If You Discover a Tick in Your Home

Actions To Take If You Discover a Tick in Your Home Ticks are small, blood-sucking parasites that can be found in forests, grasslands, and even in our own backyards. These unwelcome guests can pose a serious health risk, as they are known to transmit a variety of diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia.

🪳 1. Identify and Contain the Tick

Do not crush it with your fingers. This can spread pathogens.
Capture it safely:
- Use a piece of tape, a sealed plastic bag, or a small jar with a lid.
- You can also place it in a container with rubbing alcohol to kill and preserve it for identification.

🧍‍♂️ 2. Check Yourself, Family, and Pets

Inspect everyone: Ticks often come into the home on people, pets, or clothing.
Pay special attention to:
- Scalp, behind ears, underarms, belly button, waistband area, and behind knees.
Examine pets thoroughly, especially around ears, collar area, between toes, and under tails.

🧺 3. Clean and Vacuum

Vacuum carpets, furniture, and pet bedding thoroughly.
Wash bedding and clothes (yours and your pet’s) in hot water and dry on high heat to kill ticks and eggs.
Dispose of vacuum bag contents immediately in a sealed bag outside your home.

🏡 4. Inspect Entry Points

Check for ways ticks might have entered:
- Pets bringing them inside.
- Open doors/windows, or items brought in from outdoors (like laundry or camping gear).
Seal gaps and ensure screens are intact.

🐾 5. Treat Pets and Prevent Reinfestation

Consult your veterinarian about tick prevention treatments (topical, oral, or collars).
Do not use human tick repellents on pets.

🧬 6. Consider Tick Identification and Testing

You can save the tick (in alcohol or freezer) and send it for identification or disease testing, if recommended by your local health department or vet.
This helps determine if it’s a type that carries diseases like Lyme.

🧍‍♀️ 7. Monitor for Symptoms

If anyone in your household was bitten or could have been:

Watch for rash, fever, fatigue, muscle aches, or joint pain over the next few weeks.
If symptoms appear, see a healthcare provider and mention possible tick exposure.

🌿 8. Prevent Future Infestations

Keep grass trimmed, remove leaf litter, and create barriers (like gravel) between wooded areas and your yard.
Use tick prevention products on pets year-round.