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.
Features of parasites
Lice and nits are insects that feed on human blood. Infection with pediculosis occurs through direct contact; lice jump from person to person. It is very difficult to remove insects due to their small size.
There are three types of lice:
- pubic lice, which live not only in the groin area, but also on the eyebrows and eyelashes of a person;
- head parasites common in hair;
- body lice living on clothing.
Parasites reproduce very quickly. An insect emerges from the egg within 3 weeks. Lice and nits can exist on the human body for almost 2 months. Outside the human body, the life expectancy of parasites is no more than a week. Lice live on household items and clothing for about the same amount of time, and timely treatment will remove the parasites very quickly.
To prevent the parasites from returning
Fighting bed lice is more difficult than preventing their appearance. To prevent re-infestation, it is recommended to avoid visiting unsanitary places and contact with people who could potentially be carriers of pests. Here are four more tips to prevent relapse.
- “No” to other people's things. Do not use someone else's bedding or wear someone else's clothes.
- Quarantine. When purchasing a previously worn item, place the item in the freezer for several days, and then wash it with laundry soap, adding 3-5 ml of ammonia.
- Change of linen. Change your underwear daily and change other clothes as often as possible.
- Useful "flavors". Place “bouquets” of dry tansy or milkweed, or cotton pads moistened with lavender or tea tree oil, on the shelves of the cabinets. Pests cannot tolerate these odors.
Body lice, like any other insects, die in steam-formalin chambers - such devices are used for disinfection and disinfestation of clothing, which is then sold in second-hand stores. The average person can simply take their clothes to the dry cleaner. However, this method is quite expensive, so knowing how to get rid of body lice can save you a lot.
Video on the topic
Clothes lice (lice)
Processing agents
You can conditionally divide all remedies against nits and lice:
- chemicals;
- traditional methods.
The first group of products contains insecticidal components that have a detrimental effect on lice and nits, destroying them.
Dust is a powdered insecticide containing boric acid, pyrethrum and other additional components.
Among such drugs, several categories can be distinguished:
- Powdered dusts. They will not be able to process bed linen and things in the closet, although this method is very effective. Caution should be exercised as grains of powder may enter the human and animal body.
- Gels, creams. They are also inconvenient to use for bedding, clothing, and personal hygiene items (combs, brushes). They can leave marks and streaks. To effectively treat all surfaces in the house, too much of the substance will be required.
- Products in the form of solutions based on a concentrated aggressive component and water. The solution is applied to things from a spray bottle. Using this method in the fight against pediculosis and lice at home is very convenient, but unsafe.
- Products in the form of an aerosol or spray. The most convenient form of preparations, used both for clothing, household items, and bedding.
- Products in pencil form. It will not be possible to remove all nits this way. Not all surfaces can be coated with the product.
- Shampoo. Special shampoos are widely used in the fight against pediculosis. They help remove harmful insects from the head.
The disadvantage of all chemical agents against parasites is their high toxicity. They also have an unpleasant odor that evaporates from the house over a long period of time.
The use of traditional methods of combating parasites and pediculosis is less effective. But sometimes the use of safe, non-toxic drugs is simply inevitable:
- Dried herbs with a pungent odor. Dried stems are laid out on surfaces and furniture in the house. The specific aroma repels insects.
- A mixture of soda and table salt. Suitable surfaces in the apartment are treated with a similar powder.
- Dried citrus fruit peel.
- Garlic.
- Leaves and sawdust of coniferous trees.
The smell of herbs repels lice
The action of all folk remedies is based on an unpleasant aroma, which insects are so afraid of.
How to get rid of linen lice
It is easier to remove linen lice than head lice, since they do not live directly on the human body. The first thing you need to do is take a hot shower, preferably using laundry or tar soap, this will help get rid of the pests that have moved onto the body to “lunch”. Then you can begin to fight the remaining parasites, guided by three principles.
- Speed. Were you able to recognize the lice? We need to start eliminating them as soon as possible to prevent the population from increasing.
- Scale. Treat not only those items on which parasites were found, but also all clothing, bed linen, towels, curtains, and furniture. Wash hard surfaces with a strong solution of laundry soap, soda or vinegar.
- Medicines. A doctor will help you cure vinegars. Typically, the patient is prescribed external use of antiseptic drugs in the form of creams and ointments and oral antihistamines to prevent allergies.
To treat the body, instead of soap, you can use special anti-pediculosis shampoos: Veda-2, Medifox, NOK, Lauri. Due to toxicity, the use of such products has contraindications; it is recommended to carefully read the instructions.
Basic methods
The easiest way to get rid of insects is to wash items in hot water, rinse in a weak bite solution, dry in the sun, do not wear for a week, then wash again. Here are five more remedies for linen lice.
- Kerosene soaking. Soak things in a 20% solution of laundry soap and kerosene for half an hour. Wash in a washing machine, rinse in vinegar solution, dry in the open air.
- Boiling. If the material allows, boil linen and clothes for 15-30 minutes, and then wash in the usual way. To enhance effectiveness, add shavings of tar or laundry soap to the water.
- Freezing. Pack things in plastic bags and put them in the freezer for three days. In winter, hang products on the balcony.
- Herbal soak. Soak things for several hours in a decoction of wormwood, tansy or milkweed. To prepare the product, you need to pour boiling water over the raw material (two tablespoons per liter of water), cook for five to ten minutes, and filter.
- Suffocating "chamber". Treat products with DDT (insecticide - a product used to control insect pests) or pyrethrum powder, tie them in plastic bags and leave for several hours, wash in a washing machine, dry in the open air.
The listed means get rid of adults and larvae. High temperatures, which are detrimental to them, will help overcome nits. All items must be thoroughly ironed with a hot iron or treated with a steam generator.
Pillows, blankets, mattresses, blankets, carpets, rugs and other things that are difficult to wash should be dry cleaned.
Special means
Despite the effectiveness of kerosene soaking, one of the most popular folk remedies for parasites, the evaporation of this product in high concentrations is dangerous for humans, and the strong “aroma” is difficult to remove. Therefore, most often, modern drugs are used to get rid of bed lice at home. The method of using them is simple: you need to treat the product with the product, and then wash and dry, preferably in the sun. Judging by the reviews, the most effective treatment of products is with the following preparations:
Home treatment
If the number of parasites is high, simple cleaning with disinfectant compounds may not be enough: disinfestation of the apartment is required. You can contact special services or use one of two methods.
- Steam generator. Treat all surfaces of the house with hot steam, paying special attention to upholstered furniture, baseboards, corners and crevices.
- Insecticide. Wash the entire apartment with DDT emulsion 2%, after two hours, wash off the composition with a strong solution of laundry soap. During the “procedure”, open the windows and make sure that the rest of the household leaves the apartment. Work in closed clothing, rubber gloves and a protective mask. Instead of DDT, you can use Dichlorvos.
The active ingredient in Soviet-era Dichlorvos was dichlorvos, a toxic organophosphorus compound. Currently, such drugs are not commercially available due to their proven danger to humans. Modern products called “Dichlorvos” are available in the form of sprays and contain piperonyl butoxide, permethrin or cypermethrin as active ingredients.
How to determine that lice have settled in the house?
Unfortunately, most often people discover insects in an apartment when there are already a lot of them. Most often this occurs due to the appearance of a large number of bites on the skin. They can be found on the arms, legs, back, and stomach after removing clothes. If lice have settled in the bed, then bites in the morning will be especially disturbing.
The bitten areas are very painful and itchy. This is explained by the fact that when insects bite, they inject their anesthetic secretion into the wound. After 3-4 days they go away on their own, but if lice continue to live in the house, then new ones immediately appear.
There are people who are allergic to the waste products of parasites. This reaction manifests itself in increased body temperature, disturbances in the digestive system, nausea and vomiting. In particularly difficult cases, anaphylactic shock may occur.
Danger of lice to humans
Danger of lice: bites behind the ear
Lice should be removed quickly, as they are not only contagious, but also pose a threat to the life of the infected person. Look at the list of ailments that you can get after “communicating” with little “friends”:
Typhus: the skin becomes covered with pink pathological elements. The cover begins to peel off. The disease is also accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Pain (head, back).
- Thirst;
- Vomit;
- Heat.
The disease is dangerous due to complications leading to disorders of the nervous system. There is death, which is not uncommon. It is better to find out in advance how to remove lice, and then apply this knowledge, eliminating the threat.
Fever: trench or Volyn type may occur. The symptoms are largely similar to those of typhus, but there is no threat to life. In both cases, you must consult a doctor.
Should you tell others about lice?
Getting rid of lice is not a problem, but getting rid of public censure is extremely difficult. A child may be bullied by classmates. Let's face it - this happens almost all the time. Employees of our sanitary and epidemiological station, who treat apartments and houses against lice, often hear stories from parents and see children’s tears. We draw one simple conclusion - confidentiality must be maintained whenever possible.
In the case of adults, everything is the same. Of course, no one will openly blame you. But the subconscious effect that a person is unsanitary will remain. It is necessary to destroy lice quietly and in a family manner so as not to disturb others.
Interesting: children are more susceptible to insect attacks. The reason is weaker immunity. By the way, alcohol, smoking and simply poor health make a person a tasty target.
Linen lice have several development cycles:
Nits (the egg in which the louse develops) The size of a nit is 1.5 mm, it is difficult to see, even if there is a whole cluster of them. The nit has a translucent body that can attach to the surface.
Nymph (larva). Emerges from the nit after 7 days.
Adult. Appears after 7-10 days from the nymph. A louse lives on average about 40 days. For a comfortable life, the parasite needs high humidity, a hot microclimate and the prey necessary for feeding on blood.
How does infection occur?
There are two main variants of human infection with parasites. This is direct contact with a patient or the use of things of a person infected with lice. Parasites are usually found in children, who are more likely than adults to come into close contact with each other. Therefore, even despite the well-being of the area and families, outbreaks of head lice occur in schools and kindergartens quite often.
Treatment of bed linen for pediculosis
Treatment of bed linen for pediculosis must be carried out thoroughly and carefully, otherwise the desired effect will be difficult to achieve.
Processing is carried out at the highest possible temperatures. An excellent option would be to freeze things, or you can leave them outdoors on hot summer days. An alternative is to use an iron, steam generator or freezer.
Disinfestation of pillows
Processing of bed linen or children's toys can be carried out by packing them in a bag and closing it tightly. It is allowed to open the package after two weeks; this time will be enough to achieve the death of the parasites. After two weeks, toys and linen are thoroughly washed and dried.
How to treat blankets
The best option is to purchase new blankets. The best option, especially in case of severe infection, is to use dry cleaning services.
If a child has lice, what to do with the bed?
Bed linen can be:
- to freeze;
- boil;
- pack in a vacuum bag for at least two weeks and then wash;
- take it to the dry cleaner.
GorSES - effective destruction of parasites
If trouble happens and lice appear in your home, GorSES will definitely come to the rescue. The company provides services for treating contaminated premises throughout Moscow. The cost of the service depends on the volume of the room being treated and the degree of infestation. Detailed information about prices can be found in the company’s price list. Lice treatment is carried out with cold and hot fog. This allows you to achieve a positive result in a short period of time. The effect of chemicals lasts for several weeks, even in places where it is quite difficult for humans to reach.
Can't defeat parasites on your own? Are you bitten by lice, your whole body itches and you have a hard time staying at home? Call our company by phone and specialists will arrive at a time convenient for you. We will rid your home of harmful insects, ensuring safety and peace of mind.
Questions and answers on calling the SES
- How is the ordering procedure carried out? You dial the number, find out the cost, set a suitable time for the lice removal specialist to arrive;
- How many hours does disinsection last? Typically, SES workers complete the task in 30-50 minutes. It all depends on the size of the room;
- Is the destruction price fixed? It is formed depending on the dimensions of the object. The larger it is, the lower the rate for processing a square meter falls;
- Is fog harmful to people and animals? No. We use drugs certified in Europe. They are 100% safe for mammals and even plants;
- Is it possible to wash and open windows after removing nits? Yes. It is permissible to ventilate the room after 3-4 hours. Do wet cleaning on day 2;
- Is there a smell after spraying cold mist? No. It is invisible and definitely does not bring negative feelings.
The cost of treating an apartment for lice in Moscow
Prices for - room apartment
Prevention
ULV irrigation
1800
₽
- Cold fog
- Barrier protection
- Hot fog
- Disinfection
Order! or call back
Pest control
Domestic drug with protection against re-infection
2700
₽
- Cold fog
- Barrier protection
- Hot fog
- Disinfection
Order! or call back
Destruction
Imported drug with protection against re-infection
4500
₽
- Cold fog
- Barrier protection
- Hot fog
- Disinfection
Order! or call back
Popular
Complex
All inclusive!
6200
₽
- Cold fog
- Barrier protection
- Hot fog
- Disinfection
Order! or call back
We recommend
How to treat combs after lice and nits
To achieve the best result, combs must be treated, because the parasite eggs that remain on the comb remain active for four days. disinfection using professional means based on chemical, toxic components. An example of this would be active substances:
- Paranita;
- Sensative;
- Veda;
- Nyxa;
- Medifox.
They are also allowed to process hats and other headgear.
The comb can be treated with more accessible means, for example: acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide diluted with water (equal proportions). Women's accessories (elastic bands, bows, hairpins, etc.) are placed in an acetic acid solution for three hours. After which they need to be transferred to hot water and kept for several hours. After a specified time, the accessories are cleaned with running water and additionally treated with soap.
Combs and combs can simply be boiled for a few minutes . This procedure must be carried out after each use of items until the parasites are completely eliminated.
