Check your whole body by sight and touch within two hours of coming inside. Then shower and run your clothes through the dryer.
If you live in Middlesex or New London County and spend any time outside during tick season, you have probably heard about how important it is to do tick checks. Knowing you’re doing them right can take a lot of the anxiety out of spending time outdoors.
Start before you get inside. Strip outer layers in a mudroom, garage, or entryway and put them directly in the dryer on high heat for ten minutes. This kills any ticks hiding in fabric that you'd otherwise carry through the house. Irritatingly, washing alone won’t reliably kill ticks. It’s only the heat of the dryer that can do that.
It’s also prudent to shower within two hours of coming inside. Running water helps dislodge ticks that haven't attached yet, and it gives you a natural opportunity to do a hands-on check. Use your fingertips to feel for small bumps, especially in areas where ticks tend to attach.
Then do a visual check. Use a full-length mirror and a hand mirror to cover spots you can’t see directly. Work from top to bottom. Ticks seek out warm, hidden areas with thinner skin. Common places they like to attach are the scalp and hairline, in and behind ears, the neck, the armpits, along the waistband, the groin, behind the knees, and between the toes. On kids, pay extra attention to the hairline and scalp. Nymphal ticks are about the size of a poppy seed and easy to miss in hair.
Don't forget pets. Dogs pick up ticks in the same yard areas your family does and can carry them into the house. Check around the ears, between the toes, under the collar, and along the belly after every outdoor session.
If you happen to find a tick attached, use fine-tipped tweezers. Then grasp close to the skin and pull upward with slow, steady pressure. Clean the bite site with soap and water and save the tick in a plastic bag for potential testing.
For Middlesex and New London County homeowners who want to see fewer ticks in their lives, Mosquito Squad of Middlesex New London can help. Mosquito Squad provides tick control treatments that target the high-risk zones across your property. This is highly effective and can reduce tick populations by up to 90%. Then treatments are reapplied every 21 days so the protection never lapses.
