I like to think of myself as having love and understanding towards all creatures. Even spiders and snakes – fairly common phobias among humans – don’t freak me out to the point where I’ll actively take steps to avoid them.

I guess you could say that I can handle a lot when it comes to bugs, but ticks are where I draw the line.

Honestly, I have to confess that I wouldn’t be upset at all if ticks disappeared from the world. They’re not only irritating, but they can also be really dangerous.

Ticks are known to spread serious illnesses like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, so it’s safe to say they’re not the ideal visitors to have in your home.

Depending on your location, the season, and if you have pets, you might have a high risk of coming across ticks.

So, what should you do if you happen to encounter one of these little pests…

Identify and isolate the problem

It’s important to figure out what kind of tick it is (like a black-legged, dog, or brown dog tick). If you find a tick in a certain spot, make sure to keep your kids or pets away until you remove the tick.It’s important to figure out what kind of tick it is (like a black-legged, dog, or brown dog tick). If you find a tick in a certain spot, make sure to keep your kids or pets away until you remove the tick.

Protective steps

To prevent ticks from attaching to you, wear gloves and long-sleeved clothes to cover your skin.

Clean thoroughly

Be sure to wash all clothes and bedding that the tick has touched really well. Use high heat. Vacuum the place, especially focusing on corners and crevices.

Tick removal

Get some thin tweezers and carefully grab the tick as near to the skin as you can. Gently pull upwards, but don’t twist or jerk to make sure the tick’s head doesn’t stay in your skin.

After removing the tick, make sure to clean the bite spots with either alcohol or soapy water. You can also get rid of the tick by flushing it down the toilet.

Monitor your bite

It’s important to keep an eye on any bite marks you come across, and also to keep an eye on the person who got bitten for any symptoms.

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