If you are living off the grid then the first thing you will notice is how many ticks in the surrounding area are. If you live in an area where there is plenty of wildlife and you also have a couple of pets then you will have some ticks in the house. Only a couple of decades ago ticks were not as problematic as nowadays, now it seems that every time you get bitten by a tick you have a fairly high chance of getting Lyme disease.
One way to eliminate ticks in your house is by using salt. Sprinkling salt over your floors and furniture, leaving it overnight, and then vacuuming it in the morning can help kill ticks. For carpeted floors, leaving a thick layer of salt for a week before vacuuming can be more effective.
Most urban areas use pesticides to get rid of ticks and chances of getting bitten by one in urban areas are fairly low. The problem is that over the past couple of decades, the ticks have started to evolve and they can survive in areas where the pesticide is sprayed. It is basically an arms race between the tricks and the scientists. I personally do not use any kind of chemical pesticides at my homestead, mostly because I do have a couple of livestock, and if they ingest animal feed with pesticides then they might develop some health issues.
Some ruminators like goats and cows rely on healthy bacteria to break down the ingested vegetation, and these pesticides not only kill ticks but also kill the beneficial bacteria, and this often can cause bloating especially in goats. I got a little sidetracked here, but I remember that my grandfather had a unique way of getting the healthy bacteria back into the guts of goats and cows. If one of his cows or goats had been on antibiotics, then chances are that most of these beneficial bacteria got killed by the antibiotic.
So he would make the suffering animal eat manure, goats got goat manure and cows got cow manure, he did this because the manure still contained plenty of healthy bacteria, and this way the livestock got better in around a week. When it comes to ticks I only use natural remedies, I find that these tend to work best and they do not harm any of my other livestock. Ticks tend to love hot and humid enrolment so if you are planning to live off the grid in the tropics then read my recent article Living off the grid in the tropics ( Top 8 Things to Know ).
How To Get Rid Of Ticks In The House Naturally?
Ticks are unwelcome guests in any home, and getting rid of them naturally is a priority for many homeowners seeking to avoid harsh chemicals. Ticks can pose health risks to humans and pets, so it’s essential to address the issue promptly. Fortunately, there are several natural methods to eliminate ticks from your house. From thorough cleaning and vacuuming to create an inhospitable environment for ticks to using natural repellents like essential oils, diatomaceous earth, or herbal sprays, there are various techniques that can help in the battle against these tiny pests. Additionally, addressing outdoor areas, pet care, and taking preventive measures can contribute to long-term tick control.
Cut Your Grass To Destroy The Ticks Habitat
By far the best natural way to get rid of ticks is by not allowing them to live on your property. Ticks tend to love tall grass, and they love biting deer, which sometimes can be covered by ticks. So if you have wild animals crossing your property and you have tall grass, then the odds are that there are a lot of ticks in your backyard. If you cut the grass regularly then you eliminate the tick’s habitat, as they tend to prefer tall grass.
After you have cut the crass, you will start noticing all kinds of birds starting to eat the bugs exposed by the small grass, and birds will also eat ticks. Now even if a tick that had its fill falls off on your cut grass, the chances of them surviving are fairly low. Once they are full, they can barely move, and it is extremely easy for birds to pick them up. Even if you have a tick problem in your house it is still a good idea to start with cutting your grass, this way new ticks will not come into the house. If you are interested in the legal aspects of living off the land then check out my recent article Is it legal to live off the land? ( Top 9 Rules ).
Remove The Ticks From Your Pets
If the ticks got inside your home then there is a fairly high chance that one of your pets got them in. Dogs and cats can be extremely good hosts for ticks, dogs especially if they have long fur, odds are that you will not notice the ticks for quite some time. In my personal experience, I have noticed that the most likely culprit of getting ticks inside my house are the cats. I have a couple of cats on my property, and I tend to live right at the edge of the forest.
Sometimes my cats wander off for a couple of days or even weeks if it is mating season, and usually, they come back covered with ticks. So if you have cats on your property, then make sure to not let them inside the house before you check them for ticks, especially if they have been wandering around in the wilderness. If you also have a slug problem then check out my recent article How To Make Caffeine Spray For Slugs ( Fast & Easy ).
Fence Your Yard To Keep Out Animals That Might Have Ticks
Generally speaking, if you live off the grid and somehow you got ticks inside your home, then most likely a larger animal brought it into your property where it has been picked up by one of your pets. If you live in a remote area where wild animals roam on your property quite frequently then fencing off the area might solve your problem. One of the tick’s favorite host is deer, they might look cute when they graze on your property but take a closer look and you will notice that most of them are full of ticks.
The fence will not actually stop the ticks coming on your property but it will prevent their favorite hosts from coming and spreading them like deer tend to do.
Chicken Coops Attract Ticks
If you have some kind of poultry then odds are that some ticks also got on them too. Ticks love to nest right under the bird feeders, as this gives them everything they need. So if you have chickens or other kinds of poultry then make sure to check them for ticks, and to clean their coop as best as you can. Generally speaking, it is a good idea to clean the bird feeders once or twice a week, this way you will avoid getting the area filled with ticks.
Removing Ticks With Cedar Oil
One of the best natural ways to get rid of ticks is by using cedar oil this is a natural pesticide, it not only kills the ticks but they also tend to avoid the general area where it is sprayed on. You can safely use cedar oil in your house, and some say that it is also safe to spray on your skin although you probably shouldn’t do that. You can find cedar oil at most animal shops, usually, these come in a spray form.
If you are planning to spray cedar oil in your garden to get rid of ticks then make sure to spray the oil in the afternoon. During the morning, dew tends to form on the plants which would wash the cedar oil off. It is also a good idea to spray the oil once every two weeks and after it rains, although this depends on the brand of cedar oil you get, the more concentrated ones tend to last a lot longer. You can even make soap with cedar oil, For more information check out my recent article How to make soap from scratch without lye? ( Fast & Easy ).
Removing Ticks With Citrus Spray
Citrus oil is one of the best ways to naturally remove ticks, ticks tend to hate citrus oil. There is no need to buy a citrus spray as you can easily make one yourself. Chop up a couple of limes or lemons, and boil them for a couple of minutes. Put the solution into a spraying bottle and just spray the area where you saw the ticks. You can do this both indoors and outdoors as well, and you can even spray on your pets and on yourself as it is non-toxic. If your house smells like a lemon all day long then no ticks will ever enter your home.
Removing Ticks With Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is excellent for removing ticks from your home, it is very similar to the citrus spray, ticks hate the smell of apple cider vinegar. You can easily make this as well at home, you just need a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and some water. This works great for repelling ticks, although in my experience it tends to attract fruit flies, but that might just be me.
Geranium Oil Repels Ticks
Geranium oil is an essential oil that actually does something, in fact, according to several studies geranium oil is excellent for repelling ticks. You can find Geranium oil online, just make sure you buy from a reputable seller. Geranium oil can be also sprayed on pets and people alike as a natural tick repellant, although you will have to dilute it first.
Ticks Hate The Smell Of Lavender
Lavender is an extremely beautiful flowering plant, and it has several tick-repellant properties. Ticks tend to hate the smell of lavender, so you might find that getting a couple of these flowers in each room of your house might get the ticks run for their lives. Generally speaking, lavender oil is mostly used as a tick repellant, although the plant itself in its natural form has more or less the same results when repelling ticks.
Peppermint Is A Natural Pesticide Against Ticks
Peppermint is a natural pesticide, most bugs will stay away from them and ticks also hate them. There are some places where you can buy peppermint oil extract, these tend to be a very concentrated form of peppermint, you will know what I mean if you open a bottle of peppermint oil. On the other hand, you can also make your own tick repellent by boiling peppermint for a couple of minutes and spraying your house with the solution.
Getting Rid Of Ticks With Nematodes
Nematodes are small worm-like creatures that are not actually related to worms, they have a parasitic way of life and they will latch on to any kind of insect which has larvae or pupal stage of life. Basically, these nematodes are like ticks for the ticks, once they attach themselves to the ticks they enter their body and start feeding on the tick. Once the tick is dead the nematodes will go off to search for a new host.
Nematodes are not harmful to pets and other livestock you might have on the property, their main source of food are parasitic bugs. You can find nematodes for sale in small boxes at specialized stores or online. Before you use them, make sure to read the instructions as there is a certain way you will have to use them to have the best results. Nematodes can be also used inside your home, if you have a couple of planted pots, sooner or later the ticks inside your home will go on your houseplants.
Ticks Can Not Survive In Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder made up of ground fossils, dead marine life, and other dead organisms. The diatomaceous earth is not toxic to humans and animals but for ticks it is deadly. Ideally, you would want to use this in your garden but if you are desperate enough to get rid of the ticks in your home then you can certainly dust the interior of your house as well. For the best results, you should dust the carpets, although it will make the carpet look dirty, but you can clean it fairly easily with a vacuum cleaner.
Getting Rid Of Ticks With Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil can be hit or miss, for some people it works great while for others it doesn’t do anything. If you get the eucalyptus oil from some mommy group or website then odds are that it won’t do anything for the ticks, as the chances of the “essential oil” which they made have no trace of Eucalyptus oil and it is only fragrances to smell like it. On the other hand, there are reputable sellers that do make tick repellent which does actually have Eucalyptus oil in them, so these should work the best.
Neem Oil Is A Natural Tick Repellent
Neem oil is a vegetable oil made from the seeds of the Neem tree, this tree mostly grows in India and the oil extracted from its seeds has been used for a very long time as a tick repellant. I have personally never tried neem oil so I can not speak from experience, although a lot of people praise it for the tick repellant properties it has. You can find neem oil in specialized stores, although the price of it can be fairly high, so if you have a tight budget then you should stick to some other tick repellant alternative found on this list.
Put Your Clothes Into The Dryer And The Heat Will Kill The Ticks
Most people who went for a short walk or a hike and they find a tick on themself tend to get all of their clothes and throw them in the washing machine to wash them. Although it might seem like a good idea at first, but ticks are one of nature’s best survivalists, they can easily survive through a couple of washing cycles. What you actually need to do is to throw your clothes into the dryer, this generally makes enough heat to kill the ticks and wash the clothes after that.
Eating Garlic Will Keep Ticks Away
If you do not mind smelling of garlic all day long then you can use it to stop ticks from biting you. Ticks tend to hate the smell and the taste of garlic, and it is an excellent tick repellant. A couple of decades ago when tick repellant was not that common, a lot of people rubbed garlic on their legs to avoid ticks biting them.
Key Takeaways
- You can get rid of ticks in the house naturally by spraying the interior of your house with naturally found tick repellants like cedar oil, peppermint, and apple cider vinegar. In addition to this you should address the tick problem by its roots, if you have tall grass in your garden then cut the grass short, if you have pets then make sure to check your pets for ticks before allowing them to enter the house.
- Vacuuming thoroughly and regularly is an effective way to remove ticks from your house
- Using essential oils or natural repellents with scents like peppermint, citrus, eucalyptus, or lavender can help deter ticks.
- Implementing preventive measures like regular lawn maintenance, cleanliness, and checking yourself and pets for ticks after being outdoors can help control and eliminate ticks in the house naturally.