Naturally when you discover that someone in your home has headlice, the first thing you want to do is begin treatment, but it is also important to pay attention to your house as well. When someone in the household becomes infested with headlice, it is not uncommon for the rest of the family to catch it too. Headlice is extremely contagious and when people live in close proximately, these tiny insects readily pass between the house’s inhabitants.
For this reason it is extremely important that if one person in the house has headlice, that all family members be closely checked for infestation. There is a high likelihood that most if not all members of the household will have headlice.
Even when all the people in the house are treated, the problem doesn’t really end there. You also have to de-louse the house itself, and all personal belongings. Treating a headlice infestation can be a tedious task, but very important if you don’t want to be dealing continually with the problem.
The proper way to rid your home of headlice is to first, treat all those who have been infested, after treatment, have each person put on freshly laundered clothing. Buy a new comb to use after treatment; do not use a brush or comb that was being used before treatment.
If you do not want to replace all your combs and brushes, it will be necessary to let them set in boiled water for at least an hour. This includes all hair accessories as well. If it is not possible to disinfect them with boiling water, place them in a plastic back, seal it and do not use the items again for at least 2 to 3 weeks.
All bedding and clothing must be washed in hot water, and dried on a high heat setting. This will kill any lice that may be clinging to the clothing, or linen. Don’t’ forget about blankets and stuffed animals. Again, if the items cannot be washed, seal them in plastic bags for a few weeks.
It will also be necessary to vacuum all carpets, and furniture, as well as mattresses. If you would like to take extra precautionary measures, you can buy insecticide designed specifically for headlice. Spray the furniture and mattresses with the insecticide and let dry before allowing human contact.
Though these may seem like extreme measures, keep in mind that it is not uncommon for people to repeatedly become infested with headlice, due to contact after treatment with a live lice in their living environment.
There is nothing quite as irritating as treating the whole family, just to find a few weeks later that the headlice infestation has returned.