Head Lice In The House! What You Don't Need To Do

The thought of lice in the house is enough to send many parents over the edge. But getting rid of head lice doesn't involve cleaning your whole house from top to bottom. So relax, and keep your focus on the removal of lice from your kids' heads, not on fumigating your home. Don't Go Crazy Cleaning Your Whole House Upon getting the news that their kids have unwanted guests on their head, many parents go into a frenzy, throwing bedding in the washer, sealing stuffed toys and pillows in plastic bags for weeks, and vacuuming anything that does't run away screaming. The truth is that a head louse has to be on a human head to survive. They can't live on cats or dogs either, so don't be thinking of bathing Fluffy or Fido. They're not guilty of harboring lice. A louse is equipped with claws on its little feet that enable it to clamp onto a hair on your child's head, and hang on, no matter what happens. If for some unlikely reason it does manage to fall off, it will be dead within 24 hours. They just can't survive out in the environment, away from a head of hair. What about the nits? Lice eggs are coated with a sticky substance that glues them to the hair shaft. The chances of a nit falling off a kid's head all by itself are just about non-existent. If a hair with a nit on it should fall out and land on the couch or carpet, there's really not much to worry about. Nits are always found within a quarter-inch of the scalp, where it's nice and warm for them. An unlucky nit who is on a hair that falls out will never hatch into a louse. Why? Because it's just not warm enough out in the cold, cruel world for them to incubate. Your Focus Needs To Be On Treating Lice, Not Cleaning House If you really can't stand it, it doesn't hurt anything to run the vacuum around. In fact, vacuuming is recommended instead of using toxic sprays on the bedding, furniture and carpets. These sprays have residues which can harm your kids, and they really aren't necessary. Why take a risk if you don't have to? It's not necessary to seal stuffed toys and blankets in plastic bags either. As mentioned above, a louse can't survive off a person's head for very long. If your child has a favorite stuffed friend, you don't have to deprive him or her. Just to be safe, toss the stuffed toy in a hot dryer for ten or fifteen minutes. That will kill any stray lice for sure. Put your efforts into getting rid of lice on your kids' heads, and don't wear yourself out cleaning everything in sight.