The Easy Tick-Removal Tip That'll Stop You From Bringing Them Into The House

Spending time outdoors for work or leisure can pose the risk of tick bites, especially between spring and early fall when these parasitic arachnids are the most active. With climate change causing warmer temperatures in the U.S., it's also possible to have to deal with ticks outside of their typical season, even in areas that are not used to seeing these pests, which may be why tick season feels like it's worse this year. Staying vigilant can help prevent tick bites and the subsequent risk of transmitted diseases such as Lyme disease. It's also important to do what you can to keep ticks out of your home. One method is to have a lint roller handy, but there are some key rules to know before using this strategy to avoid bringing ticks indoors.

Ticks are commonplace in many outdoor areas, but they're especially fond of hanging out in bushes, tall grasses, leaf piles, and anywhere else they can catch some shade. It's from these same spots that they can crawl onto humans and animals that happen to walk by. They're most likely to hitch a ride on your legs as you accidentally brush these plants and materials, and they may crawl to other areas of your body to try and find a place they can burrow. For this reason, it's always a good idea to try and walk in the middle of flat trails that are clear of tall grasses and debris. But even if you're wearing long pants, ticks can still hang out on clothing until you get home, which is where the lint roller comes in.

The idea behind this lint roller technique is to catch ticks that may be crawling on your clothing before they make it any further. This may prevent ticks from lurking around your house, and it may also help prevent ticks from sneaking past your clothing and burrowing into your skin, where they potentially spread diseases. Using a lint roller or another sticky substance, such as packaging tape, may help capture ticks that happen to be on your clothes.

If you have concerns about bringing ticks into your home, roll the lint roller across the entire surface of your clothes before you go inside. This way, ticks won't have an opportunity to crawl away and hide out in your residence. If the lint roller does catch ticks from your clothes, place the used tape into a sealed plastic bag and throw it away immediately. Aside from clothing, you'll also want to check your outdoor gear and shoes for possible ticks, too.

In addition to using a lint roller to catch ticks on your clothes, you will need to take other measures to ensure none of these parasites remain. As soon as you come inside the house, place your clothes in the washer and launder them in hot (not tap cold or lukewarm) water. Dry your clothing using your dryer's highest heat setting.

To ensure that ticks have not made it past your clothing, be sure to check yourself, your pets, and your children for any possible ticks that have burrowed into skin folds, such as under arms or between legs. As a rule of thumb, take a shower within two hours of being outdoors so you can further examine yourself and reduce your risk of tick bites. These measures all complement the lint roller hack and help you protect yourself and your home from ticks, any time of the year.