Any chairs or couches that could have eggs or head lice should be scrubbed with warm wet cloths. If the surface is hard or leather, we recommend a cleaner such as bleach or Lysol that will not damage the furniture. However, hot water and soap with a little bit of elbow grease should do the trick.
Wash items on a hot water cycle and dry on high heat for at least twenty minutes. The heated wash and dry will remove and kill any lice left. Carpets, mattresses, and flooring can simply be vacuumed and cleaned with everyday cleaning products.
Items that can't be washed or dried should be sealed in a plastic bag and stored in a warm area for two weeks. Mattresses, couches and other upholstered furniture items should be hot ironed or sprayed with lice-killing products to eliminate eggs from seams.
It's rare for head lice infestations to spread through the common use of furniture or carpets, but it's a good idea to do some post-infestation housework. Toss pillows and mattress pads in the washing machine, and use the hand tools on your vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean mattresses, furniture, and car seats.
Routine vacuuming of floors and furniture is sufficient to remove lice or nits that may have fallen off the head of an infested person.
The risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1–2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the scalp.
Soak water-proof and heat-proof items in a pot of boiling hot water for 5 minutes; the high heat will kill adult lice quickly. Your dishwasher should also get hot enough to kill bugs and eggs on hair accessories and your lice comb.
Benzyl alcohol (Ulesfia). This lotion kills active lice, not eggs. It can treat head lice in children ages 6 months and older, and it's safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Comb the hair first, shampoo the product into dry hair, and let it sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing.
Simply washing the items in hot water and drying them at a high temperature should get rid of the critters. The head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is easily killed by temperatures above 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and the typical residential hot water temperature is about 130 degrees.
Washing Procedure
There is no need for special chemicals or detergents to kill the lice. You don't need any unusual equipment or special training. The primary weapon against these bugs is… heat.
Disinfectants are known for killing germs and bacteria. However, they are not an effective or safe treatment when it comes to killing lice and nits.
But you might be wondering, “does tea tree oil kill lice?” And the answer is: not alone. Tea tree oil is a must-have ingredient for lice prevention, but it's not a remedy that could kill them off since it's not a chemical or pesticide.
Use hot water (130°F) cycle paired with a high heat drying cycle. This process will dehydrate and kill any potential surviving lice and lice eggs.
Can vinegar kill lice eggs? Vinegar is one of the classic home remedies for lice. However, if you are trying to find out how to get rid of nits using vinegar, you should know that using vinegar to kill nits or lice eggs is totally ineffective. Vinegar has no negative effect on the lice eggs.
Lice and nits can live on pillows and sheets. Lice glue their eggs to the hair strands of their host. However, if a piece of hair with an egg falls out while the lice host is sleeping, an egg could end up on pillows or sheets.
Heat Method:
There are recent studies that show that treatment of lice with heat can be quite effective in killing head lice. Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice.
Either washing done with a water temperature of at least 50 degrees C or drying is necessary to kill head lice and nits.
As with furniture and carpets, adult lice typically live for around 2 days on pillows and sheets without human contact. Nits will not hatch and will die within a week. People should machine wash any pillows or sheets someone with lice has used in hot water of more than 130°F (54.4°C) .
Throw pillow cases, armrest covers, stuffed toys, and throws can usually be removed from furniture and laundered. Drying them on high heat for 20 minutes kills nits and bugs. But heat may also damage them, and it's also effective to set them aside and not touch them for a day.
KILL LICE: OIL AND VINEGAR MIXTURE
Mix together one cup oil and one cup white vinegar. 2. Pour mixture onto the hair and scalp.
Do not use a conditioner. It can keep the lice medicine from working. Rinse well with warm water and towel dry. Do not use the towel again until it has been laundered.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Spinosad (Natroba).
Spinosad is approved for adults and children age 6 months and older. It can be applied to dry hair and rinsed with warm water after 10 minutes. It kills lice and nits and usually doesn't need repeated treatment.
Lice die within 3 days at room temperature if they fall off a person into most areas of the environment. However, they can live in the seams of clothing for up to 1 month. You can get body lice if you come in direct contact with someone who has lice. You can also get lice from infected clothing, towels, or bedding.