Table of Contents
- Lice on bedding is a literally itchy thing to deal with.
- However, lice live very shortly, therefore it is easy to get rid of it even if you don’t have all the recommended measures (like a dryer).
- In the article below, you’ll be introduced to the lice killing process and learn how to prevent your bedding from it.
Lice is a pretty irritating thing to deal with. But things happen! There’s nothing embarrassing about lice – people, especially children, can bring them home accidentally without even noticing.
Lice lives very shortly – it can survive only up to 48 hours off of the human head, therefore there’s no need to worry about that too much!
However, you probably have heard people saying that it’s very difficult to get rid of lice. But we are about to break that myth. In the article below we will show you some proven and effective methods how to kill lice and prevent your bedding from it.
How to Kill Lice on Bedding
First of all, lice don’t jump like fleas, they usually crawl to some nice place in your bedding, like mattress, pillow case, etc. Especially, they love wrinkled areas, therefore it is very important to keep that in mind when trying to remove them.
What you’ll need for the Cleaning Process
- Vacuum cleaner
- Garbage bags (the ones that are possible to seal)
- Dryer (if possible)
The Process of Removing Lice on Bedding
- Take away all of your bedding: blankets, sheets, pillows and pillowcases – all of them. Leave your mattress naked!
- Drop all the washable items in the washing machine: blankets, sheets, pillows, etc. If some of them are not washable in the washing machine- soak them in very hot water with a laundry detergent for a couple of hours. After that – simply hand-wash them.
- After the bedding is washed properly – it’s time to dry them up. It would be perfect to drop items in the dryer for about 45 minutes on a very high program. If the item cannot be machine-washed, nor hand-washed – drying it in the automatic dryer would actually work too. The main factor in killing lice is the heat.
- In case some of your bedding, like duvet or pillows cannot be washed at all, and you don’t have a dryer – take a few big enough garbage bags, put the bedding in it and seal those bags tightly. The next thing you need to do is to hide those bags somewhere in the garage and forget about them for at least 8-10 days to make sure the lice are dead completely.
- Time to thoroughly (very thoroughly!) vacuum clean your bedding. Start with the mattress. Once again, don’t forget to check the hidden spots – the creases and wrinkles.
- Make your bed with your clean bedding. Carefully check every piece of bedding before putting in back to bed. If you notice any lice – dead or alive – it would be better to re-wash it.
Now, after these steps, the lice should be killed completely. But in case you weren’t very careful during the process, you might need to repeat everything once again. Luckily, the majority of the job is done by electronic appliances!
How to Prevent the Bedding from the Lice
After you kill the lice on your bedding, you might want to take some preventive measures to be 100% sure that the situation won’t repeat again in the nearest future.
In this case, there are several options – you can try store-bought special sprays, or homemade sprays. Below, we will share with you with some really effective natural sprays that will help to prevent your bedding from lice. Best thing is that you can easily mix it at home!
Lice Spray with Essential Oil
Essential oils are very effective in killing lice. What’s even better – your bedding will smell awesome! To make this cleaning solution you will need:
- Spray bottle
- 2-3 cups of clean water
- About 15-20 drops of essential oil: rosemary, lavender, tea tree – anything you have or simply like more
Now, simply mix all the ingredients together and spray the solution generously on your whole bedding.
Lice Spray with Bleach
Now before you mix this solution, make sure that bleach will not damage your bedding or mattress.
To make this cleaning solution you will need:
- Spray bottle
- About 2 cups of water
- About 2 tablespoons of bleach
Now, mix everything up in a spray bottle, shake it and it will be ready to use. Again, if you are still not sure if bleach won’t damage your bedding or furniture – first test in on a less visible area and see what happens. If everything is okay and that spot didn’t become white – go ahead and continue spraying all of your bedding and mattress generously.
And that would be it! As you can see – lice can look like a nightmare, but it’s definitely not the end of the world. It only takes a little bit of your time and some knowledge to get rid of it easily and painlessly.
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