How to check for ticks in clothing? - briefly
After outdoor exposure, shake each garment and run your hands along seams, folds, and pockets, pulling the fabric apart to expose hidden spots. Examine the clothing under bright light or with a magnifying glass and, if a tick is seen, grasp it with tweezers as close to the body as possible and pull straight out.
How to check for ticks in clothing? - in detail
Ticks can attach to the skin by crawling through fabric, so a systematic examination of garments is essential after any outdoor activity.
Begin in a well‑lit area, wear disposable gloves, and have a flashlight, magnifying glass, and fine‑toothed comb ready. Remove outer layers and lay each item flat on a clean surface.
- Inspect seams, cuffs, pockets, and waistbands where ticks commonly hide.
- Run fingertips along the fabric, feeling for small, rounded protrusions.
- Observe any suspect spots with a magnifier; ticks appear as dark, oval bodies about the size of a grain of rice.
- Use a comb to part the material and reveal hidden insects.
- If a tick is found attached to the skin, grasp it with fine‑point tweezers as close to the mouthparts as possible and pull upward with steady pressure.
After the visual check, launder each piece in water at 130 °F (54 °C) or higher and tumble dry on the hottest setting for at least 10 minutes. For items that cannot be machine‑washed, place them in a sealed bag and freeze for 24 hours, then shake out any remaining arthropods.
Repeat the inspection each time you return from wooded or grassy environments, before entering the home, and after changing out of outdoor clothing.
Additional precautions include wearing garments pre‑treated with permethrin, tucking pant legs into socks, and selecting tightly woven fabrics that reduce tick passage. These measures, combined with thorough clothing checks, significantly lower the chance of tick bites and subsequent disease transmission.