How to Get Rid of Head Lice From Pillows
Head lice live only on blood drawn from the scalp. For that reason, lice that have become dislodged from the scalp or hair have a relatively short life expectancy. Nevertheless, lice do survive on a variety of surfaces long enough to find a new host or to re-infest an old one.
If you find yourself dealing with lice, turn your attention first toward treating the head and scalp, but do not overlook simple measures to eliminate lice and nits from any surface that may touch your head. One of these surfaces is your bed pillow.
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Instructions
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Treating your Pillows
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1
Vacuum your pillow case, pillow, sheets, mattress, and blanket or other bed covering using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. There is no need to introduce chemicals into the vacuum bag and thus into your household air. The lice that have been removed this way will die quickly.
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2
Launder everything that is washable, including pillows, using ordinary detergent and setting your water temperature to hot. Heat kills lice. Bleach only if you do so ordinarily.
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3
Dry pillows and other bedding on the "high" or "hot" setting of your dryer. If you believe that your pillows are not washable, still place them in the dryer for at least a half hour. The heat will kill any remaining lice or nits.
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4
Seal your pillows in a plastic bag, using a twist tie for 24 hours in order to insure that no remaining lice or nits can survive.
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5
Repeat this process daily until all signs of lice infestation on the scalp have disappeared.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that the focus of your attack on lice must be the hair and scalp. Treating bedding, furnishings, combs, and brushes should continue until a few days after you have verified that treatments of the scalp and hair have succeeded in eradicating the infestation.
There are chemical products on the market for the elimination of lice and nits on bedding. These products contain insecticides and may be dangerous, especially to young children and pregnant women. Diligent cleaning and heat-treating of bedding should eliminate the need for chemical treatments.
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Comments
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shigawirereel
Nov 22, 2009
You don't need to do any of this. Lice don't infest places or furniture or rugs because if they did, they would die within 24 hours. They might unintentionally end up on a comb or hairbrush or collar, so don't share those, but you gain nothing by washing everything. Tossing your stuff in the laundry basket is just as effective as washing it; the lice are going to die either way. Plastic bag is totally unnecessary.
