Getting rid of lice in the home

Head lice can be a real problem. I heard a really creative tip for dealing with this I want to share with you. I'm Dr. Alan Greene. The tip came from Dr. Donnica Moore, a colleague of mine in Ob/Gyn. It turns out that head lice can only live for 55 hours without human blood. So one of the best ways to get rid of them in the home without having to deal with all of the loads of laundry, and cleaning of carpets, and back of sofas, and bedding, and all of that, is to close the house and take off for 55 hours. Go spend 3 days someplace else. Treat the one child that's got it. And when you come home, you've got a lice-free home.

Getting rid of lice in the home

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Review Date: 8/2/2025

Reviewed By: Ramin Fathi, MD, FAAD, Director, Phoenix Surgical Dermatology Group, Phoenix, AZ. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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