5 Best Tick Sprays for Yard (2024) (Safe for Pets and Dogs)

Ticks pose a danger to people and pets. These parasitic arachnids can infect their hosts with Lyme disease, which can lead to significant health problems if left untreated.

Bathing your dog regularly and administering anti-tick medications might not be enough to protect your pup from ticks. Fortunately, using a tick spray on your yard can keep ticks away from your property and prevent bites.

What is the best tick spray for your yard (that’s safe for pets)? 

While many products are available, some are more effective and non-toxic than others. This article will introduce some of the best tick sprays for yards to help you make an informed and quick decision.

Factors To Consider When Choosing Tick Sprays

Before you purchase tick sprays for your yard, it’s crucial to take a moment to consider a few key qualities. Doing so can ensure that you select a safe spray for pets that is effective and suitably for the size of your yard.

Some of the essential factors to consider include:

• Toxicity
• Ease of application
• Yard size

Let’s quickly touch on these factors to help you choose the best possible tick spray for your yard.

Toxicity

The first aspect to focus on when choosing a tick spray that’s safe for pets is toxicity. Most standard insecticides and pesticides contain chemicals like permethrin that are poisonous to dogs and cats, especially when consumed. 

Selecting tick sprays designed with pet safety in mind is the best way to avoid accidental poisoning. Fortunately, several pet-safe yard sprays are available. But, the lack of long-lasting chemicals can affect the longevity of certain sprays.

Ease of Application

Choosing a tick spray that’s easy to apply to your yard is also essential. Products that require specific measuring, pouring, or additional purchases (such as spray tanks) can be time-consuming and risky.

Fortunately, many pet-safe tick sprays for yards come in containers with built-in spray nozzles, eliminating the need for time-intensive preparation and extra equipment. 

These convenient sprays might not be the best choice if you’re attempting to treat a large outdoor area. Tick sprays with built-in nozzles are often designed for small or medium-sized yards. 

In this case, purchasing a larger container of tick-repelling liquid and a simple pump sprayer might be the more affordable and effective solution.

Yard Size

Do you know the square footage of your yard? If not, selecting an appropriately-sized container of tick spray can be challenging.

Before purchasing a spray, measure your yard’s width and depth with a measuring tape, yardstick, or laser tape measure. After discovering the basic dimensions of your yard space, you can calculate the area using a square footage calculator.

5 Best Tick Sprays for Yard (Safe for Pets)

Now that I’ve reviewed the factors to consider when selecting a tick spray for the yard (that’s safe for pets), let’s explore some top-notch products.

1. Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray

Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray is one of the most popular and effective pet-safe tick sprays for yards. It consists of more than 12% cedarwood oil, while other products might contain less than 1%. 

This oil is one of the most potent all-natural insect repellents. Its additional active ingredients (sesame oil and sodium lauryl sulfate) suffocate ticks on contact, killing them almost instantly.

To use Wondercide Flea & Tick Spray, you’ll need to attach your garden hose to the container, turn on the water supply, then twist the spray nozzle to the ‘ON’ position. After that, you can cover up to 5,000 square feet, keeping your yard tick-free for up to 45 days.

2. Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Yard and Kennel Spray

Many pet-safe tick sprays contain cedarwood oil. Unfortunately, direct contact with cedarwood oil can cause an allergic reaction. If you tend to walk around your yard barefoot, it might be wise to choose a spray that doesn’t contain cedarwood oil, like Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Yard and Kennel Spray.

This pest-killing liquid is one of the few non-toxic options lacking strong-smelling cedarwood oil. Instead, it uses peppermint and clove oils (plus sodium lauryl sulfate) to kill and repel ticks and fleas.

Much like our previous pick, applying this spray is as simple as connecting your garden hose to the container, twisting the spout to the ‘ON’ position, and aiming. Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Yard and Kennel Spray can cover up to 5,000 square feet.

3. Eco Defense Flea & Tick Control

Some pet-safe tick sprays for yards utilize only one or two natural oils, but Eco Defense Flea & Tick Control contains four potent plant-based oils:

• Cedarwood oil
• Cinnamon oil
• Clove oil
• Peppermint oil

Though you might need to apply this liquid spray (which covers up to 5,000 square feet) twice during the first 10 days of use, you can wait up to 45 days between applications after ridding your yard of ticks and fleas. 

This solution kills insect eggs, larvae, and adults on contact, helping prevent further infestations. It also leaves a pleasant herbal scent, making your outdoor areas smell great.

4. Wondercide Outdoor Pest Control

The average backyard in the United States is approximately 6,000 square feet. Most non-toxic tick sprays cover about 5,000 square feet, making them suitable choices for the average yard.

But, larger yards can be difficult to treat when using most pet-safe tick sprays. Fortunately, a 16-ounce bottle of Wondercide Outdoor Pest Control covers up to 10,000 square feet of yard space, and you can purchase 32-ounce or one-gallon versions to treat even larger properties. 

This permethrin-free spray kills and repels ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas for up to 45 days, and its primary active ingredient is cedarwood.

While you will need a pump sprayer to apply this tick spray, handheld and rolling pump sprayers typically cost between $30 and $250, so you can select an option that suits your budget.

5. TropiClean Natural Flea & Tick Yard Spray

Though TropiClean Natural Flea & Tick Yard Spray contains clove, cedarwood, and cinnamon oil, its primary active ingredient is lemongrass oil. These ingredients make it a top-notch option for homeowners who live in areas prone to flea and mosquito infestations.

Using this spray is simple, as you’ll only need to connect your garden hose to the container, switch the spray nozzle to the ‘ON’ position, and get to work. 

While this product doesn’t list an approximate coverage area, many users have covered up to 5,000 square feet with a single container.

Additional Ways to Keep Ticks Away From Your Yard

Though tick spray for your yard is an excellent way to kill and repel these blood-sucking arachnids, it’s not the only way to discourage ticks from entering your yard. For maximum tick prevention, you might want to:

• Plant vegetation that repels ticks.
• Remove debris in your yard.
• Place a dry material around the border of your yard.

Let’s briefly touch on each of these options to discover how they work and help you decide which might be the best option (or options) for your property.

Make a Plant Border That Repels Ticks

Adding plants to your yard is a wonderful way to decrease soil erosion, reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, and add a touch of beauty to your yard. Some plants can also repel ticks, acting as a tick-deterring border around your property.

Some of the most effective tick-repelling plants include:

• Eucalyptus
• Mint
• Rosemary
• Sage

These plants produce strongly scented oils that ticks abhor. 

Remember, maintaining a border garden full of pungent-smelling plants is far easier than removing ticks from your pup. 

Remove Yard Debris

Removing yard debris (fallen leaves, dead twigs, and gardening tools) can also help make your lawn unsuitable for ticks. These items can collect water and act as sources of shade, attracting blood-sucking ticks and mosquitoes.  

If possible, try to make a weekly habit of doing a quick yard clean-up, removing any items that might harbor unwanted insects.

Put Down a Dry Property Border

You can lay a dry barrier of gravel at the perimeter of your yard to keep ticks away. Because ticks need moist environments to thrive, they can infest moist garden soil. Limiting their access to this resource is key.

Gravel tends to be a better border material than mulch because it drains quickly. However, gravel is often pricier than wood mulch. Cedarwood mulch might be the better choice if you have a large backyard with a sizeable perimeter. 

Fortunately, the natural oils in cedarwood act as a desiccant and general insect repellent, killing ticks unfortunate enough to come into contact with them.

Final Thoughts

Preventing tick bites starts with tick-proofing your yard. Investing in a high-quality tick spray for the yard (that’s non-toxic to pets) is an excellent way to prevent your dog from developing itchy scabs and symptoms of Lyme disease.

Adjustments to your yard can also help keep ticks at bay. For example, planting vegetation with a pungent smell—like garlic and mint—can help repel ticks. Removing yard debris can help prevent ticks from entering your yard, as ticks like to hide among fallen leaves and tree limbs.