The fastest, most reliable way to kill ticks on clothes is to toss them in the dryer on high heat for at least 6 minutes. That alone kills all life stages of common tick species. Washing clothes, even with detergent, is surprisingly ineffective unless the water is very hot. Here’s what actually works and why the order you wash and dry matters more than you’d think.
Why the Dryer Works Better Than the Washer
Ticks are remarkably tough in water. Research from the USDA found that the majority of lone star ticks survived every water-and-detergent combination tested, with no obvious side effects. Most deer ticks also lived through cold and warm wash cycles. Detergent, water pressure, and agitation simply don’t faze them.
Dry heat is a different story. Ticks are vulnerable to desiccation, which is why a hot dryer is lethal. A study published in Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases found that all nymphal and adult blacklegged ticks died after just 4 minutes in a dryer on high heat when the clothes were already dry. The researchers set the safety margin at 6 minutes to account for variability between machines. The CDC recommends 10 minutes on high heat for dry clothing, adding a further buffer.
The key detail: your dryer’s high heat setting typically reaches 120°F to 160°F, well above the threshold needed to kill ticks. Commercial dryers can reach 176°F. Any standard household dryer on the “high” or “hot” setting will do the job.
Dry First, Then Wash
This is the counterintuitive part. If your clothes aren’t visibly dirty, skip the washing machine entirely and put them straight into the dryer. Six to ten minutes on high heat is all it takes. You’re done.
If your clothes are muddy or sweaty and genuinely need washing, the order matters. Washing first with warm or cold water leaves ticks alive. When those wet clothes then go into the dryer, it takes dramatically longer to kill them: about 50 to 55 minutes on high heat. That’s because the dryer has to evaporate all the moisture before the dry heat can do its work. So a quick wash on cold followed by a normal dry cycle may not be enough if the clothes come out even slightly damp.
The most efficient approach for dirty clothes: dry on high heat for 6 minutes first to kill the ticks, then wash and dry normally. It sounds odd, but it guarantees every tick is dead before your clothes ever touch water.
If You Must Wash First, Use Truly Hot Water
Washing does kill ticks, but only when the water temperature reaches at least 130°F (54°C). At that threshold, all nymphal and adult ticks died in the wash cycle alone. Below 130°F, half of ticks survived even in “hot” water settings.
The problem is that many household water heaters are set to 120°F by default (to prevent scalding), and modern washing machines often mix in cold water even on the “hot” setting to improve energy efficiency. So what you think of as a hot wash may not actually hit 130°F. If you rely on washing alone, check your water heater’s temperature setting. Some machines also have a sanitize or extra-hot cycle that heats water independently of your home’s supply.
Cold and warm washes are essentially useless for tick removal. In USDA testing, even adding detergent to cold water left the vast majority of both deer ticks and lone star ticks alive and functional.
What Doesn’t Work
A few common assumptions fall apart under testing:
- Cold or warm water with detergent: Ticks survive these cycles with no difficulty. Soap and agitation alone won’t kill them.
- Tumble dry with no heat: About one-third of deer ticks and more than half of lone star ticks survived a no-heat dry cycle. The tumbling action alone isn’t enough.
- Air drying on a clothesline: Ticks can survive for days in humid conditions. Hanging clothes outdoors offers no guarantee.
Different Tick Species, Same Solution
Lone star ticks are hardier in the wash than deer ticks. While hot water with certain detergents killed 75% of deer ticks, lone star ticks shrugged off nearly every water-based treatment. In the dryer, though, the playing field levels out. High heat killed all ticks of both species. Whatever tick species is common in your area, the dryer protocol works the same.
A Practical Routine After Being Outdoors
When you come inside from a hike, yard work, or any time spent in tall grass or wooded areas, strip off your outdoor clothes and put them directly into the dryer on high heat. Set it for 10 minutes to match CDC guidance and give yourself a comfortable safety margin. While the dryer runs, do a full-body tick check on your skin, paying attention to your hairline, behind your ears, underarms, waistband, and behind your knees.
If the clothes need washing, run them through the dryer first, then wash on hot (130°F or above) and dry again normally. For clothes that can’t tolerate high heat, such as delicates or wool, your only reliable option in the wash is water at or above 130°F. Check the garment’s care label and weigh the tradeoff between potential fabric damage and tick exposure.
One last note on timing: don’t leave worn outdoor clothes sitting in a hamper. Ticks can survive for days on fabric in a humid laundry basket, and they can crawl off the clothes and onto anyone who handles them later. The sooner the clothes hit the dryer, the lower the risk.