How To Get Rid Of Head Lice Living On Pillows And Sheets

What Are Head Lice?

Head lice are tiny insects that live in the hair and survive by ingesting blood from the scalp. Since they are wingless, lice cannot fly or hop to infect others. They can crawl and spread only when combs, hats, or other accessories are shared between an infected and non-infected person.

Let us now explore whether these insects can survive on your pillows and sheets.

Can Head Lice Live On Pillows?

Yes. But it is not likely for head lice to live in bedding for very long. As lice need scalp blood and warmth to stay alive, they do not survive long on any non-living surface like pillows and beddings for more than 24 hours (1).

Head lice may crawl from one persons head to another through hair-to-hair contact or sharing combs, towels, and hats.

Although it is a relief that bedding and pillows cannot spread head lice, they still need to be cleaned. The following section lists some useful tips to get rid of lice on your bed.

How To Get Rid Of Lice On Bedding

The most common way to clean your bedding is to leave it for a day. The insects will die on their own without food and warmth. Here’s what you need to do to get rid of head lice on your pillows and mattresses:

1. Strip all the bed items – pillow covers, bed linens, and blankets.
2. Machine wash the linens with hot water. Even a hot clothes dryer can disinfect your beddings and pillows.
3. Isolate the things that cannot be washed in plastic bags for at least a week.
4. Lay the infested items under sunlight for a few days.
5. Vacuum over the bedding to get rid of any leftover lice.

Pro Tip

To get completely rid of lice from your bedding, wash it in hot water at more than 54℃ for about 5 minutes and run it through the dryer.

If you feel treating lice on pillows and bedding with hot water or a hot dryer is not enough to kill the pests completely, try these methods instead.

What To Do If You Are Still Worried About Lice

1. Eliminate Lice From The Source

To stop the recurrence of lice infestation on your bedding, remove them from the source your head. You can try over-the-counter medicated creams, oils, and shampoos to remove lice from your hair. Use a nit comb while brushing your hair to eliminate any dead lice and nits. If these head lice treatments do not work, consult a dermatologist for a better solution.

A mother and a blogger describe her experience of how she managed lice infestation. She discusses her home treatment steps that worked to get rid of traces of lice. She states, “I wore a headlamp so I could see close to the scalp as I did this, kept a water spray bottle close to keep hair wet as I went, used clips to keep sections of hair separated, and had a comb as my guide to move hair about and closely inspect the scalp (i).”

2. Homemade Bedding Sprays

If you feel that thoroughly cleaning the beddings or vacuuming is not enough to get rid of the lice, you can try a few lice bedding sprays to be safe. Here are two recipes that can help:

(a) DIY Bleach Lice Spray

You Will Need

• 1 tablespoon of bleach
• 1 cup of water
• Spray bottle

Directions

1. Mix the bleach and water in the spray bottle.
2. Spray this solution on your bedding, blankets, and pillow covers.
3. Wait until the solution dries and wash the bedding in hot water.

(b) DIY Tea Tree Oil Spray

If you do not want to use bleach due to its corrosive nature and strong smell, add tea tree oil to your spray.

You Will Need

• 10 drops of tea tree oil
• 1 cup of water
• Spray bottle

Directions

1. Mix the tea tree oil and water in the spray bottle.
2. Spray this solution generously over your bedding.
3. Let it dry and wash or vacuum the bedding.

Although you can get rid of head lice infestations painlessly, the best thing is to act before getting infected. If you have been in close contact with an infected person, take the steps mentioned below to prevent getting infected yourself.

Steps You Can Take To Prevent Lice Infestation

1. Avoid head contact, i.e., do not bump your head into an infected person.
2. Do not use the same brushes, hats, towels, or other hair accessories as the infected person.
3. Wash all your hair accessories in hot water to prevent the spread of lice. The CDC recommends a water temperature of at least 130°F to kill lice (2).

Pro Tip

To prevent lice infestation, use a vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean mattresses, pillows, and furniture, especially in areas where the infected individual might have rested their head.

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to wash sheets every day with lice?

Yes. Wash the sheets daily until you are sure you are lice-free.

Can lice live on couches?

No, just as with the pillowcases and bedding, lice cannot live on couches for more than 24-48 hours as they need blood to survive.

How long does it take to realize you have lice?

It may take 1-2 weeks to realize you have lice. Although lice make the scalp itchy, it can be mistaken for other scalp issues.

What smell do lice hate?

There is currently no scientific evidence that can suggest or help determine if lice hate a specific smell. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus may help repel lice but aren’t strong enough to kill them.

Is mayonnaise effective for treating head lice?

Mayonnaise is a popular home remedy used to treat head lice. Research suggests that using a combination of mayonnaise and hair shampoo may help get rid of head lice in 8 days as the heavy coating may block lice growth (3). However, more research is needed to further understand the effect of using mayonnaise to treat head lice.

(i) Head Lice Advice
https://realisticidealist.blogspot.com/2013/09/head-lice-advice.html

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Tiffany YoungCertified Trichology Practitioner

     

Tiffany Young is the CEO and founder of ThinHairThick and a certified trichology practitioner with 6 years of experience. She is also a recognized expert in the hair and beauty industry with celebrity clientele. Her own personal struggles with hair loss created an opportunity for her to deep-dive into learning all things related to medical conditions and external factors that...more

Arshiya SyedaSenior Editor

 

Arshiya Syeda is a senior editor at StyleCraze with 7 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer and combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care. She holds a bachelor's degree in literature and psychology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post-graduate diploma in psychological...more

Anjali SayeeAssociate Editor

Anjali is an associate editor at StyleCraze. She specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. She has 7 years of experience, and her philosophy about hair and skin care is simple: if you love and care for it, it will be healthy. She has taken it upon herself to show...more

Swathi ESenior Beauty & Lifestyle Writer

Swathi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from The English And Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and over two years of experience in writing on health and lifestyle. She also has a diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kottayam, and is a certified skincare coach. She writes on skin care and aims to present well-researched...more