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General health

Question - Headlice, bedding and towels

18 replies

YeahBut · 14/09/2005 12:52

A quick question from a family that has just lost its headlice virginity! I've started treating the family and changed out all the bedding and towels. I'm washing all the pillows and cushions too. How often do I have to change sheets and towels while I am treating everyone?

OP posts:

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frannyf · 14/09/2005 12:57

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cutekids · 14/09/2005 13:00

I'm no expert, but I was told by a doctor that they didn't live in bedlinen/towels etc. He even told me not to treat them....i'm going to get hammered for saying that!....as he didn't believe in putting "insecticide" on a child's head!!!! However, I fully understand what you are thinking. If I were you, maybe just keep your bedlinen etc. as clean as you normally do and just treat their heads as instructed. They will eventually die-off!

Marina · 14/09/2005 13:10

I am pretty sure you don't need to do anything special with your linen other than wash it/change as per usual YeahBut.
Lice only move from head to head and cannot survive for more than very short time off a human scalp.
(Gross-out alert): I guess it is possible there might be some nit-related junk on a pillow after treatment but that would be a yuk-factor issue, not a contagion one. I know you can't catch other people's lice off towels, just off them

Listmaker · 14/09/2005 13:23

We've had headlice lots of times now and I've never bothered doing anything extra with bedding or towels and we get rid of them (eventually!). My biggest recommend is the nitty gritty nit comb - it's fantastic - gets the eggs off. I just use that and conditioner. My two dds were BADLY infested and by the end of the week nearly all gone - just checking every two days for any eggs I missed that hatch now. And they only let me comb for about 10 mins at a time.

Lonelymum · 14/09/2005 13:30

When our family had head lice, it never occurred to me to do anything different with the bedlinen and towels etc and we managed to get rid of them in a couple of weeks. I don't thik the lice can live without contat with human skin.

clary · 14/09/2005 13:45

yeah others are right, they don?t live outside the head so normal changes of beds and towels are fine.
Now thread worms, that?s another matter (and one I know all about (sigh)
It is a good idea for each member of family to have their own towel anyway (I know you probably all do, but a colleague was amazed and impressed when I recommended this to her!)

Xena · 14/09/2005 13:48

Listmaker where did you get that comb from? I don't think the prongs are close enough together on our one.

Carla · 14/09/2005 14:00

Xena, it's £10 ....... but you can get it on prescription.

I don't remember bedlinen being an issue, other than it being covered in tiny specks of blood - obviously ones dd had managed to squash in her sleep >

I'd just like to know how you can have six weeks off school/nursery, and then find another child has infected yours. What were those parents doing all summer?

Lonelymum · 14/09/2005 14:01

Carla, I hate to tell you but those specks you see on your pillow when you have headlice are not blood but lice excrement (poo!)

Carla · 14/09/2005 14:09

LM ........

bundle · 14/09/2005 14:11

lonelymum is right, tis poo

Listmaker · 14/09/2005 14:15

OK here goes with my first ever link............here .

Xena · 14/09/2005 14:18

Thanks.
Urghhh I didn't know about the poo!

bonym · 14/09/2005 14:40

I actually have seen live lice crawling on the bedding so I always change it after treating. They can live for about 24 hrs I think off the head.

YeahBut · 14/09/2005 15:44

Thank you all for your advice. It's stuff like this that they don't mention in the leaflets. Apparently it is rife throughout the area, not just the school at the moment. The pharmacist blames the warmer weather - no idea if this has any basis in fact! At our school of the 4 nursery classes, three have had headlice reported and of the 13 junior school classes, five have already got cases. They've not even been back a fortnight yet!!
Have always been a religious nit-comb checker of hair just in case, but am amazed by how many mums in the playground think that you can tell just by looking at their children's hair whether they have headlice or not!

OP posts:

fimac1 · 14/09/2005 16:13

I was recommended to change bedding, pj's and towels daily as they lay their eggs anywhere they can, this eventually breaks the cycle. Wash everything on their bed on a hot wash, (toys etc) seal anything that can't be washed in plastic bag for two weeks. Tea tree shampoo and conditioner is good as they don't like the scent apparently - use afterwards to help keep nit free

clary · 14/09/2005 16:20

heck fimac, change bedding daily??!!
I read thsi advice when we had worms but tbh it was impossible. jamas yes, hoover daily maybe.

fimac1 · 14/09/2005 17:15

Ohh maybe it was worms but the bit about putting stuff in bags that cannot be washed (hats, toys etc) was def. nits.

Would suggest pillow case and pj top daily at least [all bedding should go on really hot wash, obviously)

Worked for us and we use Tea tree regime occasionally to keep clear - not had them since touch wood

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