How to De-lice your family and home!

Print Out this Check List to Be Lice and Nit Free!

STEP 1: Lice Treatment

• Check all household members to determine who has an infestation in their hair.
• Spray Quit Nits Preventative Spray in the clean hair of all persons that do not have an infestation.
• Apply Quit Nits Advance Lice Treatment on the dry hair of all affected persons.
• Cover hair with shower cap and let treatment work for a minimum of 4 hours. Leave product on overnight for serious infestation. Remove shower cap before sleeping.

STEP 2: Home Preparation

• Strip all beds
• Gather all pillows (both bed and furniture) in entire house that may have been used by effected persons
• Gather all hats and scarves that may have been used by effected persons
• Gather all hair clips, barrettes, pony tail holders, headbands that may have been used by effected persons
• Gather all brushes and combs in entire house
• Gather all stuffed animals that the effected person may have played or slept with
• Gather all used towels in household

STEP 3: Home Eradication

• Wash all sheets, clothing, and towels in hot water and dry on high heat setting
• Put pony tail holders and scrunchees in a laundry bag, and wash with sheets on high heat and then dry on high heat.
• Any clothing that can not be washed, put in dryer for 30 minutes
• Any clothing that can not be washed or dried, put in a sealed plastic bag for 48 hours.
• Run all pillows in dryer for 30 minutes on high heat. Pillows that can not go into the dryer, put in a sealed plastic bag and leave for 48 hours.
• Put stuffed animals in sealed plastic bags and leave for 48 hours.
• Put all headbands, clips, barrettes, non-washable hair items in a sealed plastic bag for 48 hours.
• Boil brushed and combs or soak in a high concentrated alcohol or bleach solution.
• Vacuum all beds and furniture including couches, carpets and car interior. Throw away bag when finished.

Head Lice Information for School Nurses

School nurses are often the first healthcare professionals to diagnose head lice infestations in children. Although lice do not transmit disease, many schools in the U.S. send children home if they detect live head lice. It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that children who have been treated for lice infestations should not be excluded from school because of the presence of residual nits.

The primary goals of the school nurse in controlling infestations are to identify children with head lice and to break the cycle of reinfestation. Routine screening of children for head lice is often part of head lice management policies in school districts. Once a child is identified as having head lice, the school nurse can play a key role in working with the child’s family to eradicate the infestation. Education about treatment options and preventing reinfestation are topics the nurse can address with the family.

The school nurse also can function as a case manager who coordinates various aspects of treatment for an affected child. Because infestations can be very upsetting to students and to their families, the nurse can provide support and reassurance to the family as the child is treated. Participation of school nurses in developing appropriate and consistent policies and procedures within the school district is vital to the overall management of infestations. Their efforts to control and reduce infestations are necessary for the overall health of the school population.