Online Resource for Parents |
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Head Lice continued... The real-life guide to cleaning when you have lice about the house: Work smarter, not harder!
1. Don’t stress out! Lice cannot live away from a human host for more than
24 hours or so. They are great at holding onto hair, since their life
depends on it. Healthy lice do not just fall off of someone’s head and
ramble around your home. Doing some basic vacuuming is a very good
idea, but you don’t need to panic and be really extreme about it. 2. Rather than wearing yourself out washing bedding every day you can use this simple idea: Close off a room for 24 hours or so. Have the children bunk together for a few days, alternating into rooms that have been closed up for at least a day. Obviously you’ll still want to vacuum and wash the bedding, but you can save yourself from having to do an extreme amount of work each day. 3. Don’t bother bagging up your children’s favorite toys and blankets. Lice can’t survive in those environments for long. Give your kids back their stuffed animals, and to all a good night. 4. Please do not use the chemical lice sprays that are sold for use on beds, carpets, and furniture. These products leave a toxic residue and are then an ongoing health risk for you and your children. The likelihood of live lice being on your home surfaces is quite small, and can be solved simply by vacuuming. 5. Remember: Houses don’t get lice. People do. Chemical Lice Products Can Be a Health Risk It has been surprising to me how many people are unaware that chemical lice products can be dangerous. These products are pesticides and pose real risks to the people that are treated with them, as well as the person applying the treatment. As is true of most health risks, there are some groups of people that are more likely to experience adverse side effects from the chemicals in lice shampoos. These people are: -Mothers or caregivers that are pregnant or breastfeeding -Any child under the age of 2 -All people with cancers of any type -A person who has already been treated with chemical lice shampoo during the current or past infestation -Any child whose home environment or bedding has been sprayed with chemical lice sprays -Any child suffering from or receiving treatment for epilepsy, AIDS, asthma, allergies, or any other illness -Children currently taking any type of medication -Any person regularly exposed to
chemicals such as flea bombs, monthly extermination, yard chemicals, and so
on
You can learn more about the dangers of chemical lice products at headlice.org . Author bio:
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