How to Clean Your Home to Prevent Head Lice
Infestations of pediculus humanus capitis, more commonly known as head lice, affect more than twelve million people every year. While they do not pose a health threat, they are a pestilence that can make life miserable for anyone who contracts them. Because they can only be spread through direct head-to-head contact with a contaminated person, or with clothing or accoutrements that have been in contact with the hair or scalp of someone with head lice, there are several steps that should be taken to prevent their spread.
Before you begin a massive fumigation campaign, though, bear in mind that head lice are exclusively human parasites and they cannot live on nor be spread by pets, so your family animals are safe. In addition, because head lice cannot survive for more than a day or two without a host, there is no need to use chemical pesticides to eradicate them from your dwelling.
Step-by-step cleaning procedure to eliminate head lice
Eradicating head lice is a painstaking process, and some steps (such as washing bed linens and clothing) may need to be performed on a daily basis.
- All personal items that have been in contact with the hair or scalp of the host head need to be gathered and isolated from the rest of your belongings These include brushes, combs, hats, clips, helmets, bed linens, clothing, and even stuffed animals and headsets.
- Hair care items need to be soaked for at least fifteen minutes in hot water that is at least 130°F. If possible, submerge them in boiling, or near boiling, water for this time.
- All bedding and clothing must be laundered in water that is at least 130°F (you may need to adjust the thermostat on your water heater). Once the wash cycle is completed, dry them in the dryer for at least thirty minutes on the hottest setting. If the clothing is labeled dry clean only, follow the instructions and inform your dry cleaner that the items may be infested with head lice.
- Items that cannot be soaked in hot water, head lice and their eggs can be killed by sealing these objects in plastic bags and placing them in the freezer for at least twelve hours (twenty-four hours is even better).
- Because head lice cannot survive for more than a couple of days without a host, place items that cannot be washed or dried or set in the freezer in tightly sealed plastic bags and isolate them for ten days to two weeks.
- Thoroughly vacuum all furniture, especially the arms and headrests, to remove lice eggshells and hair with attached nits (nits are the eggs of lice). Be sure to vacuum car seats, mattresses, and other areas where a head contact. Use the highest quality HEPA filters available.
- Finally, be sure to check everybody’s head every few days (or at least once a week) to make sure the lice have been eradicated.
When a family member is diagnosed with head lice, it is important to conduct a thorough cleaning of goods that can may have come in contact with his or her hair. Though a chore, performing your due diligence will keep lice from spreading and will make life more comfortable for everyone in your household.