Home Treatment After a Lice Outbreak

Head Lice Home Treatment is as Important as Head Treatment

There's no doubt that it's vitally important to remove every adult and egg louse on your child's head. But, it's equally important to make sure that they're removed from your home, too. Following are tips that can be followed at home to help remove lice from your environment. Lice can survive up to 26 hours off the head. Lice eggs, or nits, do not hatch off the head except in extremely rare conditions.

Treating head lice with heat

The first line of defense is to wash linens, pillowcases, hats and clothes in very hot water that is at least 150F/66C for no less than 10 minutes. This is usually accomplished by washing these items in hot water and drying with high heat.

Isolation for non-washable items

There are many items that are not machine washable, but must also be treated. Again, isolation is the best method for dealing with these items, including stuffed animals, pillows, helmets or headphones. You should expect these items to be out of commission for up to 3 days. Items can also be placed in the dryer for 30 minutes.

Vacuuming the rest up

You can vacuum any surface that cannot be wiped down or washed. After vacuuming the couch, you may place a sheet on it for laundering at the end of the day. If there are items you cannot wash you can bag them or put them in a room that you don't use for a few days to starve them. Removing their food source is a good way to prevent lice reinfestation. Steam cleaning is not necessary.

What do I do with brushes?

Boil for 20 minutes, soak in rubbing alcohol, or put in a sealed bag for 2 weeks. Label all brushes so they are not shared. Do not share beds, pillows, or hats.

What do I do with hair accessories?

They can be boiled, soaked in rubbing alcohol for 20 minutes, or put in a sealed bag for 2 weeks, which gives the bugs time to die, and the eggs time to hatch and then die.