*Killing Lice Thoroughly Throughout the Home*
" An essential step in winning the battle against a head lice infestation safely, must include ridding the lice from the home.  If lil' Johnny or lil' Susie have had their hair & scalps treated and all nits & lice have been removed, we would not want either of them sleeping in lice infested beds,  sitting on a lice infested sofa, playing on a lice infested carpet, or wearing lice infested clothing, etc. If any lice remains in the home, the family will very quickly find themselves reinfested with pediculosis ( head lice). "
** An example of an Organized Approach in Ridding Head Lice from the Home **
1)  Wash all clothing, including hats, scarves, hair ribbons, etc., as well as all bed sheets, pillow cases, blankets, & comforters & towels used in the past 3 days  in the hottest temperature available, using the longest cycle of your washing machine.  Bleach is NOT needed to kill lice or nits.  Plain laundry soap works effectively.  Lice are only known to be capable of surviving for 24 hours in the absence of a human host.  I like to be safe, so I personally say "3 days". 
2) Anything that can not be washed in hot temperatures, such as dark colors, materials of fabric containing dyes that have a tendancy to run or bleed,  can be washed in cold water, but then MUST be dryed in the hottest clothes dryer available.  Hot temperatures kill lice & nits.
3) Anything that can not be either washed in hot water, nor dryed in a hot clothes dryer,  should be dry cleaned.  Dry cleaning will rid these items of lice & nits.
4) Anything that is made of cloth which can  neither be washed in hot water, dryed in a hot clothes dryer, nor laundered by a dry cleaning method,  should be placed in a plastic bag , tied tightly & left for at least 10 days.  This does NOT suffocate the lice.  However, lice can not survive longer than 24 hours in the absence of a human host. Nits do not need a human host, but the newly hatched lice which can take up to 7 days to hatch do.  For these two reasons, any items treated in this way, left in a plastic bag for at least 10 days, will not survive.  Let's figure out the math involved : The lice can survive for at least 24 hours, so if they were to lay eggs (nits) towards the very end of the 1st 24 hours, those nits could hatch in about 7 days.  That would bring us to the 8th day.  Newly hatched lice could survive for at least 24 hours.  That brings us to the 9th day.  I like to throw in one extra day for good luck, which brings us to day 10.  This method has never failed for me, or any who I know who have tested it to date.
6)  Vaccum all rugs, floors, & upholstery to clear them of any possible traces of lice and nits. Vacuum bed & crib mattresses.
*Examples* of items that could be placed in a plastic bag for 10 days in order to rid the items of live lice & nits :  Stuffed animals & other toys,  bicycle safety helmets, backpacks, straw hats, hair accessories such as barrettes,  synthetic hair wigs & the likes,  decorative  throw pillows, etc.  **
7) Wash all bed frames, & crib frames with either a bleach solution of 1/2 cups bleach to 1 gallon of warm water.
5) Thoroughly remove dust from all wooden furniture & other surfaces as one would normally do, either using a feather duster, or cloth.
4) Cleanse all bathroom fixtures, toilet, tub, shower, sinks, floors, with a solution of 1/2 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of warm water.
8) Do not forget to clean your vehicle ( automobile, car, truck etc.) by vacuuming  rugs & cleaning all surfaces of it's interior.
9) If you have yard furniture which is covered with fabric cushions, vaccum those, or if possible launder them in hot water.
**  I think you get the idea & if I've neglected to list anything here that you possess which needs cleansing in order to be rid from head lice please use common sense in treating it accordingly". **
10) All  hair brushes  & combs can be soaked in at least 70% ethyl alcohol, or at least 99% isopropyl alcohol for a minimum of 1 hour to kill lice & nits.  Another method of ridding hair brushes & combs is to boil a pot of water, then turn off the flame under the pot, and place the brushes & combs into the pot, leaving them to soak for at least 30 minutes.
*** These methods of killing lice and nits are not intended nor are they recommended as methods for use on the hair and or scalp of any person  who is infested with lice or nits (pediculosis).***