Wash any lice-infested item in hot water that is at least 130°F (54°C), put it in a hot dryer for 15 minutes or more, or placing the item in an air-tight plastic bag and leaving it for two weeks to kill the lice and any nits. You can also vacuum floors and furniture where lice may have fallen.
Nix out lice. From the #1 pediatrician-recommended lice removal brand*, Nix Lice & Bed Bug Killing Spray for Home will kill lice and bed bugs and is effective for up to 4 weeks. It's easy to use – simply spray on affected areas such as bedding and furniture.
According to the CDC, exposure to hot water with a temperature above 53.5°C (128.3°F) for 5 minutes or more. The high heat will get rid of the lice and their eggs.
Homemade Lice Spray for Furniture
Research has shown tea tree oil can be effective in killing lice. According to a study in 2012, a 1% tea tree oil mixture will kill lice in 30 minutes.
Wash items on a hot water cycle and dry on high heat for at least twenty minutes. The heated wash and dry will remove and kill any lice left. Carpets, mattresses, and flooring can simply be vacuumed and cleaned with everyday cleaning products.
Furniture, carpets, and toys
Toss pillows and mattress pads in the washing machine, and use the hand tools on your vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean mattresses, furniture, and car seats. Take special care to vacuum carpets in play areas and around beds.
Head lice are human parasites and require human blood to survive. They are not environmental pests so pesticide sprays for furniture and bedding are unnecessary.
Adult lice can't live longer than 24 hours or so on nonhuman surfaces like carpets, hardwood floors, clothing, furniture, sports helmets, headphones, or hair accessories. However, if you have identified lice in your home, isolate and wash those items and areas within at least 72 hours.
While vinegar does not help in suffocating adult lice, it does prevent the nits (eggs) from latching on to the hair strands. Combined with careful combing, using the fine metal comb, it's an excellent and simple method for removing the nits.
Benzyl alcohol lotion, 5% has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice and is considered safe and effective when used as directed. It kills lice but it is not ovicidal. A second treatment is needed 7 days after the first treatment to kill any newly hatched lice before they can produce new eggs.
Tea tree oil appears to be able to kill some live lice (at least when used in conjunction with lavender oil), however we know that over-the-counter lice treatments are far more effective at killing live lice and getting rid of the eggs once an infestation has occurred.
There is no need for special chemicals or detergents to kill the lice. You don't need any unusual equipment or special training. The primary weapon against these bugs is… heat.
They found vinegar was actually the least effective treatment method for getting rid of lice or suppressing the hatching of nits. Vinegar wasn't the only home remedy that didn't do well. No home treatment prevented lice from laying eggs. Even with prolonged exposure, most home remedies were unable to kill nits.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
You can use tea tree oil as a spray or mix it with coconut oil. The combination of olive and tea tree oils nourishes the scalp and reduces head lice. Lavender oil, vodka, or rubbing alcohol mixed with tea tree oil work best for head lice.
KILL LICE: OIL AND VINEGAR MIXTURE
Mix together one cup oil and one cup white vinegar. 2. Pour mixture onto the hair and scalp.
Hairspray makes it harder for the louse to grab hold. The smell of hairspray and the use of solvents (sad but true) in them can also deter creepy crawlies from finding their way in. Not to mention that if you're tying longer hair back, you've got a double whammy.
Remove and wash all bedding in hot water, then dry on high for 20-30 minutes. If your pillows or sheets are not machine washable, seal them in a large plastic bag and leave them for 7-10 days to make sure all lice and nits have died.
Just like with mattresses, lice can only live on any bedding—whether it's sheets, pillows, or comforters—for 1-2 days. Without a human scalp as a source for food (blood) for longer than 1-2 days, lice cannot survive.
Kills lice by contact. For use on bedding, furniture, and other inanimate objects infested with lice. Citrus fragrance. Non-staining (Non-staining on water-safe fabrics and surfaces.
PESTICIDE SPRAYS DO LITTLE OR NOTHING TO CONTROL LICE.
NEVER treat your home, car, furniture, beds, pillows or clothing with pesticides (e.g., 'lice bombs,' flea bombs, sprays, etc.) in an attempt to control head lice.
As head lice can live on pillows, you'll need to clean them. Adult lice can only survive for two days without a host. However, they can still lay eggs. If the infected person has had a lice treatment and then picks up stray lice from their pillow, the lice infestation cycle can start all over again.
To remove nits after treating for lice, work a small amount of fabric softener into the patient's hair and scalp, cover with a plastic shower cap for 20 minutes, and then comb out.