Take your mountain climbing sneakers and garments off instantly after you get dwelling—even higher if you happen to can shed your outer layers exterior or in a laundry or mud room, to keep away from inadvertently toting ticks into your residing area—after which hop within the bathe. It will rinse away ticks that haven’t bitten you but, Dr. Pappas says.

However word that whereas rinsing them off your pores and skin is sweet, washing your garments gained’t damage ticks; they thrive in moist environments, Dr. Pappas says. To kill them, zap them with warmth from the dryer. To make sure they’re gone, go away your garments tumbling for about 10 minutes after they’re dry, he recommends.

5. Examine your self for ticks—then, verify once more, and once more.

Should you do occur to choose up a tick in your hike or run, it’ll possible take some time earlier than it bites. Ticks are blind, in order that they crawl a bit to determine for certain that what they’ve landed on is one thing residing, Dr. Pappas says. From there, they search out the best spot to stick to—normally someplace moist and furry, and the place they’re much less prone to be seen and eliminated. Assume: groin, armpit, stomach button, or the nape of your neck.

All this implies you’ve gotten time to identify them earlier than they connect and chew you, begin feeding in your blood, and share any infectious microbes they’re harboring. “The sooner you’ll be able to do away with them or take away them, the much less possible it’s they’ll transmit ailments,” Dr. Salkeld says.

In the event that they’re out on the paths in teams, Gantz and Njai will regulate their mates, checking for seen ticks and flicking them off mid-adventure, earlier than they’ve an opportunity to connect. (Should you’re alone, you need to use your telephone digital camera to examine hidden areas just like the again of your knees, Dr. Pappas says.)

Njai additionally does a fast tick verify earlier than she will get within the automobile after mountain climbing. Then, she checks herself head to toe when she will get dwelling, trying intently in spots like between the toes and in her hair. Checking the scalp is particularly necessary if you happen to don’t wash your hair daily, she says, because you gained’t have as many alternatives to clean them away. Gantz and her associate, who stay collectively, have a routine of checking one another.

For finest outcomes, repeat these examinations usually. “Should you go on a path hike at this time, or if you happen to go working at this time, at this time isn’t the one day you need to be doing a tick verify,” Dr. Pappas says. He suggests maintaining your tick verify for a pair days post-nature outing. As soon as ticks begin feeding in your blood, they’ll develop bigger, making them simpler to identify. And taking them off, even after a day or two, can nonetheless decrease your possibilities of getting sick, or allow you to begin preventive therapy to chase away extra severe sickness.

Should you do discover a tick that has bitten you, take away it rigorously utilizing fine-tipped forceps or tweezers (right here’s extra on how to do this). If doable, maintain the tick, or a minimum of take a photograph, so you’ll be able to determine what kind it was, Dr. Pappas says. Subsequent, contact your physician, particularly if you happen to suppose you have been bitten by a deer tick; in case you have a rash that spreads; or you’ve gotten different signs of a tick-borne sickness, comparable to fever, chills, or fatigue. Should you spot what you suppose is a tick chew (it will possibly trigger a small swelling or sore on the pores and skin, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic)—however not a tick—monitor your self for warning indicators and name your healthcare supplier with questions.

6. Should you take your canines with you, shield them, too.

Your four-legged mountain climbing or working companions are additionally tick magnets, Dr. Pappas says; they’ll additionally get tick-borne sicknesses, together with Lyme illness. Gantz thought-about this earlier than she bought her canines, and in the end determined to go together with pink labs. Their lighter coats means ticks are simpler to identify. Njai’s canine Brownie usually accompanies her too (Brownie’s longest hike up to now is 15 miles). Gantz and Njai each do thorough tick checks on their canines once they get again from the paths, trying rigorously round their necks, between their legs and toes, and round their tails, amongst different spots.