LICE!!! AARRRGGGHHH!

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Permalink Reply by Hank Marquardt on December 1, 2009 at 8:24pm

Yeah, your initial reaction is "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!" ... but by the time you had them a few times, you just deal with it. Fortunately it's now been several years sine mine have had an outbreak ... seems elementary school is the hot bed ... goes away by middle school.

Use the generic version of 'Rid' ... CVS, Osco, Walgreens .. they all have house brand lice shampoo. It's cheaper by far than the name brand and works the same way.

Isolate bedding of the infected and get used to washing it frequently, learn to love bleach.

The school usually sends home a note to classrooms with outbreaks.

It's best to figure out how the infestation happened .... you'll usually find 1 kid that has it *real bad* ... he/she is patient zero, and they need treatment or it just keeps coming back like a bad penny.

Just seems to be one of those things grade school has to offer ;)

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Permalink Reply by Jassen Strokosch on February 7, 2010 at 11:05am

What Hank said and agreed, the generics work great, save your money.

As the husband of a pediatric nurse, I have been well schooled in this process on a number of occasions and have been in awe of the military like precision with which the regiment is enforced. Some key things to add to Hank's comments:

1) the Rid works great against lice but is only so-so against the eggs. You have to manually comb out the eggs or you will likely have a reoccurrence. Follow the Rid (or generic equivalent) directions exactly. Apply generously to dry hair and leave it in for at least 10 minutes before water and lathering. Dont' shampoo normally for 48 hours if you can avoid it as this leaves it in and lets it really work. This stuff is harsh so listen to them when they say wait 7-10 days for second application.

2)Things you can't wash, such as stuffed animals, can be sprayed down but better yet, bag them in garbage bags for 10-14 days to kill the cycle.

3)Wash everything, a lot, especially hats, scarfs, anything with hoods. The most important part is to dry with high heat if possible. They can survive the wash cycle but tumble dry on high heat cooks um.

4) Many people forget about head-rests in their cars. Spray them down with Rid. They are great at re-infesting and spreading to people who don't have lice already. Same for backpacks.


Just remember that being really thorough on the front end and not taking shortcuts pays off. Having a reoccurrence means a lot more work. Unfortunately what you can't control is how other families will react and complacency in just one student's home can keep the cycle going for a whole class.

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Permalink Reply by Ernie Morales on February 10, 2010 at 12:32pm

We got the letter too. When we lived in the city my eldest daughter came in contact with an infected source and much to my disbelief my wife dealt with it.
She's scared of bugs. Anyway there was the usual over the counter shampoos and of course the washing of all the linens.(In Hot water).
So far so good on this occasion.. No scratchies yet. Egad!!!

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