It isn't hard to do. Watch my video and you can see how easy it is.
There are two ways to tick-proof things, one is to soak in a 1/2% permethrin solution, the other way is to spray things with a 1/2% permethrin spray.
Soaking seems to be going out of style. Sawyer's used to make a "Military Style" permethrin soaking kit. It seems to be discontinued.
Meanwhile, Sawyer's and other companies make sprays which you can apply to your clothes, tents or anything cloth. It's easier than going through the whole soaking routine anyway! If you’re interested in soaking, you can download instructions for mixing up 1/2% permethrin from concentrate here.
It's not just for clothes! You can spray bedding, furniture, car seats…even your camping tent! Essentially it gets locked into the cloth fibers and stays effective for 6 weeks or 6 washings. But there’s no use spraying smooth plastic…the liquid will run off.
The Sawyer’s 1/2% permethrin spray for tick-proofing clothing, tents or whatever gets rave reviews (2,700 reviews, 85% 4 or 5 stars).
I have used Sawyer products and they just work. I spend a lot of time in Wisconsin which is prime tick and lyme disease territory. Since I started treating my clothes with Sawyer’s I haven’t found a single tick on me.
The Sawyer’s spray bottle holds 24 ounces for around $16 (or two 24 oz bottles for $30) which comes to around 67 cents an ounce.
The J.T. Eaton spray is $13 for 32 ounces or $35 for a gallon (128 oz. So the quart spray bottle is around 41 cents an oz and the gallon spray bottle is only 28 cents an ounce. The J.T. Eaton products get 83% 4 or 5 star reviews.
I have used the J.T. Eaton spray and it seems to be basically the same as the Sawyer’s spray, and some reviewers say they like it better.
There may be a small amount of petroleum distillates in these sprays to help them stick to cloth better. That means you should stay it outdoors and hang dry things outdoors.
Also, sunlight degrades (breaks down) permethrin, so do this in the shade, if possible.
2019-10-06
Sawyer’s Military Style soaking kit is apparently discontinued