Out of all the problems that come with being a pet parent, the unwanted presence of ticks has to be the biggest one. If you have been spotting ticks in your house, then you must be curious to find out can ticks live in carpet? Can they live in your clothings, among other things?
We hate to break this to you, but ticks can survive on various kinds of surfaces inside the house. So what can you do to get rid of them and to avoid them from entering your house?
Let’s find out in this guide!
Understanding the Lifecycle of Ticks
Before you find out how to get rid of ticks and whether they can live in carpets, you first need to understand their lifecycle.
So, the lifecycle of ticks goes in four stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The lifecycle of ticks is ideally two years, and they need to feed on blood in order to grow and survive.
The lifecycle of ticks starts when a female tick lays eggs in a suitable environment. Within three weeks, the eggs hatch into larvae and attach themselves to animals or humans to feed on blood.
Larvae then turn into nymphs, which are more active and require more blood to grow. And finally, the nymphs turn into adults who lay eggs and start the lifecycle again.
What Do Ticks Look Like?
Did you know that there are over 90 species of ticks in the United States, with the most common being the Brown Dog Tick, Blacklegged Tick, American Dog Tick, and Winter Tick, among others?
Ticks usually have thick black or brown bodies with small heads and eight legs. Larve, on the other hand, has only six legs. Ticks are not bigger than a pin head, but they can grow to multiple sizes when they feed on blood.
If you find an insect on your carpet or on your bed and are confused about whether it’s a bed bug or a tick, then there are subtle differences that can help you differentiate the two.
Ticks are usually engorged and round in shape, whereas bed bugs are more elongated and have only six legs.
Can Ticks Live In Carpet?
Some species of ticks, such as brown dog ticks, are quite resilient, and they can survive even in tough surroundings for some time. However, most of them will die out within two to three days if they do not feed on blood.
Ticks can live up to two years if they have access to blood, but without it, they can survive only for a few days.
Adult ticks can lay eggs on your carpet since the carpet offers the perfect warmth and humidity for the eggs to turn into larvae. But larvae need to feed on blood to turn into adults and complete the life cycle.
Ticks can easily crawl around in carpet fibers or nooks and crevices. So, a room filled with furniture or boxes is an ideal place for them to live.
In order to detect movement and attach themselves to the host, ticks also like to climb on walls. So, areas around doors and windows are ideal places for them to jump and attach them to hosts.
How Did Ticks Get Into My Home?
Ticks can frequently enter households by climbing on your pets.
They can also enter your house by climbing on a human. If you walk on an overgrown grass wooden area, or if there is an infestation in your yard, then ticks can very easily stick to your clothes or on your pet’s fur and can enter your house.
Ticks multiply very quickly, so you must act quickly to try to get rid of them from your home. Keep on reading to find all the possible ways to get rid of ticks from your home.
What Kind of Carpets Can Ticks Survive On?
Ticks can survive in any kind of carpet as they are inclined towards hiding in dark and warm places.
However, you must note that ticks do not actually live or stay in a carpet for that long and may enter the fibers only until they find a suitable host. Also, they move quickly if they do not find a host at a suitable time.
Having said that, ticks prefer carpets that are fibrous and thick, so frieze and Berber carpets are quite ideal for them. But even if you have some other kind of carpet in your home, they would be fine with it, too.
For How Long Can Tick Live In Your Carpet?
So, if you have found ticks in your home, you must be eager to find out how long ticks can live on your carpet. Well, the answer to that depends on multiple factors such as the type of carpet you have, temperature levels, type of tick, humidity, etc.
So, adult ticks lay eggs and die within a day or two. But the eggs soon turn into larvae, and then the larvae try to find a host to feed off them. If they do not find a host, then they try to survive off the moisture present in the fibers of the carpet.
Without blood, larvae can survive for up to five days, but without feeding on blood, they will eventually die.
Having said that, it is important to note that if your carpet has food sources available, then the larvae might survive for even longer than five days without blood.
That’s why it is important to take prompt action and kill the ticks.
How To Get Rid Of Ticks From Your Carpets?
If you think there are ticks living on your carpet, then there are two things that you can do:
1. Vacuum Thoroughly
Take your carpet outside your home if possible and vacuum it using a high-power vacuum cleaner. Start with one of the corners of the carpet and work way your way through the entire carpet.
This would help in removing the ticks from your carpet. Also, make sure you throw away the vacuum filter right away; otherwise, the ticks will find their way back into your house.
2. Use Steam Cleaner
For even better results, use a steam cleaner to clean your carpet. The high heat from the steam cleaner will help kill the ticks, larvae, or eggs in no time.
3. Show Sunlight
Follow this up by letting your carpet dry out in the sun. Ticks do not light sunlight, and letting your carpet both dry as well as wet can help in getting rid of the ticks.
How To Get Rid Of Ticks From Your Home?
Getting rid of these pesky little creatures is a taxing job. But there are some home remedies that you can apply in order to get rid of ticks from your carpet or from your home. Let us have a look at them:
1. Pesticides
If you do not believe in home remedies or DIYs, then pesticides are your best bet to get rid of ticks. When purchasing a pesticide, look for products that contain permethrins and pyrethrins. However, make sure to read the label and check if the pesticide is safe for your pet. If not, then make sure you keep them away from the area.
- Sprinkle the pesticide on your carpets, furniture, doors, windows, and other places where you think the ticks might be hiding.
- Read the instructions on the label and leave the pesticide for the mentioned time for it to work and kill the ticks and their eggs or larvae.
2. Use Diatomaceous Earth
If you are not comfortable with using chemical pesticides, then a food-grade diatomaceous earth is a great alternative.
To use diatomaceous earth, you simply need to sprinkle it on all the affected areas and surfaces in your house.
Diatomaceous earth is a drying agent, so it will suck up the moisture from the ticks and will kill them in no time.
3. Rubbing Alchohol
If you find a live tick on your pet or crawling somewhere in your house, then simply pick it up using tweezers and drop it in a glass containing rubbing alcohol to kill it.
Make sure you do not pour rubbing alcohol while the tick is still feeding on the skin, as it can lead them to release toxins.
4. Use Apple Cider Vinegar & Neem Oil
To keep ticks away, combine two cups of water, two tablespoons of organic neem oil, and four tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. Combine this solution and spray it onto your carpet, clothes, and furniture. This will help in keeping the ticks at bay.
5. Wash Clothing Items in Hot Water
If you think your bedding or clothing items has ticks in them then wash them out with hot water to kill the ticks.
- If you find ticks on your clothes after spending time outdoors, then throw away your clothes into a dryer immedieatly for ten minutes. The dry heat will kill the ticks.
- However, if your clothes are wet then instead of washing them in dryer, wash them in hot water.
6. Use Cedar Oil Mixture
Combine 120 ml of cedar oil concentrate with 770 ml of water in a spray bottle. Cedar oil mixture is best for killing ticks on solid surfaces. Note that Cedar oil can stain clothes, so you should not use it to kill ticks from clothes.
7. Treat your Pet with Medication
Your dog or cat is the biggest reason why there are ticks in your house. So treating them first is the best way to ensure your house and carpets remain free of them.
So make sure you check your dog or cat’s fur regularly, especially when they go out to meet their furry friends. You can consult your vet and purchase over-the-counter medicines to get rid of ticks from their fur.
8. Use Essential Oils
Essential oils such as Eucalyptus, neem, lemon, peppermint, citronella, etc., can be extremely useful in keeping ticks at bay. Ticks do not like the smell of essential oils, so if you spray your clothes or your home with these essential oils, then that will help in keeping the ticks out of your home.
9. Call an Exterminator
If there is a severe tick infestation in your house, then it might be best to call an exterminator. Exterminators have the needed expertise, equipment, and pesticides that will help them kill the ticks in no time.
How To Keep Ticks Out of The Yard?
Treating ticks in your home is not enough as ticks come into your house from the outside, including yout yard where your furry friend likes to roam around. So in order to keep ticks out of your yard, here are things that you can do:
Cut Back Vegetation
Ticks like to hide in humid and dark places. So make sure you keep your grass short, trim unwanted weeds, and remove any dead leaves, branches, etc. Since ticks cannot survive in dry conditions, trimming your plants regulary could help a lot.
Use Pesticide
Pesticides are obviously a great way to get rid of ticks and even other unwanted insects that kill plants. Get in touch with your local agriculture authority to find out the best time to use pesticides. Look for ingredients like ingredients bifenthrin or permethrin, and if possible, hire a professional to get the job done safely.
Trim Your Grass
Ticks love to hide in tall grasses and attach themselves to your pet when they pass by. So trim the grass in your garden or backyard regularly. You can also use an edger to create a barrier between your house and your yard.
Clean Your Bird Feeders
Bird feeders often attract rodents, which also contain ticks in them. So make sure you clean your bird feeders every now and then to get rid of any ticks that may lie there.
Also, make sure you let your bird feeder dry completely before you hang it back in its place.
Wrap Up
Ticks can be extremely annoying to deal with, and like it or not, if you are a pet parent, you will have to deal with them more often than you would like to.
Can ticks live in carpet? Can they live in your clothes? Yes, many species of ticks can survive without blood for a very long period of time. And others can, too, as long as they have frequent access to blood.
There are also other blood-sucking pests, such as coccidia, or lice, or even tapeworms in carpets that you might come across.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get rid of these pesky little creatures, and we hope the remedies that we have shared in this guide are helpful to you.
Can Ticks Live In Carpet? | FAQ’s
What are some tips to avoid ticks from entering your home?
Here are some tips to avoid ticks from entering your home:
- Keep your backyard and garden clean and well-trimmed.
- Check your pet’s fur from time to time and give them the needed medication after consulting the same from your vet.
- Vacuum your home regularly and keep it clean.
- Avoid walking in overgrown areas.
- Avoid hiking in random places.
- Use tick repellants whenever you go hiking, camping, etc.
For how long can ticks live without a host?
The duration for which ticks can survive without a host can vary depending on the type of tick.
For example, if we talk about the larvae of wood tick, then it can survive for upto 117 days without a host, and adult ticks from this group can survive for up to a shocking 700 days.
There are also ticks that can only survive three to five days without a host. So, the survival of ticks greatly varies from species to species.
Can ticks live in clothes or bedsheets?
Bedsheets and clothes are common hot spots for ticks, and they can easily survive in your clothes and bedsheets as they can feed off human blood, too.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!