Lice can become an individual health issue in one of three ways. The three sorts that have to be dealt with if you or a family member experience a lice infestation are head lice, pubic lice or body lice. Like head lice, an individual gets infected by body lice by direct contact with someone else who is carrying the pests. You cannot pick up lice from furniture or carpets as they broadly cannot subsist in these environments for more than forty eight hours. However, you can contract body lice from clothing that was in contact with an infected person as the lice can attach themselves to the fabrics of the cloth of the item of clothing.