Does Lysol Kill Lice? Experiment & Video
Does Lysol Kill Lice? Can you use Lysol to clean for lice?
Question:
It seems like lice are immune to everything! How about Lysol, can I use that to kill lice?
Answer from a Lice Expert:
If you're struggling with lice then you know how difficult it is to get rid of them these days. The latest stats show that most parents that use over-the-counter kits and sprays have lice even after multiple treatments!
After lice kits and sprays don't work, most parents turn to other remedies. Lysol can be helpful for a few things with lice, but in many cases, another alternative will be more helpful. In this article, let's talk about Lysol and other cleaners and if they kill head lice.
Let me introduce myself...
Hi there! I'm Theresa, I'm a lice expert, lice coach, and Registered Nurse. I help people with lice every day! You can get rid of lice in ONE DAY at home by using the same proven professional technique that I use in my lice center.
Just follow the step-by-step videos and be done with lice by the end of the day.
Lysol for Lice
Why Is It So Hard to Get Rid of Lice?
Now that you know what you're looking for I want to talk briefly about your biggest worry (that your child actually has lice) and the question I get asked by parents around the world that have been battling lice….
Parents around the world are all asking me the same question…. "Why is it so much harder to get rid of lice now?"
Lice have become immune to everything that used to work in the past. Perhaps you remember your mom using a typical lice treatment or mayonnaise and that doing the trick. The new strain of head lice is no longer killed by those treatments, that’s why lice today are termed by people, “super lice,” because they are immune to those treatments.
I’ve cured thousands of people of lice in my lice center and let me tell you, I don't do it with over-the-counter lice treatments.
Most people struggle with lice because they focus all of their attention on killing lice bugs and not enough attention on GETTING RID OF LICE!
If you want to get rid of lice you have to address all 3 of the problems of lice:
- Lice Bugs
- Lice Eggs
- Getting Lice Back
The best way to get rid of lice is to tackle all 3 of these problems at the same time, which is what I teach in my step-by-step video system.
So, if you discover your child HAS lice, don't panic. Just head over to the video system. Follow along with the videos and you'll be done with lice by the end of the day.
Super Lice and Lysol
Lice today are called “super lice” because they have genetic mutations that make them extremely difficult to kill.
A recent study shows that almost all lice today have the super lice mutation. So things that may have killed lice in the past are not effective at killing lice now.
Does Lysol Kill Lice?
Lysol is excellent at cleaning surfaces for bacteria and viruses, can it work on head lice too?
The active ingredient in most Lysol products is benzalkonium chloride.
Up to date, no formal research had tested Lysol on head lice. So, I decided to experiment.
Since I own my own lice center, I have access to loads of lice every day, so testing different cleaners on head lice is easy for me.
Lysol vs. Lice:
The Experiment
I collected several live lice from clients in my lice center.
I immersed the lice in Lysol for 15 minutes.
After being immersed for 15 minutes, I then placed the "dead-looking" lice on a white paper towel in an empty mason jar.
Initially, the lice were immobile, but I set a timer and waited...
Within 2 minutes… all lice were alive!
Here's the video below.
The lice were just as active as before, completely unphased by Lysol whatsoever.
And, they stayed that way! They were still alive 24 hours later when I finally threw them away.
Other Cleaners vs Lysol to Kill Lice
Now that you’ve found out Lysol doesn’t work; you may be thinking about getting a pesticide spray. Do not waste your money. They do not work! Multiple studies have shown that lice today are immune to the pesticides in lice sprays.
Head lice are tough to kill, a wide variety of household products have been touted as being able to kill lice, but they don’t. I’ve tested them all in similar experiments. Feel free to read any of my articles below if you want to learn more about them:
Listerine Mouthwash: Does it Kill Lice?
Does Alcohol Kill Lice?
Does Bleach Kill Lice?
Can I Soak My Brushes in Lysol to Kill Lice?
No! Lysol does not affect lice at all, so you don’t want to soak your lice-infested hairbrushes in it, because they will come out just as infested as when you put them in.
Here’s what has proven to kill lice on hair brushes:
Better Ways to Clean Hair Brushes, Couch, and other things for Lice than Lysol
#1 - Soak in Hot Water-Do Not Boil
Lice die in temperatures higher than 130° F.
Heat water on the stove until it just begins to boil and then remove it from the heat. Soak your brushes in hot water for 10 minutes. Hot coffee or hot tea temperature is enough to kill lice.
Be careful not to boil brushes
Plastic’s melting point is 212° F, the same temperature of boiling water. Be sure not to boil your plastic brushes, or they will melt and be unusable.
#2 - Dishwasher
The Sanitization setting of a dishwasher gets to a minimum of 155° F (also called SaniWash, Sanitize, or Anti-Bacterial cycle). The Heated Dry setting of a dishwasher gets to 180° F. Any of these settings will kill lice.
#3 - Freeze Lice
How cold does your freezer need to be to freeze lice?
The freezer needs to be below 0° F; most freezers are -10° F to -20° F, but if your freezer is cold enough to freeze meat, then it is cold enough to freeze lice. The precise amount of time it takes to freeze lice will depend on your freezer, but 12 hours is plenty.
A quick disclosure: A few items in this article are affiliate links, and I do earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Can I Use Lysol to Clean Furniture with Lice?
No! Lysol does not affect lice at all, so you don’t want to treat your lice-infested coaches with it.
Here’s what has proven to kill lice on your couch:
Better Ways to Clean the Couch than Lysol
#1 - Vacuum
The most effective way to treat your furniture for lice is by vacuuming your furniture with either a handheld vacuum or your vacuum’s hand tool. Most vacuums come with this tool specifically designed to clean things such as furniture. Although lice are very good at gripping cloth surfaces, vacuums provide enough suction power to remove them. Vacuuming lice and throwing them into the garbage outside will ensure that they do not survive.
Be sure to focus your vacuuming on the surfaces of the couch that people put their heads on.
#2 - Sticky Lint Roller
For those without a vacuum, the next best thing is a sticky lint roller. The lint roller’s adhesive tape is strong enough to pick up lice off surfaces.
Roll each surface of the couch, replacing the roller sheet as the stickiness wears off.
#3 - Pillows
If you have a lot of pillows on your furniture, it will be extremely time-consuming for you to vacuum each pillow individually. Another alternative to vacuuming pillows is to place them in the dryer on high heat for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes in the dryer, your pillows will be safe and can return to your clean couch.
Another option for your pillows is to bag them up for 2 days and keep them away from the family. Lice dehydrate and die after 2 days off the head.
Can I Use Lysol to Clean My Leather Couch?
For those with vinyl-leather furniture, you can wipe down the leather with anything. Use a wet cloth, a leather wipe, or yes, even a Lysol wipe. None of these things will kill lice, but it will remove them from your furniture. (Just be sure to vacuum your carpet).
Can I use lice sprays on my couch?
Do not waste your time, money, or health on pesticide lice sprays or lice bombs. If you have tried a bunch of pesticide treatments that have failed, you are not alone, and it’s not your fault. The latest stats say that most parents that use over-the-counter kits still have lice even after multiple treatments!
Just like pesticides are an ineffective treatment on the head, they are even more worthless when sprayed in the air or on your couches.
Additionally, they are EXTREMELY toxic and dangerous to you, your children, and your pets. If they actually killed lice, maybe you could rationalize the risk of breathing problems, sickness, or even cancer, but they don’t actually kill lice! The chemicals in lice sprays and bombs are the same pesticides that 98% of lice are resistant to, so you end up just spraying poison all over your couches for no reason.
Can I use lice sprays on my hair brushes?
Do not waste your time, money, or health on pesticide lice sprays or lice bombs. If you have tried a bunch of pesticide treatments that have failed, you are not alone, and it’s not your fault. The latest stats say that most parents that use over-the-counter kits still have lice even after multiple treatments!
Just like pesticides are an ineffective treatment on the head, they are even more worthless when sprayed in the air or on your couches.
Additionally, they are EXTREMELY toxic and dangerous to you, your children, and your pets. If they actually killed lice, maybe you could rationalize the risk of breathing problems, sickness, or even cancer, but they don’t actually kill lice! The chemicals in lice sprays and bombs are the same pesticides that 98% of lice are resistant to, so you end up just spraying poison all over your brushes for no reason.
House Cleaning for Lice
This article only covers a few items about house cleaning, but you can find everything you need to know about exactly what to clean and how to clean it on the lice cleaning checklist.
Can You Use Lysol on the Head?
Lysol should not be used directly on the skin or scalp. Using Lysol on your child can have severe consequences.
Lysol itself says,
“HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS. DO NOT SPRAY ON EYES, SKIN OR CLOTHING” and “WASH HANDS AFTER USE”
Harsh cleaners on the skin can cause skin irritation and burns.
Additionally, if it gets in the eyes, it can cause severe eye irritation.
Considering Lysol is completely ineffective at killing lice, you shouldn’t “give it a try” anyway.
The Never-Ending Cycle
Most people that use lice kits and home remedies get caught in the horrible "Never-Ending Cycle of Lice"
First- You Have Lice
When you first discover lice you have adult lice bugs, baby lice bugs, and lice eggs (also known as nits)
You Think You've Gotten Rid of It.
But...
After using an over-the-counter treatment or a home remedy, people think they've taken care of the problem because they aren't finding lice bugs for a while.
But the bigger problem is the lice eggs that are left in the hair. Lice kits and home remedies don't kill eggs, and each of those little lice eggs has a bug inside just waiting to hatch and re-infest your child again.
Then- Those Eggs HATCH!
Just like lice eggs are tiny, when lice first hatch they are teeny-tiny. In fact, they are almost invisible to the naked eye! So, it typically takes a few weeks for them to grow big enough for you to see them.
And by the time you notice your head is infested all over again!
And Lice Is Back Again!
How to Avoid the Never-Ending Cycle
If you want to avoid this never-ending cycle and get rid of lice fast then check out my Step-by-Step Video System. Follow along with the videos and you can be completely done with lice in ONE DAY, no retreatments necessary.
If you choose to go another route...
Perhaps you are saying to yourself, "Nah, I think I'll give another home remedy a try."
If that's your plan, then I genuinely wish you the very best. Lice is horrible, and no one should have to endure it for months on end. And I hope you don't.
But, I will caution you... that's most likely what will happen to you. Most people go from lice kit to lice kit and then from home remedy to home remedy. They think it's gone for a week or two, and then it comes back again. That's likely to be your story as well.
I created the My Lice Advice Video System so you can avoid struggling with lice for months, instead, just follow along with the videos and be done with lice by the end of the day!
How to be lice-free by the end of the day...
GET THE VIDEO SYSTEM
Get rid of lice the same way the experts do. Your personal lice coach walks you through each step of doing a professional lice treatment at home in a series of videos.
FOLLOW ALONG
Follow along with the videos on your child in your home. No lice kits or toxic chemicals involved!
BE DONE WITH LICE!
When you're done with the videos, you're done with lice. And it's gone permanently!
Summing It Up…
Lysol does not kill head lice. But, fortunately, there are lots of other ways to clean your hairbrushes and furniture that are effective. Never use Lysol on your child’s head because it is extremely dangerous. It can cause severe burns, poisoning, and eye damage.
If you're looking to get rid of lice I DO NOT recommend you use Lysol. If you want to get rid of lice quickly then follow along with my Step-by-Step Video System and get rid of it in ONE DAY.
All the best,
Theresa is a Registered Nurse and lice expert with years of experience curing children of lice. She owns a lice treatment center in the US which is where she perfected the Step-by-Step Video System proven to get rid of lice. She also works with government agencies and schools helping those with the worst head lice cases in America.
Her greatest passion is empowering parents by teaching parents online how to do a professional lice treatment on their child at home. She is the Lice Coach for the My Lice Advice Step-by-Step Video System.
