Removing Lice Nits from Clothing

After a child has been treated with a Lice Shampoo, and had the nits properly combed out, attention must be given to the home. Removing the possibility of a re-infestation of headlice is crucial, and not very difficult. We have addressed treating bed linens in Lice Information and Remedies for the Bedroom
The same lice treatment instructions that apply to bed linens apply to clothing and outerwear. Any item of clothing that has been worn by a child in last few days prior to being diagnosed with lice or nits, could potentially contain a hair with a viable nit on it. If it was worn in the previous 24-48 hours the clothing could theoretically even contain a surviving hair louse. This includes sweaters, sweatshirts, and outerwear such as coats and jackets. When dealing with nits or head lice, it is wise to be extra cautious about items worn directly on the head – hats, scarves, baseball caps, earmuffs, etc. You do not have to fumigate your closets and drawers! Only items that have been in direct recent contact are cause for concern.
In a closet where clothing is pushed tightly up against each other, you should also treat those garments that were pressed directly against the items that we have described above. You do not need to be concerned beyond those secondary items. Remember, lice are human parasites. They need human blood to survive. Lice do not embed themselves in clothing. The only concern is a louse that came off the head within the last 24 hours, or a lice egg ("nit") on a hair, that was transferred by friction on to an adjacent item.
Any items that can tolerate it should be washed in hot water. If they cannot be washed, they should be put into the dryer for ½ hour on high heat. If neither of these is possible, these items should be bagged for 48 hours.
Tie the top of the bag with a knot or a twist-tie. In the case that there is a live lice bug on any garment, it will die within 24-48 hours because it has no access to human blood. In the case of stray hairs with nits, the fact that they are in a sealed bag is equally beneficial. Any newly hatched nymph will die right away without a human head on which to feed.
Upcoming topics:
Cleaning toys when a Child has Nits.
Hair Accessories from a Lice Infested Child.
Bathroom advice for treating Lice.
Lice or Nits and Your Car.
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