Permethrin Spray for Ticks, Chiggers, Mosquitoes and more..

ByKen J. Last Update
Permethrin spray for ticks. Use on clothes.

Permethrin spray for ticks. It has worked well for me. It’s for spraying on clothes. I’ve been successfully using permethrin spray on my outdoor working clothes for years. It works very well for ticks, and mosquitoes, chiggers, biting flies, and over 55 other kinds of insects (according to Sawyer).

I live in the northeast. Lots of ticks here. Some seasons are worse than others. Not sure if other parts of the country have lots of ticks (leave a comment and let me know). But this was the main reason for how I discovered permethrin.

Permethrin is a synthetic pesticide. It’s similar to natural compounds in chrysanthemums. It can actually kill ticks. Mosquitoes don’t like it either.

When a tick comes in contact with clothes (or whatever fabric) sprayed with Permethrin, it quickly becomes incapacitated, unable to bite. Typically within seconds, it will fall off. If it remains, it will die.

Okay, here’s a photo of my summer shelf of insect repellents and such.. Front and center is my permethrin spray.

Sawyer Products Permethrin
(view on amzn)

Permethrin Spray on Clothes, Shoes, Socks, Hat, Shirt, Etc.. for Ticks, Mosquitoes and Other Pesky Insects

Permethrin spray for clothing is great! I mean, really, it has worked very well for me. Repelling those pesky insects. Particularly those that bite! They don’t like it!

Ticks. Mosquitoes. Biting Flies (Deer flies, Horse flies, whatever you call those nasty vampire flying biting things in your locale). Chiggers (thankfully that’s not a big thing where I live, but I know it’s quite nasty in the south). ‘No-See-Ums’. Mites, and other nasties.

I live on rural property of forest and fields. I’m out on the land a good bit. I know permethrin spray works. Here’s what I do..

How to use Permethrin Spray

It’s simple! I just spray it on clothes that I will be wearing outside! Lightly (or moderately) moisten the fabric with a slow sweeping motion, keeping the bottle about 6 to 8 inches away. Spray until damp. It will dry quickly and bonds with the fabric fibers.

What Can I Treat with Permethrin?
It’s safe and compatible with almost all fabrics, and it has an easier time bonding to soft fabrics like cottons, wools, and synthetic blends.

Spray on Hats

I spray my hats with permethrin, inside and out. This has helped keep mosquitoes and biting flies from getting at my head and face. Although I do also typically spray a squirt of normal insect repellent on the back of my neck if I’ll be out for awhile. Ugh, I hate mosquitoes!

Spray on Boots / Shoes

I spray whatever boot or shoes I’m wearing for working outside. Usually it’s my favorite pair of Belleville lightweight summer boots. They’re 8″ tall, which helps provide a good surface area of permethrin kill zone.

Socks. I will wear tall socks which extend higher than the boot. So I spray that exposed part too, just in case a tick manages to crawl up or attach higher than the boot.

Spray on Pants

Spray permethrin on your long pants or shorts. Summertime tends to be pretty warm or hot outside. However I will suffer through it while wearing long pants depending on what I’m doing outside or the environment I’ll be in. That’s great protection from ticks and other biting nasty insects so long as you’ve sprayed them with permethrin.

Spray on Shirts

I will spray whatever shirt I’m wearing out there. Sometimes it’s a lightweight long sleeve breathable summer shirt – to help protect the arms. Other times just a short sleeve. Regardless, I’ll give it a good spray of permethrin.

Other uses include jackets, sleeping bags, tents, netting..

Permethrin for Clothing

More about Permethrin Spray

  • Non-toxic and registered for use by the U.S. EPA
  • It’s ideal for any outdoor activity like hiking, fishing, hunting, working outside, camping, you name it..
  • One treatment will last up to six wash cycles. With that said, I will typically apply some spray each time I go out there to work. More is better, right?
  • It works on gear and tents too.
  • It will not stain or damage clothing, fabrics, plastics, finished surfaces, or outdoor gear.
  • Permethrin is completely odorless after drying. Applying permethrin is pretty much standard operating procedure for me while outside during the summer months.
  • Permethrin has been exclusively treating uniforms for the U.S. and Canadian military for 30 years.
  • It is safe for dogs too. See note below regarding cat caution.

(more about Permethrin on wikipedia)

Permethrin does not work when applied to skin

Because your skin breaks down Permethrin within fifteen minutes of contact, it’s not useful as a personal protection insect repellent when applied to the skin.

Instead, for skin, consider the following insect repellent that works great too!

Picaridin

Sawyer Products Picaridin
(view on amzn)

Permethrin for Dogs (not for Cats)

Permethrin is safe for humans and dogs. But not so much for cats.

“Sawyer Permethrin Insect Repellent can be applied to dogs and help control fleas and lice for 35 days and ticks for 6 weeks.” says Sawyer Products.

Regarding cats, I did some research on this, and here’s what I believe to be reliable information.

“Cats are more sensitive to permethrin than other mammals, but cat lovers can still use the insecticide as long they’re careful about it, veterinarians say.”

[ Ken adds: My advice is simply not to apply permethrin on cats and keep permethrin treated clothing away from cats. ]

“It’s the dose that makes the poison,” says Dr. Charlotte Means, director of toxicology at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. The biggest problem for cats is when they are exposed to highly concentrated permethrin.. (e.g. ~ 45%)

But the concentration of permethrin in household sprays is much, much lower – typically less than 1 percent. And with concentrations of 5 percent or less, Means says, there are rarely problems.

[ Read: 8 Things That Attract Mosquitoes ]

[ Read: How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes ]