Keep ticks out of your house by protecting pets with vet-approved preventives, sealing entry points, maintaining a clean yard, and using high heat on clothes and bedding. Year-round tick control ensures a safe, pest-free Florida home.
Ticks don’t need an invitation, they hitchhike on pets, people, and gear before settling inside your home. In Florida’s warm, humid climate, these pests thrive year-round, which means prevention is mandatory every day. By combining pet care, home maintenance, and smart laundry habits, you can dramatically cut down your risk.
Hoffer Pest Solutions has been helping South Florida families protect their homes for more than 40 years. Our Home Shield Complete Plan provides year-round protection against ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and more, keeping your home safe when DIY isn’t enough.
If you want the full step-by-step breakdown of how to keep ticks out of your house, and the professional solutions available when they get stubborn, keep reading.
Step-by-Step Guide to Keeping Ticks Out of Your House
Now that you know the basics, let’s break it down into practical steps. Each one tackles a key part of the problem, protecting your pets, securing your home, and making your yard less inviting, so you can build a complete defense against ticks in Florida.
Step 1: Protect Pets First
Your pets are the front line of tick prevention. A single untreated dog or cat can carry dozens of ticks indoors, giving them access to your living spaces. Protecting pets reduces the primary blood source ticks rely on inside.
Veterinarians recommend monthly preventives, whether chewables, topical applications, or long-lasting collars. In high-pressure areas, some families combine a chewable like Simparica Trio with a Seresto collar for extra coverage. This “layering” approach should always be discussed with your veterinarian to ensure safety and avoid overdosing.
Routine tick checks are equally significant. Run your fingers along your pet’s ears, toes, and collar line after walks. Wash and dry pet bedding on a hot cycle to kill hidden larvae and eggs. These simple steps go a long way toward stopping ticks before they spread indoors.
Step 2: Fortify Your Home
Once pets are protected, the next step is sealing the house itself. Ticks exploit small gaps and ride in on shoes, paws, and gear. Preventing those opportunities keeps your home’s “shell” secure.
Start with doors and windows: repair torn screens, add door sweeps, and caulk gaps around frames and foundations. A two-foot gravel or stone barrier around the foundation creates a dry, inhospitable zone where ticks and their hosts are less likely to linger.
In Florida, don’t leave pet food outside overnight, it attracts rodents, which are key tick reservoirs. For high-traffic entryways, permethrin-treated doormats and routine paw wipes help prevent ticks from crossing the threshold.
If you’re still finding ticks crawling on walls despite these steps, you may be facing a brown dog tick infestation. Unlike most species, this tick can thrive indoors, which requires professional intervention to eliminate completely.
Step 3: Smarter Yard Maintenance
Your yard is the bridge between wild tick habitats and your home. Keeping it tidy makes a big difference.
Mow grass regularly, remove leaf litter, and prune back overgrowth along fence lines. A simple landscape barrier, such as a strip of gravel or wood chips, between wooded areas and the lawn discourages ticks from migrating closer to the house.
In Florida, you can also use natural tools. Herbs like rosemary and lemongrass thrive in the climate and provide mild repellent qualities. Beneficial nematodes, microscopic organisms that attack ticks in the soil, offer a biological control method that aligns with eco-friendly practices.
Some homeowners ask if backyard chickens solve the tick problem. While chickens do eat ticks, the benefit is limited to the areas they roam. If your family spends time in tall grasses or wooded trails beyond their range, chickens won’t make a noticeable impact.
Step 4: Handle Clothes and Gear Safely
Ticks can cling to fabric for days, and if that fabric goes into a laundry basket, they may spread indoors. That’s why handling clothes and gear properly after time outdoors is mandatory.
The best method is to put clothes straight into a hot dryer for at least ten minutes before washing. Heat kills ticks far more effectively than water alone. If laundering immediately isn’t possible, seal items in plastic bags until you can. For delicate fabrics, use the freezer trick: place them in the freezer for 24 hours, then tumble dry.
Shoes, backpacks, and outdoor gear should also be inspected before entering the house. A quick check can prevent a stray tick from finding its way into carpets or furniture.
Many homeowners worry: can ticks survive the wash cycle? Unfortunately, yes. Washing in cold or warm water won’t reliably kill them, only high heat does. That’s why the “dry first, then wash” approach is a key habit for Florida families.
Step 5: Personal Protection Outside
Protecting yourself is equally significant as protecting pets and the home. Ticks are opportunists, and prevention begins before they latch on.
Wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks, and light-colored clothing that makes ticks easier to spot. Pre-treating outdoor clothing with permethrin adds an extra layer of defense, particularly in wooded or grassy areas.
After coming inside, shower within two hours. This washes away unattached ticks and also provides the perfect chance to conduct a full-body check, behind the ears, underarms, waist, knees, and between legs are all common hiding spots.
Repellents such as DEET remain a reliable option when used properly. Some essential oil blends (like lemon eucalyptus) can help, but homeowners should avoid untested DIY mixes that may irritate skin or prove ineffective.
Step 6: Manage Wildlife and Rodent Hosts
Ticks often arrive indirectly through the animals that carry them. In Florida, rodents are major reservoirs for black-legged ticks. Leaving pet food outdoors or allowing clutter near the home can attract these hosts and raise tick pressure.
Limit attractants by storing pet food indoors, sealing trash, and trimming vegetation where rodents hide. For properties with chronic issues, professional exclusion services (sealing entry points in attics, crawlspaces, and plumbing) help cut off access. Reducing rodent activity around your home lowers the overall number of ticks trying to hitch a ride inside.
Step 7: Educate and Monitor Your Family
Even the best prevention plan only works if everyone in the household follows it. Teaching children how to do quick tick checks after outdoor play, designating a “tick-safe” play zone in the yard, and reminding the family to shower after time outside can make a lasting difference.
Monitoring for symptoms is equally significant. Tick-borne illnesses can affect both people and pets. Watch for fatigue, rashes, or fever in humans, and for pale gums, lethargy, or loss of appetite in pets. If anything feels off after a bite, contact a doctor or veterinarian promptly. Education and vigilance keep small problems from turning into big ones.
Why Ticks Sneak Indoors
Ticks don’t wander in by accident, they hitchhike. Pets are the most common carriers, but people, clothing, backpacks, and even outdoor gear can ferry ticks inside. Once indoors, they search for hosts and can linger in carpets, upholstery, or pet bedding.
In Florida, two species matter most for homeowners. The black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, is a disease vector that thrives in shaded, brushy areas. The brown dog tick poses a different challenge: it can establish an infestation inside your home and cause health problems for pets, including anemia.
South Florida’s warm, humid climate means tick activity doesn’t fade with the seasons, it’s a year-round concern. That’s why some families get frustrated when ticks keep appearing even after sprays or DIY fixes. In many cases, persistent ticks signal either untreated pets or a structural infestation like brown dog ticks. Recognizing the difference is the first step to lasting control.
When DIY Isn’t Enough
Even with careful prevention, ticks sometimes persist. If you’re vacuuming diligently, laundering clothes and bedding, and still finding ticks on pets or walls, it’s time to reassess.
Vacuum high-risk areas such as pet beds, baseboards, and under furniture. Salt and borax may desiccate larvae in carpets, and rubbing alcohol can be used to kill ticks safely once removed. Still, these are supplementary measures, not primary solutions.
A common misconception is that wildlife alone will solve the problem. Opossums, for example, do eat ticks, but they won’t reduce populations enough to make your yard safe. Relying on such myths can prolong infestations.
Some homeowners consider what’s sometimes called the “nuclear option”, strong indoor chemical treatments. While these can provide immediate relief, they come with trade-offs: pets and people must leave the home, the property needs thorough ventilation afterward, and misuse can lead to safety risks. These treatments should only be considered under professional guidance, never as a first response. Contact Hoffer Pest Solutions if you need help.
Professional Tick Control in Florida
When ticks won’t quit, professional help is often the only way forward. Florida’s humid climate keeps populations active year-round, making recurring treatments necessary.
Our Home Shield Complete Plan goes beyond DIY measures. It covers more than 20 pests, including ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and fire ants. This integrated approach reduces the outdoor sources that most often lead to indoor problems.
Our quarterly treatments keep pressure low, and if you call before noon, we can often provide same-day service. That’s critical if you’re suddenly spotting ticks on walls, pets, or furniture.
Because we’re a family-owned company with over 40 years in South Florida, we understand the unique pest pressures of the region. We know that keeping a home tick-free here is year-round.
If you’ve tried sprays, yard work, or store-bought solutions and ticks keep coming back, it’s time for a more comprehensive plan tailored to your property.
Why Choose Hoffer Pest Solutions
Choosing a pest control company is about trust. We’re your neighbors. As a family-owned business, we’ve been protecting South Florida homes for over four decades.
Our team combines modern techniques with a philosophy rooted in care: no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. We bring that principle to every home we serve.
We offer same-day, eco-friendly treatments, backed by a satisfaction guarantee, if ticks return, so do we. Our mission is simple: to deliver peace of mind through world-class service.
When it comes to keeping ticks out of your house, you don’t need to fight the battle alone. With year-round pressure in Florida, it takes a proactive partner to keep your home safe. Hoffer Pest Solutions is here to be that partner, so your family can live comfortably without worrying about what’s crawling in from the yard.
Take Back Your Home from Ticks
Ticks don’t belong in your home, or on your family. By protecting pets, maintaining your yard, and sealing entry points, you can cut down on risk. But in Florida’s year-round climate, prevention works best with professional support.
If you’re finding ticks indoors or want peace of mind before they become a problem, our Home Shield Complete Plan provides proven protection against ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and more. Call us today for same-day service and reclaim your home as a tick-free zone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why do ticks keep appearing even after professional sprays?
In many cases, the pets are untreated, or you may be dealing with brown dog ticks, one of the few species that can live and reproduce indoors. Both situations require an integrated approach: pet treatment, structural exclusion, and professional perimeter control.
What lawn granules and spreader settings work best?
Homeowners have had success with Talstar Xtra Verge granules spread on low settings along paths and high-traffic areas. Proper calibration is key, overuse doesn’t mean better results and can create safety risks.
Do Wondercide sprays prevent ticks on dogs?
Cedar-oil sprays like Wondercide can reduce tick encounters, but they rarely block them entirely. Use them as a supplement to, not a replacement for, vet-approved preventives and regular checks.
How long can ticks survive on clothing indoors?
Ticks can survive on fabric for days in humid environments. That’s why handling worn clothes correctly, hot-drying first or sealing and freezing delicate items, is required in Florida homes.
What symptoms should I watch for in pets and people after bites?
In pets: fatigue, loss of appetite, pale gums, or fever. In people: fever, rash, muscle aches, or flu-like symptoms. If you notice concerning signs, seek medical or veterinary care promptly.