Head Lice

[big daddy]

Did anyone consider washing the masks with bleach after every use?

[fencerchica]

Bleach can weaken some fabrics even at relatively low concentration. I don't know if it would be good to risk that for fencing masks.

[Hauptman]

Keeping all the masks in one big bag can completely defeat your efforts if you do it after every class. They need to be kept separately to avoid the lice moving from one to another.

But on the good side, you only need to keep them wrapped up in a bag for a week between uses to have all the lice hatch and die. They have a very short lifespan.

[Phincer]

Did anyone consider washing the masks with bleach after every use?

I've never used bleach, but I did take a cotton ball soaked in alcohol and clean the padding occasionally to help cut down on the smell and hopefully help clean the mask. After a while it got kind of funky and the acne breakouts were worse if the mask was dirty.

Maybe it would help with lice as well.

[Rockstar44]

Finally I started a small business (with another friend who was tired of the whole re-infection cycle) of nit-picking for other people.

Wow....

[Nuria]

Last night, rather late, we got an email from my sis-in-law. She was up late doing LOTS of laundry! Seems as though our nephew has a lovely case of head lice.

Biologist that she is, she has pinpointed the source as the beginning fencing camp our Darling Nephew attended not too long ago.

Most of the parents here have already purchased their new fencer the basics, but to those of you who haven't-perhaps the mask and glove purchase could be pushed up a bit. We couldn't stand the thought of our kids face in something that had been sweated in by other people...we never thought of head lice. The glove-well, kids don't wash their hands, so that grossed us out as well.

I will be urging her to contact the club and let them know that they need to wash those masks!

Now join us in a collective "eeewwwwwwwww".

eeewwwwwwwww oh my God!!!!!!!

[emagdnim]

I used to work in a special department at an amusement park (I was scooby doo.)


there was a special alcohol based cleaning spray we used called TOR. What its composed of I don't know but its kept those costumes as unsmelly as possible between washes and our heads lice free for decades. So I bought some for my club. I don't know how it works but it certainly helps with the smell.

[Musicfencer]

this is really gross.

[Phincer]

this is really gross.

Parenting isn't for sissies or the faint of heart. Toughest job you'll ever love.