Do You Need to Worry About Ticks on Your Outdoor Furniture? Here’s How to Protect Your Patio

It’s tick season—here’s what you need to know when it comes to checking and protecting your outdoor space.

Tick populations have been on the rise in recent years, thanks to heat and humidity levels climbing across the U.S. with each passing summer. According to John Hopkins Medicine, tick season starts in April and ends in October, primarily affecting areas in the Northeast, Midwest, and northwestern states. But almost every state has reported cases of ticks carrying Lyme disease.

With an ~uptick~ in ticks comes a need for taking more preventative measures—especially around the home. If you’ve got a large backyard to protect from these pests, how do you go about it?

Generally, the best way to keep ticks away is simply to maintain your yard. Short grass allows more sunlight to penetrate the soil, preventing them from infiltrating your space (ticks prefer shade). Pruned trees and maintained shrubs also keep the shade to a minimum.

Related: 2 Plants that Repel Ticks and Fleas from Your Yard

You can also use insecticides around the perimeter of your yard to help dissuade ticks from moving in (especially if you live near an area with a high population).

So, you know you need to be diligent when it comes to your garden and yard—but do you need to worry about ticks infesting your patio furniture? It’s not very common for them to find a home in your outdoor couch and chairs—but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth checking. If you’ve got especially deep cushions, it’s possible ticks would want to hide between them.

To keep your furniture tick-free, pest experts recommend keeping your outdoor furniture in the sunlight as much as possible and away from tall grasses. Make sure any tick-attractive areas (like especially shady spots or woodpiles) are far away from your patio. You could also try applying personal tick repellents such as Permanone to cloth furniture.

Related: The 11 Best Patio Furniture Pieces of 2024 to Upgrade Your Outdoor Space This Summer, Tested by Us

Check any outdoor pets for ticks frequently, and use personal tick repellents them during tick season. Experts also recommend wearing light-colored clothing that covers as much of your body as possible when venturing into tick-infested areas, as this can help prevent them from having access to your skin. (Light colors help you spot them more easily.)

Though there’s no repellent that can effectively cover an entire yard, you can use personal tick repellents all season long to help lower your risk of attracting them.

All in all, your patio items shouldn’t be at too much risk for any burrowing. But by taking extra steps to keep your yard maintained and your furniture away from tick-attracting spots, you’re sure to have an infestation-free summer.

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