Are you interested in what a lice cleaning checklist should cover?
Having a head lice problem can be really embarrassing and highly uncomfortable. Despite its severity, the good news is that it can be dealt with by adopting simple strategies.
Head Lice Home Cleaning Checklist
Now, to clean or treat a lice problem, a wide range of areas will need to be covered. These include the living room area, hairbrushes and accessories; bathroom area, clothing, and bedrooms.
Others include the car(s), kitchen, backpacks and bags, child car seats, helmets, glasses, and headgear such as headphones. Let’s get into details of our discussion right away.
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The Living Room Area
If you have a head lice problem, chances are that they’ll be found in every area of your home including the living room.
Now, there are basic steps to take during cleaning. These include removing and drying rugs in a dryer on high heat for about 40 minutes. This is meant to kill off all hidden lice.
You can also vacuum such rugs or can be sealed in a garbage bag for about 48 hours. For carpeted floors, these should be thoroughly vacuumed. All pillows should be removed from couches and heated in the dryer (high heat) for about 40 minutes.
Some pillows may be too large for your dryer. For these, vacuum them thoroughly using a hose attachment. For couches made with cloth materials, vacuum using a hose attachment.
Those made with leather material should be wiped clean with an alcohol-based cleaner.
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Hair Brushes and Hair Accessories
These are hiding spots for lice when they aren’t on your head.
As such, you’ll need to focus your cleaning efforts on such tools and accessories. Get a trash bag and remove the hair on brushes. The bag should be sealed and discarded. Placing such a brush in hot water for at least 10 minutes will also get rid of lice.
One other effective way to clean your hairbrushes is by placing them on the top rack of a dishwasher and running a wash cycle on the “Heat Dry” setting or the “Sanitize” setting.
One other way is by making a soapy solution using dish soap or detergent and dropping or soaking your brushes in it.
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Cleaning the Bathroom Area
Once you have head lice, they are likely to be found in every area of your home including the bathroom. Cleaning this area of your home becomes necessary.
To clean, remove, and dry towels used within the last 48 hours in your dryer and leave for about 40 minutes.
This sustained high temperature should kill any lice found on such towels. All hairbrushes and accessories kept in the bathroom should be cleaned as outlined in the step above.
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Clothing
Your attention should be shifted to your clothes. However, instead of focusing on washing your entire wardrobe, only focus on dirty clothing, especially those worn or used within the last 48 hours.
Other ways to clean your clothing of lice include putting such used clothing in the dryer and running for about 40 minutes on high temperature. Such lice should hardly survive.
Another option is to seal clothing material in an airtight bag (especially nylon) and exclude for about 48 hours to suffocate and kill all lice.
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Bedroom Area
Head lice are likely to be found in your bedroom and should be cleaned or killed off.
First begin by removing all bed linens especially for the person having the lice problem. This linen(s) should be heated in a dryer for about 40 minutes.
Using a detachable hose attachment, thoroughly vacuum the mattress to pick up any lice. A sticky lint roller can also be used to role the mattress. Stuffed baby dolls and similar items should be placed in the dryer for about 40 minutes to kill off all lice.
An additional way is to get a garbage bag and place such dolls and similar items before sealing it up. This bag shouldn’t be opened for about 48 hours. This airtight bag helps suffocate the lice thereby killing them in the process.
For carpeted floors, a thorough vacuuming will be required. Rugs should be removed and heated in the dryer for about 40 minutes. Thorough vacuuming will also help remove lice from rugs. Another option is to place the rug in a garbage bag and left for 48 hours.
Pillows should be separately heated in a dryer at high temperatures for about 40 minutes. This should help in cleaning your bedroom of lice.
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Cleaning the Car(s)
For a comprehensive cleanup of lice, your car(s) will need to be covered as well. To do this, leather interiors will need to be wiped down with sanitary wipes. For cars with cloth interiors, a different approach is taken. These should be lint rolled or vacuumed.
All seats including the headrests and door sides should be covered to ensure every louse is picked up. You might want to do this more than once for a more thorough clean.
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Kitchen Area
Kitchen chairs having cloth material should be vacuumed using a hose attachment.
Sticky lint rollers can also be used to remove lice from such furniture. However, not all kitchen chairs have cloth materials. Others come with leather materials.
For these, a different approach is taken. Wipe down using alcohol-based cleaners. It helps get rid of lice in no time.
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Backpacks and Bags
Some backpacks are small enough to go through dryers.
For these, empty such bags and place them under high heat for about 40 minutes in the dryer. This should help kill off all lice. You can also place the backpack in an airtight garbage bag and leave for 48 hours to suffocate lice.
For larger backpacks that cannot go through the dryer, a different approach should be taken. Wipe or clean the exterior and interior of such bags using an alcohol-based cleaner.
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Child Car Seat
This can be done while also cleaning the interior of cars. Child car seats should be lint-rolled or vacuumed using a hose attachment. All crevices and corners should be covered to ensure all lice are picked up.
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Helmets, Glasses, and Headgear
All helmets, including those for bicycles and motorcycles should be placed in an airtight garbage bag and left for about 48 hours to suffocate lice. These can also be wiped using an alcohol-based cleaner. For glasses, wipe the frames and glass area using an alcohol-based cleaner.
Headgear can be wiped with a suitable alcohol-based cleaner or kept in an airtight garbage bag for about 48 hours.
There you have it! These are ways to cleaning for lice around the home. This checklist consists of simple tasks that help keep your home free of all lice problems.
