Treatment of bed linen and underwear for pediculosis: rules and methods

No one is safe from the appearance of lice and nits. Pediculosis has long ceased to be considered a disease of poor people. Quite prosperous families may face this problem. Children visiting public places are especially at risk. There are many different methods in the fight against lice and nits. But there will be no effect from the treatment if the house and things are not treated in a timely manner.

The consequences of head lice can be unpleasant and serious.

Pyrethrum

Pyrethrum powder is made from Dalmatian, Persian or Caucasian chamomile.
Its active substances, pyrethrins, paralyze the muscles of lice, causing death. The product is safe for children, adults and pets. The powder is scattered in the habitats of parasites. You can dissolve it in a small amount of water and wet clean the house, treat cabinets, beds, and the floor under the carpet. Procedures with pyrethrum should be carried out with gloves and a mask. The product should not be used if any family members are allergic to pollen.

The disadvantage of pyrethrum is that it cannot cope with large insect populations. Its effectiveness decreases in light.

Ways to combat parasites in an apartment

Treatment of an apartment for pediculosis Treatment of housing involves a number of activities:

The apartment needs to be thoroughly cleaned. A solution containing chlorine, vinegar, and ammonia is added to the water. Lice cannot tolerate strong odors; they try to hide further; in strong concentrations they can die from asphyxia.
Treating items against lice requires special attention. Insects do not tolerate high temperatures, cold, or insecticides. Things after lice and nits are treated using one of these methods.
Rags are thrown into the wash. The water temperature must be at least 60 degrees Celsius. Large items that cannot be washed are taken out into the cold in winter. Lice and nits die and die at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. Or they take it to the dry cleaner.

Methylacetophos

Methialacetophos is a liquid organophosphorus insecticide. The product is toxic to humans, but effectively fights lice and nits.

You can work with methylacetophos only with gloves and a mask. How to use the product:

Dissolve 10 ml of methyl acetophos in 1 liter of water.
Dip the patient's bed linen and clothing into the solution or spray it with a spray bottle.
Place the processed items in a clean plastic bag, tie it, and leave for 1-2 hours.
Wash clothes and linen in warm water with laundry soap, rinse well, dry in fresh air and iron with steam.

The solution can also be used to treat cabinets and the floor under the carpet. The treatment is carried out when there are no children or animals at home; after the procedures, the room must be ventilated.

Execution order

Treatment against parasites is carried out independently. You can also resort to the services of special organizations that have all the necessary equipment and professional chemicals. Disinfection is carried out in several stages:

removal of lice from people;
cleaning instruments;
washing clothes and bed linen;
cleaning rooms from lice and nits.

Disinfection of the premises is carried out only after all residents have been treated for lice. First of all, bedding and personal clothing must be treated. Then - upholstered furniture, carpets and baseboards.

Cleaning instruments

Be sure to disinfect all combs, brushes, hairpins, hoops, elastic bands and other tools in the house, and not just those that were used to remove lice from the head. This will help eliminate unexpected relapses. Many people are interested in how to treat a comb after lice at home. There are several methods of sanitation:

The fastest and easiest way to treat a comb for lice is to boil it for a few minutes, and then wipe it with an alcohol solution or vodka. Do not treat wooden combs and brushes, combs with natural bristles or soft rubber with water. This will lead to deformation of the products.
Instruments can be disinfected in a solution consisting of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar mixed in the same ratio. Objects are placed in it for at least 3 hours, then transferred to water heated to 70 degrees or higher, and kept in it for half an hour. The final stage is rinsing under the tap with any detergent.
At the pharmacy you can purchase special solutions, shampoos and sprays designed to eliminate lice, and treat hygiene items with them. Effective disinfectants are Veda, Medifox, Nix, Paranit.
The dishwasher, which is set to a high temperature mode, can handle the processing of combs. Use this method with caution as cleaning may warp some combs.
Disinfection using a freezer. There should be no food in it. All hygiene items are sealed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer for 10-12 hours. In this way you can definitely kill all lice and their eggs.
Baking soda mixed with warm water in a 1:2 ratio will help get rid of dirt and chemical residues on the ridges. Keep the combs in the prepared solution for about 15 minutes, and then rinse and dry.

It is not recommended to use strong-smelling preparations (kerosene, Dichlorvos, etc.) to treat lice tools. The material can absorb odors and then get rid of them very difficult.

Wash

Treatment of linen for pediculosis should be mandatory. It is carried out in parallel with the removal of lice on the head, since the parasites can crawl onto the bed. If you continue to use dirty things, re-infection is guaranteed.

All things and the bed on which the patient slept are subject to disinfection. You need to know how to treat clothes against lice:

It is advisable to boil cotton items with soda.
When machine washing, use the maximum permissible temperature setting and wash for at least half an hour.
After washing, the clothes are dried and ironed on both sides. You need to iron folds and seams especially carefully, as lice and nits may remain in them.

Particular attention is paid to things that have been treated and combed out for parasites.
Processing of items that have washing restrictions occurs in a different way. They must first be soaked in a solution of kerosene and DDT soap (dust) in a 1:1 ratio. Items are kept in the composition for half an hour, and then washed in accordance with the necessary thermal restrictions.

Lice cannot tolerate temperatures that are too low or too high. The scorching sun and severe frost are good for disinfecting things. Take the washed clothes out into the fresh air for a couple of days. During this time, under unbearable conditions, the lice die. A good alternative is to treat things with a steam generator or iron. You can keep clothes in the freezer.

Treating bed linen and clothing against lice can be done with Nix, Itax, Veda sprays. They help remove body lice. It is necessary to disinfect with them even those things that did not come into contact with the patient, but were in the same room with him.

Large items (blankets, pillows, mattress) are sealed in a plastic bag and left for 10 days. No air should get into the bag. During this period of time, all living lice will die. After this, it is advisable to wash all the items, have them dry cleaned, or replace them with new ones.

How to treat an apartment for lice

In addition to the mandatory washing of clothes, it is necessary to disinfect the room in which the patient was located.

Before sanitizing the room for lice, you need to prepare:

Wash the floors, collect nits and dead lice. It's best to burn them.
Place personal clothing, toys, and bedding in bags for further disinfection.
Remove cosmetics and food from the room or cover it.
If there are carpets on the floor, they should be vacuumed.
Dilute the treatment solution strictly according to the instructions.
When disinfecting, you need to especially carefully treat secluded places where live lice with larvae can hide - furniture upholstery, baseboards, cracks in the floor, blankets, soft toys.
During treatment, pets, children and bedridden relatives must be evacuated from the apartment. You can enter the room at least 3 hours after disinfection.
At the end of all activities, the room must be ventilated for at least an hour and a half. This is necessary to avoid poisoning.
Wipe household items with a damp cloth.
When processing, you should use a respirator and put on protective gloves on your hands. Wash the clothes in which anti-pediculosis measures were carried out.

After about a week, the apartment is thoroughly cleaned.
This will completely clear the room of chemical residues and dead lice. And after 2 weeks, you need to disinfect the room again to destroy nits that were not killed during the previous sanitization. Many pharmacies and household chemical stores offer a good selection of natural and chemical preparations that can get rid of lice and nits in a short period of time. Available in different forms:

Dust (powder). Cheap, but not ideal method of getting rid of lice. This is a very strong toxic agent that is absorbed through human mucous membranes and skin. Often provokes allergies.
Gels, creams and pencils are useless tools in the fight against lice indoors. They leave white and oil stains on clothes and furniture. They are inconvenient to use and impossible to disinfect the entire room.
Aerosols and sprays are the most effective and easiest way to treat lice from your belongings and objects in the apartment. During disinfection, the skin does not come into contact with a toxic substance. It is important to protect your respiratory system with a bandage or respirator. After them, you cannot enter the room for 3-4 hours. The best preparations for lice are Para Plus, Pediculen, A-Par, Cypermethrin and Almitrin with a low level of toxicity, Peretrum spray with chamomile, Raid, Combat spray, Lambda-Zone, Clean House, Executioner. One can is enough to treat a small room. The duration of action is 2 hours, but this is enough for all insects to die.
Concentrated solutions that are diluted with water. The composition is sprayed from a spray bottle onto furniture and other objects. The difference from aerosols is that emulsions are diluted independently, but they are much cheaper. Emulsions Avicin, Medifox, Get are used to treat rooms and upholstered furniture. There is another drug without chemical components - Medilis with clove oil. It can be used if there are children and pregnant women at home.

If it is not possible to purchase specialized products, use regular Dichlorvos, Karbofos or a weak solution of vinegar.
Lice and nits die from the suffocating effects of the active substances. These drugs are toxic and have an unpleasant and strong odor. The bed, sofa and soft floor coverings can be sprayed with Nyx, Itax or Veda. Toys can be placed in a bag and placed in the freezer for 24 hours. This way the lice will definitely die.

Products with permethrin

Permethrin is the most popular component of head lice shampoos and sprays. It is a nerve paralytic insecticide. It is low toxic to humans.

To treat premises, you need to purchase permethrin concentrate to prepare an emulsion. The water emulsion can be used to wipe floors, cabinets, beds; you can use a spray bottle to treat clothes and bed linen. The product is left on surfaces for several hours, then washed off with soda ash. Things are washed with powder, rinsed thoroughly and air dried.

Permethrin poisoning in low concentrations is unlikely, but it is better to carry out disinsection with gloves and a mask when no one is at home.

Sometimes chemicals only temporarily paralyze lice. When the effect of the substance wears off, the parasites come to life again. Therefore, repeated treatment with insecticides is necessary.

When is total treatment needed?

Treatment for pediculosis is always required when there is at least one infected person in the apartment. Lice live outside the head without feeding for 1 to 10 days. They will not disappear without professional treatment.

Nits can be on the floor, bedding, or any things in the interior.

Complex treatment is required in unsanitary conditions, with rare changes of clothing, and frequent close contacts with people who may be infected with lice. Premises in children's institutions (kindergartens, camps, hospitals) must be disinfected to avoid mass infection.

Safe pest control methods

Safe chemical pest control agents include repellents with natural ingredients and plant extracts. The active substances do not kill, but only repel parasites. What to do in such cases? Repellents are used to prevent lice infestation. They are sprayed onto hair, clothes, hats, and pillows.

It is better to buy lice repellents at a pharmacy; you need to pay attention to the age restrictions for using the drug.

The safest and most effective method of controlling lice is professional pest control. It is carried out by special sanitary services using the following methods:

Cold fog (disinfectant liquid, split into microns, is sprayed using a fumigator; the method allows you to destroy lice in visible places).
Hot fog (the insecticide is split into nanoparticles by a generator with a jet engine; the product penetrates into all hard-to-reach places, destroying adult lice and nits).
Complex disinfestation (cold and hot fog treatment).

The safest is the cold steam method, but the most effective is the hot steam method. 2-3 hours after professional treatment of the room, you need to wet clean and ventilate.

How much does sanitization cost by a specialized company?

If independent measures to treat the room from lice do not produce results, you can call the special service. Disinfectors will disinfect the apartment using professional equipment - a fog generator that sprays toxic substances throughout the apartment. Large companies provide guarantees for their services.

The price for disinfection services in Moscow starts from 2,000 rubles for treating a 1-room apartment. The price includes chemical treatment of the entire area with special compounds, mechanical cleaning of contaminated areas to remove all sources of infection, and disinfection of rooms with ultraviolet lamps and a steam generator. This treatment will get rid of lice completely.

How to behave around pets

What to do with pets when someone with head lice appears at home? Human head lice do not infect dogs and cats, but they can live in fur for some time and lay eggs. For effective disinfestation, you need to take measures to care for your pet. First of all, you need to bathe him with a special shampoo, and then try to comb out his fur. The rug on which the cat or dog sleeps should be washed in hot water and treated with steam.

During chemical disinfestation, animals must be taken outside so that they cannot inhale the fumes or lick the insecticide powder.

Drug treatment for lice will not be effective unless bed linen, pillows, clothing, furniture, and carpets are treated for lice. Disinsection is carried out using physical and chemical methods. They have varying degrees of safety and effectiveness. Physical methods allow you to get rid of a small population of lice in visible places; they are completely safe for humans. Chemical reagents destroy parasites in large quantities; they can be sprayed in hard-to-reach places.

What causes lice

Despite popular belief, lice do not only affect people who do not maintain personal hygiene or lead an antisocial lifestyle. It is much easier to catch parasites than to remove lice. They easily transfer to the scalp and hair when using personal items, bedding, or simply from another person. Insects move quite quickly and can remain outside the human body for some time. They even survive in water or at high air temperatures, so you can become infected with them, for example, in a pool, sauna or on the beach. Very often, lice are picked up in crowded places - in transport, hospitals, children's institutions. There is no guarantee of protection from this scourge. Everyone is at risk of becoming infected.

Is chemistry the solution?

For chemical treatment of lice, commercially available insecticides are most often used - the well-known Dichlorvos and similar preparations. There are substances in another form of release based on pyretoids. Even if the composition is purchased in a regular store, it poses a great danger if safety precautions and recommendations from the manufacturer are neglected. That is, we must not forget that this is, first of all, a poison with which you need to be as careful as possible. If it is possible to attract professional exterminators, then it is better not to take action on your own. Specialists will perform the work clearly and competently, ensure reliable and high-quality processing and will not create conditions dangerous for people and pets.

Methods for preventing lice

After all the necessary disinfestation measures have been carried out, people who are faced with head lice have a completely logical question: what to do to prevent this from happening again?

Preventive measures include the following:

Wash your hair and body at least twice every 7 days.
Monitor the cleanliness of bed linen and clothing and change them regularly.
Try to avoid using other people's clothes, combs, and bedding.
Have a conversation with your child about head lice and possible ways of contracting it.
Use lavender and tea tree oil. It can be applied to clothing or the skin of the back of the head. Insects do not like the smell of this substance.

No one is safe from lice infestation. Pediculosis is quite common, especially in large groups of both adults and children. What to do if infection occurs. First of all, it is necessary to carry out all disinfestation measures. To prevent re-infection, team leaders should be notified and mass treatment should be carried out. Timely and competent implementation of preventive measures will avoid re-infection with lice.

What else needs to be done for prevention?

To prevent a possible relapse, it is additionally necessary:

during illness, do not allow the patient’s clean things to come into contact with used ones;
carry out simultaneous processing of all family members, their belongings and shared premises;
Handle things regularly during and after treatment. As an option, after complete recovery, replace them with new ones.

It’s even better to try to prevent primary infection. You should always adhere to these rules yourself and teach your children:

Maintain personal hygiene and always use only individual items and accessories when caring;
do not wear (even temporarily) other people’s things;
Use only your own bedding.

Characteristics of the parasite

It is almost impossible to distinguish a body louse from a head louse with the naked eye: this is an insect with a characteristically elongated abdomen measuring 3-4 mm. Its chitinous body is grayish-yellow or whitish in color, almost transparent, therefore, when drinking blood, the parasite turns brown. Linen lice look abundantly saturated, almost like fleas, but, unlike the latter, they cannot jump.

With such an obvious similarity between the two varieties, if a linen louse accidentally lands on your head, it will not stay there for long. This is because the insect's legs are not designed to climb hair and lay eggs.

"Shelter" and food

The bed louse feeds on human blood. It feeds every three to four hours, but the insect does not need to constantly be on the body of the “owner”. Therefore, the parasite spends most of its life in the folds, seams and lint of clothing. Lice feel more comfortable in linen and cotton products. They avoid satin and silk: there is nothing to cling to.

The adaptability of parasites is amazing: pests almost never settle on woolen products, since people rarely wear such things on their naked bodies.

Life cycle

The lifespan of a male is a little less than a month, a female is about 45 days. During this time, she manages to lay approximately 100-140 nits (about four eggs per day). The life cycle of an insect can be roughly divided into five stages.

Egg. The rudiment of a louse, covered with a special sticky substrate, is called a nit. This formation is attached to the fibers of clothing so firmly that it is problematic to remove it mechanically.
Larva. After three days, a larva emerges from the nit, which outwardly looks like a small adult.
Nymph of the first instar. The insect drinks blood, after which it immediately molts, changing its chitinous body - now it is a first-instar nymph.
Nymph of the second age. After five days, the next molt occurs, and the parasite becomes a second instar nymph.
Adult. After another eight days, the third molt occurs, after which the louse becomes a sexually mature organism capable of reproducing.

The body louse travels from an egg to a sexually mature insect in 16 days under favorable conditions.

Harm

The body louse is a carrier of dangerous diseases: typhus (relapsing and typhus), Volyn fever. During the war, typhus, spread by pests, claimed thousands of lives. In the modern world, the likelihood of such infection is low. The main “trouble” caused by the parasite to humans is the bites of linen lice, the consequences of which are:

unpleasant sensations - burning, itching;
danger of infection - through the wound it is easier for pathogenic microorganisms to enter the blood;
dermatological lesions - in advanced cases, scabs, suppurations, and pyoderma appear on the skin.

On a social level, a person infested with lice also experiences inconvenience, feeling discomfort when interacting with other people. The dermatological symptoms that result from a lice infestation are called body lice.

Where do they come from?

A body louse cannot live without food for more than five to seven days, so if you do not wear clothes that have been “occupied” by insects for at least a week, the adult louse will die. Therefore, by and large, the “carriers” of parasites are representatives of asocial groups and people who neglect the rules of personal hygiene.

However, anyone can accidentally “catch” lice. Infection occurs only through close contact with the tissues on which the parasites live: they cannot fly or jump. The risk group consists of volunteers, medical and social workers, people who come into contact with representatives of antisocial segments of the population. Where else do linen lice come from? You can catch the pest:

when using someone else's bed linen and clothing;
in a store fitting room;
in places where large numbers of people gather;
in kindergartens and schools.

Linen lice can be detected by two signs: the presence of bites on the body and the presence of the parasites themselves in clothing and bedding.

What is a body louse?

Body lice are parasites that live in human clothing and feed on blood. These are close relatives of head lice that do not live permanently in public, set up homes and breed in seams and folds of clothing. Along with head and pubic lice, body lice suck blood and spread dangerous infections. All types of lice can be present on one person at the same time.

Appearance

The body lice are the largest of the lice. The body size is 2-5 millimeters, there are no wings, the cover is translucent. The body darkens after being bitten and filled with blood. The head is narrower than the body, there are antennae - an organ of touch and smell.

general characteristics

Most of the time, body lice hide in clothes and come out on the body 5-6 times a day to feed. They live in colonies. They survive at temperatures of 0-40°, preferring a comfortable 30-32°. When the owner dies or the body temperature rises sharply due to heat and illness, they leave. If clothes are not worn for more than a week, they die of hunger.

Life cycle

The life cycle of a louse (from egg to egg) lasts from 16 days. During her life, the female produces up to 3 hundred eggs, laying 8-10 eggs daily. The female lays eggs in clothes, gluing them with a special mixture. The eggs (nits) remain in this state for about a week, then the young hatch and reach maturity in 8-10 days, spreading through clothing. Life expectancy is a little more than a month.

Nutrition

To feed, the louse comes out of the clothing and onto the body. The cone-shaped mouth is located at the front of the head and is equipped with teeth that, like anchors, help secure it when biting. The proboscis with needles rests on the body, the needles pierce the skin and gradually go deeper, looking for a vessel. Contraction of the lice's pharynx muscles ensures sucking (up to 0.003 milliliters of blood at a time). The enzyme released keeps the blood from clotting.

Types of bites

At the site of the louse bite, a pink-red swelling (papule) with dried blood in the middle forms. The intensity of the color and the size of the swelling depend on the characteristics of the body and the presence of an allergic component. The body of a person suffering from lice gradually becomes covered with a dense network of such spots, as lice feed frequently and the population grows rapidly.

How to comb out nits

At home, it is almost impossible to comb out nits from long hair, since a regular massage brush is not suitable for this purpose. Such a labor-intensive procedure requires a special device.

Professional combs

There are two types of machining devices:

Manual.

A good anti-pediculosis comb is a small iron comb with frequent, hard teeth. Their location allows you to comb out any foreign bodies with a diameter of even less than 1 mm.

Specialized metal brushes have differences in the length of the teeth. For short strands, you can get a small comb, and for long strands, a comb with an oblong working side will work better.

Regardless of the size, the tips of the teeth are rounded, which allows you to use the device repeatedly without the risk of damaging the scalp.

Electrical.

In addition to regular combs, there are combs on the market with electricity running through the teeth. A small discharge of current does not cause discomfort to a person, but it is enough to paralyze uninvited guests.

Proper combing out of lice and nits involves repeating this procedure. After the first treatment with a specialized product, you will need to spend at least 30-50 minutes on your hair.

To achieve the best effect, it is recommended to carry out a secondary treatment after a week of daily combing. Usually two disinsections are enough to finally get rid of parasites and their larvae.

Please note: the manufacturer usually includes a plastic comb with a special shampoo.

This is the worst option for a comb against lice, since its teeth bend, thereby increasing the distance between them. All this contributes to the passage of parasites and their larvae.

Wooden combs are of slightly better quality, the teeth of which do not bend and retain their original appearance. However, the absence of notches on them to capture insects significantly reduces the effectiveness of this device.

If there is no special device

The lack of a special comb is not a reason to put off combing out lice.

You can carry out the procedure as follows:

choose any comb with fine, fine teeth.
Divide your hair into small strands. Comb each one thoroughly, moving from the roots.

Thin hair is easier to comb if you thread a thread through the teeth of a comb, as this will prevent nits from being missed.

The main thing is not to exert much effort so as not to pull out the hair.

What harm can they cause?

The disease caused by lice is called pediculosis. Its symptoms are varied and depend on the number of bites and the characteristics of the body.

Redness and itching

The first and obvious symptoms are redness and swelling of the bite site. Papules are very itchy, scratching does not bring relief, the spots become brighter and more inflamed.

Allergy

During bites, lice saliva enters the wounds and provokes allergic reactions. Allergies are manifested by increased itching, the appearance of skin rashes, nausea, and digestive disorders. In severe cases, the temperature may rise.

Information: body lice carry typhus, relapsing fever, and Volyn fever, which makes infection with pediculosis especially dangerous.

Ulcers

Ulcers appear at the site of scratching, the skin often becomes rough, takes on an unnatural appearance, and thickens.

Pyoderma

When scratching, infection with pyogenic bacteria often occurs and pyoderma develops.

General malaise

General malaise is the result of numerous bites, allergic reactions, and insomnia.

Irritability

Constant itching causes nervous system disorders and poor sleep. Fatigue accumulates and irritability appears.

Infection through scratching

If pathogenic microorganisms enter through wounds, infectious infections occur, in particular furunculosis.

After how many days should the lice treatment be repeated?

Repeated anti-pediculosis treatment of the patient is not always required. Some drugs are equally effective at killing both nits and adult parasites. But most often, to guarantee results, it is recommended to repeat the procedure after about two weeks. During this time, larvae will appear from the surviving nits, but they will not yet have time to become sexually mature, which means they will not have time to lay eggs.

To get rid of nits and lice at home, it is also advisable to repeat the treatment of the room 1.5 - 2 weeks after the first one.

Causes of body lice

Before getting rid of lice, it is recommended to find out the reasons for their appearance. This is necessary to prevent the re-infestation of lice in your home.

Lice infestations can happen in just a few seconds, so they can cause serious damage to you and your belongings.

The reasons for the appearance of lice in the house may be the following:

prolonged contact with a person wearing clothing infested with lice. Insects are capable of not only crawling, but also jumping from one person’s things to another’s things;
Trying on contaminated clothing. This rarely happens in stores, but if you try on things at the market or in a second-hand store, you can become infected;
being in public places. Lice can get on your clothes when you leave things, for example, in a common locker room.