I just invented a good way to kill ticks on dirty boots/shoes

[SP33Demon]

Ok, it's not like a super revelation but it'll get the job done. As you guys know, heat kills ticks and it's recommended that you put clothes in the dryer before washing if you've been out doing yardwork since 130-180degrees will desiccate the ticks and little tick nymphs that you won't be able to see (they can be as small as a pinhead!). So as good practice, I throw my clothes in the dryer for 5 minutes after yardwork before washing.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2...-scientists/eH2Sga4HgeDandLJDFwQKI/story.html

Flynn ordered 50 ticks from a Oklahoma University lab. She placed them in small mesh bags and threw them in the dryer — letting them whirl at temperatures ranging from 180 to 130 degrees. She found that even on low heat for five minutes, all of the ticks were dead.

So what about nasty boots covered in cut grass and mud? Not putting that in my dryer and you probably don't want to either. Here was my solution.

Items needed:
1) Hot sunny day (preferably around 70 deg and up)
2) A car and parking space in direct sun
3) A small clear plastic bag (the little trashcan ones work well)

Procedure:
1) Close all the windows and let the car sit for about an hour.
2) Put boots in clear plastic bag and spin/knot the top.
3) Put bag on your dashboard for 30-60 minutes.

I used a thermal gun to check temps, and after around 40 minutes in 80 degree heat the dashboard temp was 160 degrees. The plastic bag registered at 151. No way any tick is surviving that! This should also work for bedbugs and smaller items like sheets/comforter.

Possible issues.
1) Tick could crawl into the shoe (or already be there). If you really wanted to be sure you could use a shoe tree. The inside of the shoe is still probably hot enough to kill the tick - even if it was 20deg cooler you're still hitting that low heat 130degF threshold that will kill it.

 

[balloonshark]

So much for that new car smell :hmm:

 

[DrPizza]

I'm not sure if you're much of a laundry person, but heating clothes before washing them can set stains.

 

[Rakehellion]

I'm not sure if you're much of a laundry person, but heating clothes before washing them can set stains.

Here's a crazy idea, why not dry them after washing them?

 

[Rakehellion]

She placed them in small mesh bags and threw them in the dryer

Completely different from having them embedded in clothes, which act as an insulator by design.

Here we have bedbugs and the recommended procedure is to dry them on high heat for 30 minutes.

 

[SP33Demon]

So much for that new car smell :hmm:

The smell is contained in the bag. Yeah it does stink a little when you open the bag outside.

 

[SP33Demon]

Here's a crazy idea, why not dry them after washing them?

You can, but it has to be for 60 minutes (according to the link) because of the moisture. If you don't want to dry for an hour (huge waste of energy), then 5-10 minutes before washing will do the trick since it's only a Tshirt, underwear, pants and socks which annihilate the ticks once the sweat is gone after 1-2 minutes.

As far as stains setting, I don't wear anything nice when I'm doing yardwork so don't really care about that.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Why? That's hilarious. I've been in the woods daily for almost twenty years and I've had one tick. After that, we just spray ourselves and the dogs with an all natural tick repellent and once we get out of the woods, wipe everyone done with a towel. No ticks.

Shit like this, explains everything.

 

[Rakehellion]

You can, but it has to be for 60 minutes (according to the link) because of the moisture. If you don't want to dry for an hour (huge waste of energy), then 5-10 minutes before washing will do the trick since it's only a Tshirt, underwear, pants and socks which annihilate the ticks once the sweat is gone after 1-2 minutes.

As far as stains setting, I don't wear anything nice when I'm doing yardwork so don't really care about that.

Generally after washing clothes, people put them in the dryer until they're dry so it's not exactly an extra step.

Still, killing ticks in an empty dryer is completely different from killing them while they're on clothes, so I'll wait for a more scientific study.

 

[Rakehellion]

Why? That's hilarious. I've been in the woods daily for almost twenty years and I've had one tick. After that, we just spray ourselves and the dogs with an all natural tick repellent and once we get out of the woods, wipe everyone done with a towel. No ticks.

Shit like this, explains everything.

This less chemicals, less money, and less work. But if it works for you then great.

 

[DrPizza]

Why? That's hilarious. I've been in the woods daily for almost twenty years and I've had one tick. After that, we just spray ourselves and the dogs with an all natural tick repellent and once we get out of the woods, wipe everyone done with a towel. No ticks.

Shit like this, explains everything.

I used to be able to say that. But once I took up bowhunting, I discovered a few areas that I do NOT want to be in after the first frost. Not a few ticks - dozens upon dozens of ticks on me. Fortunately, very few made it to my skin - I had a mask on & everything was tucked in, rolled up, etc. When I got home, I stripped down to my underwear on the front porch - I didn't care who was watching. My wife pulled a few out of my hair, and a couple other strays that were on me. I survived. That type of event has now happened 3 times. I've since learned what type of environment in the woods to avoid and when to avoid it.

 

[Eli]

I used to be able to say that. But once I took up bowhunting, I discovered a few areas that I do NOT want to be in after the first frost. Not a few ticks - dozens upon dozens of ticks on me. Fortunately, very few made it to my skin - I had a mask on & everything was tucked in, rolled up, etc. When I got home, I stripped down to my underwear on the front porch - I didn't care who was watching. My wife pulled a few out of my hair, and a couple other strays that were on me. I survived. That type of event has now happened 3 times. I've since learned what type of environment in the woods to avoid and when to avoid it.

Details man, details?!? F that!

 

[IronWing]

Heat is really bad for leather so maybe not cook your boots.

 

[lxskllr]

I used to be able to say that. But once I took up bowhunting, I discovered a few areas that I do NOT want to be in after the first frost. Not a few ticks - dozens upon dozens of ticks on me. Fortunately, very few made it to my skin - I had a mask on & everything was tucked in, rolled up, etc. When I got home, I stripped down to my underwear on the front porch - I didn't care who was watching. My wife pulled a few out of my hair, and a couple other strays that were on me. I survived. That type of event has now happened 3 times. I've since learned what type of environment in the woods to avoid and when to avoid it.

I've been places like that. Have to duct tape the tops of my boots, and tape holes to keep ticks out. One place was so bad, anything you dropped on the ground would have several ticks walking on it in less than a minute. I fuckin' hate ticks...

 

[Markbnj]

 

[Jeff7]

Why? That's hilarious. I've been in the woods daily for almost twenty years and I've had one tick. After that, we just spray ourselves and the dogs with an all natural tick repellent and once we get out of the woods, wipe everyone done with a towel. No ticks.

Shit like this, explains everything.

Maybe it's also the area where you live?


Back at my parents' place, it was not at all uncommon to just mow the lawn and bring in at least one tick.

 

[SP33Demon]

Heat is really bad for leather so maybe not cook your boots.

Yeah that's true, but these were waterproof Merrell hiking boots without leather though (kind of like sneakers but ultra durable and comfy, the sole still hasn't worn down in 10 years). Another problem with them is that if they're in the dryer too long the glue will melt on the toes. However, they didn't have that problem with the car-bag method.

I have some old Red Wings that I would make sure to moisturize before working outside and using this method when coming in from working in tall grass. I don't think it would affect it much, Red Wings are troopers. Maybe limit it to only 15 minutes in the bag heat vs 30.

 

[SP33Demon]

I used to be able to say that. But once I took up bowhunting, I discovered a few areas that I do NOT want to be in after the first frost. Not a few ticks - dozens upon dozens of ticks on me. Fortunately, very few made it to my skin - I had a mask on & everything was tucked in, rolled up, etc. When I got home, I stripped down to my underwear on the front porch - I didn't care who was watching. My wife pulled a few out of my hair, and a couple other strays that were on me. I survived. That type of event has now happened 3 times. I've since learned what type of environment in the woods to avoid and when to avoid it.

Yeah we've been lucky in the yard so far, but deep in those woods I bet the ticks get bad after the first frost. I was reading that ticks can survive freezes, they are hearty little suckers. 40 degrees and they out on the prowl:

The recent below-average temperatures aren’t likely to make a dent in the local tick population, according Maine tick experts.

“I hope I’m wrong,” said Clay Kirby, insect diagnostician with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. “But I can’t foresee much of a decrease [in the tick population] just because we’ve had so much snow cover, which acts as insulation.”

“The bottom line is — this winter isn’t going to kill the ticks,” said Susan Elias, research associate at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute Vector-borne Disease Laboratory. “They’ll be out as soon as it warms up.”

The opinion of these Maine experts lines up with a recent study conducted by the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-borne Disease and TickEncounter Resource Center. The center’s director, Thomas Mather, and his team conducted a series of tests to determine if ticks can withstand the frigid temperatures of recent months.

At first, results were encouraging. They placed adult female deer ticks in a freezer at -2 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ticks died within 24 hours.

But the second series of tests took place outdoors, under the snow — the ticks’ natural environment. Not only did the ticks survive, they started moving after a few seconds warming up in Mather’s hand.

“Underneath the snow, it’s probably a mild 25-28 degrees, not anywhere near cold enough for death to result,” Mather said in a YouTube video produced by InsectShield, a company that produces insect- and tick-repellent clothing.

It only needs to be about 40 degrees Fahrenheit for hibernating ticks to wake and become active, Kirby said. In the spring, they emerge and start seeking a host or “bloodmeal.” They can’t fly or jump, so they wait for their next meal in a position known as “questing.” Clinging to vegetation with their back legs, ticks hold their front legs outstretched and wait for an animal or person to walk by. Some ticks attach to the skin quickly, while others wander, looking for places where the skin is thinner, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://bangordailynews.com/2014/03/...ay-cold-winter-likely-wont-kill-maines-ticks/

 

[DaTT]

When I was surveying, I encountered ticks almost daily. Worst case was about 40-50 on me, 3 made it to my skin. Got them off before they were too deep.

After that, chest waders at all times when in tick country....and repellent.

Ticks are the worst.

 

[DaTT]

I've been places like that. Have to duct tape the tops of my boots, and tape holes to keep ticks out. One place was so bad, anything you dropped on the ground would have several ticks walking on it in less than a minute. I fuckin' hate ticks...

I figured I would see you in this thread...

 

[Ryland]

The way to kill bedbugs is to put all of your clothes/luggage into a black garbage bag and seal it then put it in the sun for a few hours. The temps inside becomes sufficient to kill the little buggers so I figure it would also work with ticks.

 

[zanejohnson]

this made me think of two things.


1. For some reason i've always killed ticks with fire. Using a regular bic lighter, i just pretty much burn the tick until it pops and dies.

2. I wonder if Karma is real. I bet ticks come back as something awesome, top of the creation list, whatever that may be, an eagle, or i guess human... at least that we know of. But it seems like ticks just get the most ridiculously overdone deaths of anything out there, usually involving heat/and or fire....

 

[lxskllr]

1. For some reason i've always killed ticks with fire. Using a regular bic lighter, i just pretty much burn the tick until it pops and dies.

I always did that too, as did people I'm familiar with. I was recently talking to my mother, and mentioned I killed a tick with my knife(what I've started doing). She commented along the line that I really didn't kill it, and fire was *required*

I guess ticks are the undead or something :^D

 

[zanejohnson]

I always did that too, as did people I'm familiar with. I was recently talking to my mother, and mentioned I killed a tick with my knife(what I've started doing). She commented along the line that I really didn't kill it, and fire was *required*

I guess ticks are the undead or something :^D

lol i learned it from my mother as well, and i'm pretty sure she's told me the exact same thing.

 

[pontifex]

drop them in rubbing alcohol. that will kill them too.