How To Clean Your Hairbrush From Lice: Full Guide

Hairbrushes can be expensive, so it's natural when dealing with head lice to wonder what to do with hairbrushes after lice. Some clients have even gone so far as to throw away all of their hairbrushes to ensure that they are not re-infested. That's not necessary! We'll tell you what to do when dealing with hairbrushes and lice and what not to do.

Can You Get Lice From Using Someone Else's Brush?

While we don't recommend sharing hairbrushes, chances are that if you or a family member get head lice, it will be from direct head to head contact with a lice-infested person because lice don't like to leave the warmth of the human head. However, in incredibly rare cases, sharing a brush with someone could lead to a lice infestation.

How Long Can Lice Live on a Hairbrush?

You may wonder how long can head lice live on a hairbrush? Head lice begin to die immediately after they fall off the head; in the absence of their food source and the warm needed to sustain them, they will die within 24 hours. If the infestation was recently discovered, out of caution, you may begin to inspect your grooming supplies and wonder can you see lice on a hairbrush. If there is a live louse on a brush, you will see it. Lice are small wingless bugs that are visible. If there is an egg (nit), it may be too tiny to see. Nits off the head pose no threat as they cannot reattach to the hair.

Do You Need to Throw Away Brushes and Combs?

Short answer: Absolutely not.

You do not need to toss your favorite brush or buy new combs for everyone in your home. But you do need to clean them properly.

What to Do With Hairbrushes After Lice?

Some parents are all too eager to pitch out their old hairbrushes after treating lice and buy all new supplies out of fear that using the old brushes will reinfest their family. We understand your concern, but it is not necessary to do so. Here are a few suggestions on how to clear your hairbrush from lice:

Soak Brushes in Water

This is a simple, free way to get rid of any lice that may be lingering on your hairbrush. Fill the sink with water and put your hairbrushes in the water. The brushes must remain fully submerged for a minimum of 8 hours as that is how long lice can hold their breath.

Use Dishwasher

When figuring out how to clean a hairbrush from lice, you might consider this method that may or may not work depending on the temperature of your dishwasher. Additionally, the high temperature may damage hairbrushes.

Freeze Your Brush

This is the method we recommend when helping clients. It's quick and requires little effort. Put your hairbrushes in a ziplock back and store them in the freezer overnight. Any lice on the brushes will freeze to death.

Use Alcohol

While alcohol is a good solution to sanitize tools, it will not kill head lice or nits. Lice will hold their breath, and they are very resilient. Skip this method, it will not work for anything other than sanitizing your hairbrushes.

Don't Use Hairbrush

Another practical solution is to set aside the hairbrush for a day. Any bugs on it will be dead the next day.  Remember, though, that no matter what choice you make as to how to deal with hairbrushes, the reality is that the bugs usually do not end up on a hairbrush. They scoot around the hair, and when they sense another human head nearby, they will crawl from one head to another. Head lice feed on the head, and they need the blood to survive. They do not like to land on a hairbrush because, without blood, they will die within a day.

What About Hats, Pillows, and Bedding?

These items cause a lot of concern—but lice are highly unlikely to survive long enough on them to spread.

Best Practices for Cleaning Personal Items

• Wash clothes, hats, scarves, and bedding in hot water (130°F or higher)
  
  
• Tumble dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes
  
  
• For non-washable items like pillows, stuffed animals, or soft hats:
  
  
  
  • Seal in a plastic bag for 48–72 hours to starve lice
    
    
  • You can also vacuum fabric furniture, rugs, and car seats
    
    
• Disinfect headgear and headphones with alcohol wipes or hot cloths

The truth is, lice prefer scalps, not surfaces. You don’t need to deep clean your home like there’s a biohazard—just focus on smart, simple cleaning.

Common Myths About Lice and Household Items

Let’s set the record straight on a few common misconceptions.

Myth 1: “Lice Jump from Hats to Heads”

Truth: Lice can’t jump or fly. They can only crawl, and they only survive on human scalps. Hats aren’t breeding grounds for lice.

Myth 2: “You Have to Disinfect Your Whole House”

Truth: Lice aren’t like fleas or bedbugs. They do not infest carpets or furniture. You don’t need to clean every square inch of your home to prevent reinfestation.

Myth 3: “Essential Oils on Fabrics Kill Lice”

Truth: While some essential oils can help repel lice, there is no proof that spraying tea tree oil on your hat or bed will kill lice or nits.

What Actually Causes Reinfestation

You can scrub your house top to bottom and still deal with a lice recurrence. That’s because lice don’t live on surfaces—they live on people.

Here’s what really causes reinfestation

• Missing just one viable nit during treatment
  
  
• Only treating the visibly infested person, not close contacts
  
  
• Sharing brushes or combs too soon
  
  
• Using ineffective over-the-counter lice treatments
  
  
• Skipping follow-up checks or comb-outs
  
  

Unless every head is properly treated, lice can come back—no matter how clean your house is.

What Experts Say About Environmental Cleaning

If you’ve spent hours washing sheets and spraying everything with disinfectant, you're not alone—but expert advice says you may be doing more than necessary.

According to the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Lice transmission through personal items is extremely rare.
  
  
• Most lice spread happens through head-to-head contact, not objects.
  
  
• Cleaning household items is helpful, but it’s the scalp that needs attention.
  
  

In other words, cleaning is fine—but there’s no need to panic-clean every room or toss half your wardrobe.

Professional lice technicians echo this. The team at LiceDoctors regularly helps families avoid over-cleaning by showing them exactly what matters—and what doesn’t—based on thousands of in-home visits.

Conclusion

It is safer not to share hairbrushes, caps or helmets because it is possible to transmit head lice through those vectors. Keep in mind, though, that about 95% of lice cases are passed from one human head directly to another one, so being with other people makes one at risk of getting head lice; lice are just a fact of life today. If you find lice in your family, there is a simple answer to your problem: call LiceDoctors, and expert lice professional will be at your residence at a time that works best for your schedule. Contact LiceDoctors, day or night, at 800-224-2537. LiceDoctors makes your life a lot easier!