How do I get rid of ticks in the house?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Treat the dogs and the home together. The brown dog tick lives indoors, hiding in cracks, on walls, furniture and bedding between feeds. Put every dog on a tick product your vet recommends, hot-wash and dry bedding on high heat, steam furniture, seal cracks, and for heavy infestations hire pest control. Expect to repeat treatments for weeks.
Ticks seem to vanish and reappear because they hide while feeding, moulting and laying eggs. Keep going until you see none for a long stretch, and watch your dog for tick fever.
What do you do first?
In this order, because treating the house without treating the dog only feeds the next generation.
1. Treat every dog in the home
Ask your vet for a licensed tick product for each dog. TroCCAP's tropical guidelines say heavily infested dogs, sometimes with hundreds of ticks, need a fast-acting licensed product rather than hand-picking alone. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
2. Wash what the dogs sleep on
Wash bedding in hot water and dry it on high heat. Owners often find ticks on dog bedding, furniture, skirting and carpets. University of Florida IFAS Extension
3. Steam what you cannot wash
Steam can kill ticks on items such as sofas and mattresses. University of Florida IFAS Extension
4. Seal cracks and crevices
Female ticks lay eggs in hidden places, such as cracks in walls. Seal them. Parasites & Vectors (2010), full text on PubMed Centralstudy
5. Call pest control for a heavy infestation
In heavily infested homes and kennels, a professional pest control operator is recommended, and repeated treatment may be needed. University of Florida IFAS Extension
Why do ticks live inside the house?
Because the brown dog tick is adapted to indoor life, unlike most ticks.
A 2010 review in Parasites & Vectors describes the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, as endophilic, adapted to living indoors, and usually found crawling on carpets, walls and furniture. It spends most of its life off the dog, in the environment. In tropical and subtropical countries such as India it is present throughout the year, not only in the monsoon.
University of Florida entomologists explain why an infestation seems to explode. A fully fed female can lay over 7,000 eggs, 4,000 on average; the cycle from egg to egg-laying female can take just over two months; and ticks can survive three to five months in each stage without feeding. The first sign owners notice is often ticks crawling up walls or curtains.
This tick also carries the infections behind 'tick fever', canine ehrlichiosis and babesiosis. The Merck Veterinary Manual says Ehrlichia canis appears to be spread mainly by the brown dog tick, which is why a tick problem in the house is a health problem for the dog, not just a nuisance.
What is safe to use around pets?
Do
- Use tick products licensed for dogs or cats, applied as the label says. TroCCAP advises licensed acaricides. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- Follow your vet's advice and the label when treating dogs that visit places with other dogs. University of Florida IFAS Extension
- Tell a pest control operator you have pets, and keep them out of treated rooms as the operator directs. Merck notes homes may need periodic acaricide treatment for this tick. Merck Veterinary Manual
Don’t
- Use a dog tick product on a cat. TroCCAP warns that highly concentrated synthetic pyrethroids (except flumethrin) and amidines are toxic to cats. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- Spray household insecticides on your dog or its bed. Use only products licensed for use on animals on the animal (Petym's practical advice).
- Use essential oils such as tea tree or eucalyptus as tick sprays. Pet Poison Helpline lists them among oils that poison pets, with cats at greatest risk. Pet Poison Helpline
- Stop after one round. Ticks hide while feeding, moulting and laying eggs, so they seem to disappear and then return. University of Florida IFAS Extension
How do you stop ticks coming back?
- Keep every dog on year-round tick prevention. TroCCAP says dogs with outdoor access in the tropics should be protected throughout the year. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- Remember that indoor dogs pick up ticks too, in parks and at pet stores for grooming, bathing or nail trimming. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- Remove visible ticks promptly. TroCCAP says this reduces the risk of infections passing to the dog. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
- Focus cleaning on where dogs sleep. The 2010 review calls for control aimed at the environment, especially sleeping areas. Parasites & Vectors (2010), full text on PubMed Centralstudy
- Keep washing dog bedding hot and drying it on high heat until the infestation is over; weekly is a sensible rhythm (Petym's practical advice).
- Keep dogs that visit places with other dogs on an effective tick product, which UF/IFAS says minimises the chance of bringing ticks home. University of Florida IFAS Extension
When does a tick problem need a vet?
If Fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, pale gums, nosebleeds or bruising in a dog that has had ticks.
See a vet. These can be signs of tick fever (ehrlichiosis or babesiosis), which needs blood tests and treatment. Merck Veterinary Manual
If Red or brown urine, yellow gums or sudden weakness.
See a vet the same day. TroCCAP lists these among signs of babesiosis. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
If Hundreds of ticks on a dog, or a puppy covered in ticks.
See a vet promptly for a fast-acting product; manual removal may not be feasible. Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites
Can brown dog ticks bite people?
They prefer dogs, but TroCCAP notes that the brown dog tick is a proven carrier of Rocky Mountain spotted fever bacteria to people in parts of the United States and Mexico. If a tick bites you and you then develop a fever or rash, tell a doctor about the bite. Remove ticks from people the same way as from dogs, with fine tweezers close to the skin.
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Questions owners ask
Why are there ticks on my walls?
- Brown dog ticks live indoors and climb walls and curtains looking for a dog, or hide in cracks to moult and lay eggs. University of Florida entomologists say ticks on walls or curtains are often the first sign of a home infestation. Treat your dogs, clean their bedding and seal cracks.
How long can ticks live in a house without a dog?
- A long time. Brown dog ticks can survive three to five months in each life stage without feeding, according to University of Florida entomologists. That is why an infestation can return after a dog has been away, and why treating the home and the dog together matters.
Do I need pest control for ticks?
- For a heavy infestation, usually yes. UF/IFAS recommends a professional pest control operator for heavily infested homes and kennels, with repeated treatments if needed. For a light problem, treating every dog, hot-washing bedding, steaming furniture and sealing cracks may be enough.
Are tick sprays safe for cats?
- Not all. TroCCAP warns that highly concentrated synthetic pyrethroids (except flumethrin) and amidines, found in some dog tick products, are toxic to cats. Use only products licensed for cats on cats, and ask your vet before treating a home with cats.
Can ticks live in beds and sofas?
- Yes, they hide in furniture, bedding and carpets between feeds. UF/IFAS advises washing bedding in hot water, drying it on high heat, and using steam on items that cannot be washed, such as sofas and mattresses.
Keep reading
- Ticks on dogsRemoving ticks and choosing prevention.
- Brown dog tick
- Home remedies for ticks
- Is tick fever curable?
- Monsoon pet care
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (opens in a new tab)
- Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites: Guidelines for the control of ectoparasites of dogs and cats in the tropics (2022) (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Tick control (opens in a new tab)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Ehrlichiosis in dogs (opens in a new tab)
- Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites: Canine guidelines: Babesia (opens in a new tab)
- Pet Poison Helpline: Essential oils (opens in a new tab)
Show all 9 sourcesShow fewer
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Tick removal (opens in a new tab)
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: What to do after a tick bite (opens in a new tab)
- Parasites & Vectors (2010), full text on PubMed Central: Biology and ecology of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Dantas-Torres) (opens in a new tab)