How can clothing be cleaned of ticks? - briefly
Wash items in water at ≥130 °F (54 °C) for at least 10 minutes, then tumble‑dry on the highest heat setting for a minimum of 30 minutes to eliminate attached ticks.
How can clothing be cleaned of ticks? - in detail
Ticks cling firmly to fabric fibers, making removal difficult without proper procedures. Effective decontamination requires a combination of mechanical agitation, heat, and, when appropriate, chemical agents.
- Immediately after exposure, shake the clothing outdoors to dislodge unattached ticks. Place the garments in a sealed bag and transport them to a washing area without delay.
- Wash at a minimum temperature of 60 °C (140 °F) for at least 10 minutes. Use a regular laundry detergent; adding a small amount of bleach (sodium hypochlorite) enhances mortality rates for any remaining specimens.
- Follow washing with a high‑heat dryer cycle of at least 30 minutes. Temperatures above 55 °C (131 °F) are lethal to ticks at all life stages.
- For items that cannot tolerate high heat, soak in a solution of 1 % permethrin or a similar acaricide for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. After soaking, dry on a line in direct sunlight for several hours; ultraviolet radiation further reduces tick viability.
- If washing facilities are unavailable, place garments in a sealed plastic bag and freeze at –20 °C (–4 °F) for a minimum of 48 hours. Freezing kills ticks but does not remove them; subsequent vacuum cleaning or brushing is required.
- After drying, inspect the fabric under a bright light. Use tweezers to extract any visible ticks, grasping close to the skin to avoid mouth‑part breakage. Dispose of removed specimens in sealed containers and flush them.
Repeated laundering of the same items is unnecessary once the above protocol is completed, provided no live ticks are observed. For specialty clothing (e.g., outdoor workwear) that cannot be laundered, regular vacuuming with a HEPA filter and periodic heat treatment in a commercial dryer are recommended to maintain tick‑free conditions.