If you have started experiencing severe itching in your head after a summer trip, this might be due to the head lice getting transferred into your head by someone. Lice don’t jump or fly, but they can move from one head to the other with head accessories like hair brushes, scrunchies, hats, or even headphones. These little parasites usually do not cause serious diseases or allergies but are an absolute embarrassment and discomfort.
People often ask how to disinfect hats from lice.
Keep on reading to find the answer, folks!
Scratching your head repeatedly in a family gathering or even at work puts a big question on one’s hygiene and causes utter embarrassment. On the other hand, if a child has gotten head lice, it’s a serious matter, especially for parents. It might have happened because their hats get exchanged with fellows in school.
It becomes a big task for parents to get rid of head lice in their children. Children generally give parents a hard time in this cleaning process. Since many anti-lice shampoos or sprays are available in the market, none of them works if we do not look at the root cause.
This article will explain how to disinfect hats from lice in the easiest ways.
4 Ways to Get Rid of Lice From Hats
Hats provide comfort in so many ways. If you are experiencing head lice, then it is possible that they will get transferred into your hats after wearing them for a few minutes also. On the other hand, hats can be the secondary source you obtain lice. Yes, sharing your hat with others can also cause this issue. You might have shared your hat with a friend or family member with head lice. After wearing it, lice got on the hat. And when you wore it, they also made a new house in your head.
To disinfect the root cause, follow the tips mentioned below.
Do not wear that hat for two days!
It is obvious that lice survive and nourish on human blood. They need a human host to live. Usually, lice need their meal (blood) every 12 to 24 hours. They can’t survive after 24 hours if they don’t get it. So, if your hat has lice, leave it for two days. Without any human interaction, they will starve to death on their own. After that, you can easily wash your hat and wear it normally.
Use anti-lice wipes or spray:
Another way to clean your hat from lice is to wipe them with disinfectant wipes with anti-lice properties. On the other hand, using a lice-repellant spray would also help disinfect your cap from the lice. Such sprays and wipes have chemicals in them which kill lice instantly.
Wash or Dry them at a Hot temperature:
Lice cannot survive a temperature greater than 130°F. The best way to remove lice from your hat is to wash them in hot water at a temperature greater than 130°F. Moreover, drying hats at higher temperatures can kill lice too. Normally, a dryer can get up to 135°F, so putting your hat in a dryer at a high temperature would kill all these lice.
Freeze your Hat:
Lice can also be killed in cold temperatures. So, another way to disinfect your hat from lice is to pack it in a bag and freeze it overnight. Freezing them will make them dead by the next day. Keep in mind that the temperature should be 5°F or lower; otherwise, they might not die.
Although this method is not fully authentic, the results may vary according to the temperature and humidity.
The best way to clean your hat is to leave it alone for at least two days. Lice will die without food, and you will not have to do anything to get rid of them. All you need to do is wash your hat after two days as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Your hat will be lice-free this way!
A little advice: Lice is one of the most stubborn tiny parasites that won’t leave easily. It takes a lot of struggle and time to get rid of them fully. So, don’t share your head stuff like hats, helmets, headphones, scrunchies, or even scarves with anyone. You don’t know who has head lice, and sharing your hat with them might transfer lice first into your hat and then into your head. So, keep hygiene a priority, and don’t share your stuff with others.
The Takeaway:
Lice are annoying, but you can easily disinfect your hat from them by following the tips we have mentioned. Although the risk of getting lice from headgear like hats and helmets is not as higher as people claim it to be, it is still there.
If you feel like lice have made their houses in your hat, don’t panic. Leave your hat alone for two days, and they will die without having human blood in no time. It’s the most convenient and proven way of disinfecting hats from lice.
Now that you know how to disinfect hats from lice let us know about your experience below.
