Here is an article I started to write on permethrin a couple/few years ago. Not sure the prices at the time are still accurate.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that ticks are gross. I don’t know about you, but it feels like there are way more ticks now than there used to be. We didn’t have a problem with ticks where I live until right around 2010. Before that, you really didn’t even think about them. Now, you can’t hike, fish or hunt most places without finding a tick on you. That same story seems to be on repeat throughout the country.
A popular method of preventing ticks from crawling around in your nooks and crannies is to spray your clothing and gear with an insecticide called permethrin. Permethrin works by killing ticks, mosquitoes and other insects that come in contact with it, preventing illnesses such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and most importantly, the heebie jeebies. When a tick sneaks up permethrin-treated gear or clothing, they start to have muscle spasms, becoming paralyzed, and then falling off whatever they’re crawling up before dying.
Take that you nasty little bastards.
But is it safe for people to put an insecticide on their clothing and/or gear?
The liquid Permethrin application techniques discussed here are for treating clothing or outdoor gear only and are not intended for human or animal use. Permethrin isn’t known to rapidly harm most mammals or birds, but it is dangerously toxic to cats and fish. It has a low mammalian toxicity and is poorly absorbed by skin. Because of this, its commonly prescribed by doctors in lotion form to treat head lice and scabies.
Permethrin-treatments on clothing are considered non-toxic to humans and are registered for use by the U.S. EPA. It should also be noted that the chances of injury or illness from application of permethrin to your clothes, in any concentration, have to be weighed against the possibility of getting lyme disease or some other tick or mosquito-born illness down the road. At the end of the day, you need to do the research and decide if using permethrin is right for you.
If you decide to treat your gear and clothing with permethrin, follow the directions for application by the manufacturer to the letter. Spray the items outdoors, and do not touch them until dry (2 to 4 hours). Cover your face, or breathe through a mask to avoid inhalation while spraying permethrin. If you really want to play it safe, don’t treat the inside of tents, sleeping bags, gloves, or any other gear that will be in direct contact with your skin.
Sprays and the soak method are typically good for 6 weeks- or 6 washes. You can prolong the effectiveness of self-applied permethrin by storing permethrin-treated gear or clothes in black plastic bags or plastic tubs since sunlight breaks down permethrin, or by hand washing permethrin treated items as it’s the agitators in washing machines rapidly speed up its decay.
If you want a longer-lasting treatment that will last up to 70 washings, you can send your clothes to Insect Shield, a company who has developed a proprietary process for Permethrin application that lasts longer than what you can do at home. I have no idea what they do that’s different, and I never will because their process is proprietary.
You can also buy Permethrin treated clothing off-the-shelf from many manufacturers.
Which option is more cost effective? A Sawyer trigger spray 24oz bottle is good for 5 outfits, which if you do the math is about $2.50/outfit for 6 washings. Or you could send in 5 outfits in (lets assume 2 items per outfit) and its gonna cost $83.33 plus shipping, or $16.66 per outfit for 70 washings. To make a long story short and cut out the fuzzy math, you get about 12X the washings for 6X the price of DIY.
That doesn’t mean insect shield is the best option. If you live in an area of the country with a tick problem, it might make more sense to send your clothes in each year. If you live in a place without a tick issue, it might make more sense to go the DIY route as you can treat enough gear and clothing with a spray bottle for less than sending it in and the treatment will last for the duration of your trip if it is less than a month.
JT Eaton sells a gallon sized spray bottle on amazon for $43 which might make more sense for someone, or a group of people, who has a whole bunch of stuff to treat or are expecting to do a DIY treatment multiple times through the year.
Once you’ve applied permethrin, the best way to clean is to hand wash and air dry. If you’re going to use a washing machine, wash on the gentle wash cycle. You can do the same in the dryer but it doesn’t really have a large impact as most of the permethrin loss you’ll get is from the washer agitation.
