Ticks
Reduce ticks in your yard, perform tick checks, and safely remove attached ticks to prevent Lyme disease.

How To Get Rid of Ticks in Your Home

Ticks are a hazard. Theyโ€™re parasites that feed on our blood and transmit diseases like Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Ticks are most prevalent in the Northeast and thrive in wooded areas and tall grass.

Since ticks are so small and have a painless bite, theyโ€™re difficult to detect, increasing the risk of disease transmission. Itโ€™s crucial for your family's health that you learn how to get rid of ticks, and my goal is to use my years of experience to help you develop an action plan. You can hire a professional pest control company or take matters into your own hands; the choice is yours.

If you feel that your tick problem has become too extensive to handle on your own, donโ€™t panic. I recommend Terminix or Orkin, and you can get a fast quote by simply clicking below.

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How To Rid Your Home of Ticks (5 Easy Tips)

Prevention essentially relies on reducing encounters with infected ticks. The more you do to prevent ticks in your yard, the less chance you have of finding them in your house. Here are five easy steps to decrease the chances of ticks making themselves at home in your yard.

1. Keep Your Grass Short

close-up photo of green grass just cut

One of the simplest suggestions I provide homeowners with is to keep their grass short and well-maintained. Ticks prefer tall and dense grass because it offers the necessary shade and moisture that helps them thrive.

Short grass creates an unfavorable environment for ticks, exposing them to higher temperatures and lower humidity. It provides less cover and reduces the chances of tick encounters when walking through the yard. Furthermore, the short grass provides better visibility so you can identify ticks and spot them on your lower body while walking around.

Keep in mind that this is not a guaranteed solution. Leaf litter, shrubs, trees, and nearby wooded areas can still harbor ticks, and other animals can bring them into your yard.

Pro Tips:

  • Trim tree branches and shrubs to increase sunlight penetration and air circulation.
  • Encourage tick predators like birds to enter your yard with feeders and baths.
  • Use tick preventatives on any pets to prevent them from bringing ticks inside.

2. Have โ€œTick-Freeโ€ Areas

a clean and well-maintained yard

Cleaning up the entire yard isnโ€™t realistic for every homeowner. Maybe you have a large property, and meticulously maintaining it isnโ€™t an option. If thatโ€™s the case, you can create โ€œtick-freeโ€ zones where you and your family spend most of your time.

Start by eliminating anything loose such as leaves, branches, and weeds, from the area you plan to occupy. Install physical barriers like fences or hardscapes.

From there, youโ€™ll want to create a literal barrier with gravel or mulch that will separate you from the area where ticks reside.

Make sure to communicate with family and friends about the risk of ticks if they leave the safe zone, and do your best to provide a safe place for everyone to hang out.

Pro Tips:

  • If you live near a tree line or wooded area, adding a 3-foot border of wood chips or pea gravel creates a nuisance for tick movement, and in most cases, they will avoid crossing.
  • Place swing sets, patios, and decks as far away from a tree line as possible.

3. Get Rid of Other Pests

a deer at a yardโ€™s tree line

Deer are considered reproductive hosts for ticks. This means ticks can feed until theyโ€™re engorged and have enough protein supply to lay between 1,500โ€“2,000 eggs.

The good news is that reproductive hosts contribute blood but no pathogens. So, this means the ticks feeding from deer will not obtain Lyme disease from that deer, but theyโ€™re increasing the tick population in your neighborhood.

On the contrary, mice and small rodents are considered reservoir hosts contributing to infectious pathogens. And unfortunately, itโ€™s estimated that between 40% to 90% of white-footed mice carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

This is a two-fold problem; eliminating the deer attractants (which are essentially assisting in increasing the tick population) and the rodent attractants (which are increasing Lyme disease cases).

You can do this by reducing the number of deer attracting plants like lilies, roses, and azaleas. If you have these plants, keep them away from your safe zone. There are also several rodent repellents that you can buy to spread around your barriers.

Pro Tips:

  • Cats are natural mouse hunters and not necessarily a big target for ticks; consider getting one.
  • Attracting birds to your yard is another great way to prevent small rodents.

4. Plant Tick-Repellent Plants 

a field of lavender

Pull out your green thumb if youโ€™re looking for a harmless and environmentally friendly way to reduce the risk of tick encounters. Many plants are tick-resistant, and youโ€™re keeping the ticks away by planting them. Here are some great examples:

Lavender: The aromatic oils drive ticks away.

Rosemary: This herb contains a strong smell that ticks donโ€™t like.

Marigold: These are beautiful vibrant flowers that, again, have a strong odor that ticks avoid.

Lemongrass: Lemongrass contains citronella oil which is naturally good at preventing pests and other critters.

Garlic: Ticks hate the smell of garlic.

Pennyroyal: This plant contains a strong essential oil that helps keep ticks away.

Pro Tips:

  • The overall theme here is that ticks can't stand strong-smelling herbs and flowers.
  • Make sure to plant these around play areas and common pathways.
  • Donโ€™t expect this method to always work; still regularly inspect common areas.

5. Spray Tick Killing Chemicals

a young woman spraying bug repellent on her legs

Permethrin is part of a group of chemicals called pyrethroids and is a synthetic version of the natural extracts from the chrysanthemum flower. This is one of the most often recommended insecticides for treating large areas where people and pets play.

In fact, this can even be used in places where food and livestock are handled.

Permethrin comes in a variety of forms, including liquids, powder/dust, aerosol, and even pretreated clothing. You should use Permethrin SFR concentrate with a 2-gallon sprayer to treat your yard.

One quart of Permethrin concentrate will make about 34 gallons of the solution, so itโ€™s very affordable.

This tick spray will quickly kill ticks it comes into contact with, which is exactly what you want when you have active ticks on your property.

You should resort to a tick fogger if you have a very serious tick problem. There are many EPA-registered foggers that work at killing ticks and fleas. Remember that this is a hard-handed approach that can harm the environment.

Natural Ways To Rid Your Home of Ticks

If youโ€™re against spreading chemicals and killing everything in sight, Iโ€™ve used a few gentle methods that can quickly and easily eradicate any risks of ticks in your yard.

Cedar Oil Spray

Cedar oil is a natural tick repellent that is safe for the environment but contains compounds that are hazardous to the tick's respiratory system. When ticks come into contact with cedar oil spray or treated surfaces, it can clog their breathing pores, leading to suffocation and ultimately causing a quick death.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

This is a naturally occurring rock made from aquatic organisms called diatoms. It can be purchased at most garden centers and online. Itโ€™s actually used as an all-natural pesticide because itโ€™s so abrasive.

When it comes in contact with small organisms like ticks, it attaches to their exoskeleton and ultimately scratches them until they die.

Itโ€™s important to know that not all diatomaceous earth is created equal, and some have more moisture than others. Make sure itโ€™s nice and dry, and apply it around your yard's perimeter.

Today's Homeowner Tips

Wear gloves and a respirator or mask when working with DE. The same abrasive particles that kill ticks can be inhaled as they pass through the air.

If youโ€™re struggling to eradicate ticks from your yard using these natural methods, consider inquiring about natural pest control services:

How To Prevent Ticks From Coming Back

You can do five major things to prevent ticks from ever coming into your yard. These are:

1. Modifying your yard to make it less tick-friendly using my tips above.

2. Using safe tick repellents on yourself and your yard.

3. Wearing long sleeves and pants when walking through the woods or fields with tall grass.

4. Protecting pets with topical treatments and encouraging them to stay in tick-free areas.

5. Hiring a professional pest control company if youโ€™re experiencing high tick activity.

By following these five final tips and keeping everything else in this guide in mind, you shouldnโ€™t have to worry about ticks entering your home.

How To Identify Ticks

There are several species of ticks throughout the United States, all of which have varying geographic spreads, life cycles, and diseases. If you recently found a tick, use the chart below to help identify it.

Please note: These are enlarged to show detail. Actual tick sizes will be smaller.

chart showing the different types of ticks
Credit: lymedisease.org

While any of these ticks can bite, the ones that most commonly bite humans are blacklegged (deer) ticks, lone star ticks, and dog ticks. For more information on each tick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an excellent guide on the full geographical ranges/spreads.

Signs You Have a Tick Infestation

If youโ€™re reading this, chances are you want to know how to get rid of ticks because theyโ€™ve become a problem for you. That doesnโ€™t mean you have an infestation, but there are some signs youโ€™ll want to look out for. Ask yourself these questions.

  • Do friends, family members, and pets frequently come inside with ticks?
  • Do you or anyone in your household have numerous unexplained tick bites?
  • Do you find certain areas of your yard harboring more ticks than others?
  • Have you noticed an increase in your local area in tick-borne disease cases?

You might have a tick infestation if you answered yes to any of these questions. If the issue has become severe enough that you avoid going outside, it may be time to hire a professional pest control expert to come in and help.

Iโ€™ve covered many methods of handling this job on your own, but if you and your family members are regularly experiencing tick encounters, itโ€™s time to contact the professionals. Fill out the form below, and someone will be in touch immediately.

So, Whatโ€™s the Best Way To Get Rid of Ticks?

You have a variety of options to address the tick control issue; based on its severity, you may be able to handle it independently. Many natural methods can help shoo them away, but more serious infestations call for foggers and chemical sprays.

You'll want to hire a professional pest control service if youโ€™ve tried everything and still find ticks in your yard. Itโ€™s worth the cost for your peace of mind.

Our Pick
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Over 90 years of experience

Nationwide service area

Free retreatments if pests return

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4.7

Treats 20 types of pests

Offers instant online quotes

30-day money-back guarantee

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FAQs About Removing Ticks From Your Home

What kills ticks instantly?

If you donโ€™t know how to get rid of ticks, donโ€™t panic. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull it out. Tweezers are one of the best tick removal tools for deer ticks and blacklegged ticks. Once youโ€™ve removed it, put rubbing alcohol or petroleum jelly on the bite area.


What do ticks hate the most?

Ticks cannot survive in dry and sunny conditions. Thatโ€™s why the first solution should always address the yard itself. Mow the grass low, remove any loose brush, and clean up the yard so itโ€™s dry and open.


What are the signs of a tick bite?

A small, red bump or welt may appear at the site of the tick bite. It could resemble a mosquito bite and may be accompanied by localized inflammation and mild itching. Sometimes, the tick may still be attached to the skin after feeding. You may notice the tick’s body or mouthparts embedded in the skin. It’s important to carefully remove the tick as soon as possible.


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