Am I infesting my garage with wood ticks when I leave my work clothes there?

May 17, 2012 5:40 AM

I volunteer at a nature preserve which is known to have wood ticks & deer ticks. People have gotten Lyme disease from tick bites there, so out of concern for our household critters, I take off my clothes in the garage upon returning home and proceed directly to the shower. Would any ticks on said clothing migrate to the rest of the garage, or would they stay put until I pick up the pile & put it through the washer?
posted by rpaxton to Science & Nature (6 answers total)

For what it's worth, you're doing the same routine that I use: Strip in the garage, clothes into the washer, head to the shower. I occasionally find ticks anyway. I suppose they could jump off on the way to the laundry and the shower but if you have pets, they're more likely to bring them in from a walk than to get them from you. I do not expect ticks to walk from my garage into my house.

One additional step might be to do a thorough check before leaving the nature preserve. Have a colleague inspect your back before you leave for home. I can check my front but have often had someone find them where I can't see. Also, not to make you paranoid but how do you get home from the nature preserve? Have you considered ticks in your car? If I'm stripping off layers before I get into the car, I throw the clothes into a trash bag. If you've been stuffing your pants into your socks, pull them out at the preserve before you get into the car.

What kind of tick defense have you put on your pets?
posted by birdwatcher at 6:16 AM on May 17, 2012

I follow a similar routine, and I wouldn't worry too much as just finding ticks on you isn't enough to lead to a nontrivial risk of infection. What I tend to do is check my body very thoroughly in the shower every day for about a week afterwards and then follow standard removal procedures (see sites below). Also, be alert to the symptoms (remember that the classic erythema migrans bullseye rash is not always present) and tell your doctor just what you've been up to if you develop any flu-like illness, even if you haven't been volunteering for quite some time.

There are obvious measures to reduce the chance of getting ticks on you in the first place, like wearing light-coloured clothes and tucking everything in. These steps will make it easier to spot ticks before you get in your car, so reducing the risk mentioned above.

There is a lot of useful information and evidence to support what I say above at the US CDC's pages on the topic or the NHS in England and Wales.
posted by Talkie Toaster at 6:29 AM on May 17, 2012

Do you treat your clothes with permethrin? It is a widely recommended thing to do (by camping guides and medical groups, including the CDC). The chemical is safe for human use, and will repel ticks. No tick will hide out on clothes treated with permethrin.
posted by Flood at 6:37 AM on May 17, 2012 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Ticks move but not all that quickly, why not invest in a large Tupperware or garbage can or plastic bag for your clothes in the garage while you're in the shower and before you have time to put them in the wash? That pretty much solves your problem or was the question more academic in nature (pun intended, ba-dum-ching!)?
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:39 AM on May 17, 2012 [3 favorites]

Seconding Flood's advice for treating clothes with anti-tick chems. If possible, assign special "woods walk" clothes, and keep them dosed. Since they're only for the woods, and assuming your dog isn't offended by humans who aren't wearing freshly laundered clothing, you can leave them hang to air-dry, and won't have to dose them every time.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:30 AM on May 17, 2012

Put them in a plastic bag with some flea/tick powder (permethrin-based). tie the top. Bonus: you can wear them again, and have some protection.
posted by theora55 at 7:41 AM on May 19, 2012