Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLifespan in MattressesTreating a MattressOther Contaminated ThingsScabies on SkinWhen to See a ProviderTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Lifespan in Mattresses
Treating a Mattress
Other Contaminated Things
Scabies on Skin
When to See a Provider
Treatment
The scabies can live in a mattress or other types of furniture and clothing for a few days—just long enough to spread a scabies infestation to another person.
Olga Shumytskaya / Getty Images
Scabies Lifespan in Mattresses and Other Inanimate Objects
On the human body, the scabies mite can survive for a month or two. They can live for two to three days on nonliving things such as infested furniture, clothing, and other items. So if someone in your home has scabies, you could become infected if you have contact with items they used recently.
When a person is successfully treated for scabies, any remaining mites will die off in a few days, but you will need to treat any furniture, clothing, and bedding to avoid reinfection as you try to resolve the infestation.
How to Get Rid of Scabies in a Mattress
You need to treat yourself and your mattress to prevent reinfection. Even if you cannot see scabies in bedding or a mattress, they can still be there. The mites measure less than a millimeter long, so they may not be visible to the naked eye.If you are able to see them, they appear as tiny black specks.
You can machine-wash or dry-clean many personal items you use during an infestation to remove scabies mites because these mites will die with exposure to 122ºF for about 10 minutes.
Treating household items that you can’t machine wash or dry clean is a bit more difficult—but not impossible.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming is an effective way to treat larger items you can’t wash. The suction of the vacuum will remove mites from your mattress or other larger furniture items. When removed from their human host, mites will die in about three days.
Dispose of the contents of the vacuum bag or container after use to prevent the spread of mites to other surfaces or people.
Steam Cleaning
Steam cleaning is also useful for larger items that can withstand enough heat to kill scabies mites. Make sure that your steam cleaner is capable of reaching the temperature required to kill the mites (122ºF).Exposing them to steam heat for 10 minutes will exterminate the mites.
Permethrin Spray
Pesticides and insecticides can sometimes get rid of household infestations such as fleas, lice, and bedbugs. However, when it comes to scabies, fumigation with chemicals and insecticides isn’t usually necessary, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) actually discourages it.
Permethrin is an anti-parasite medication that can treat scabies infections in humans (rather than infestations of household items or furniture).
Can You Sleep in Your Bed if You Have Scabies?If you’re being treated for scabies and you have disinfected your mattress and bedding, you can sleep in your bed. Take precautions around other people who may have been infected, though, to avoid re-infestation. Also, continue to clean bedding and other personal items regularly until you’re sure the scabies are gone.
Can You Sleep in Your Bed if You Have Scabies?
If you’re being treated for scabies and you have disinfected your mattress and bedding, you can sleep in your bed. Take precautions around other people who may have been infected, though, to avoid re-infestation. Also, continue to clean bedding and other personal items regularly until you’re sure the scabies are gone.
Plastic Covering
Because the scabies mite can’t live without a human host for more than a few days, placing infested or contaminated items in a plastic bag or covering them with a plastic covering that can prevent their transfer to other items can also help.
If you use a plastic bag or covering, enclose or cover the infested item for at least three days to make sure any remaining mites are dead before using the item again.
Other Things That May Be Contaminated
Anything that comes into close contact with the skin of an infected person can become contaminated with scabies. These include:
Because scabies can’t lay eggs, reproduce, or survive on nonhuman hosts, the mites will usually die in a few days unless they find a new human host to cling to.
Pets can also carry the mites and spread them from person to person, but human mites can’t stay alive or reproduce on an animal. Cats and dogs are susceptible to other kinds of mites, but dog mites can’t live on a human, and human mites won’t live on a dog. Still, if you have an infestation of human mites in your home, treat your pet to avoid mites hiding on their skin until they can reach another human host.
How Long Does Scabies Last on Skin?
Scabies burrow under the top layer of human skin, where they feed on blood and lay eggs. They can live on a human host indefinitely if an infestation isn’t treated. Though scabies mites only have a lifespan of 10–17 days, mites that are reproducing can continue infestation on the human host until the reproductive cycle is stopped.
You might have an infestation for longer than you realize, too. Someone who has never had scabies may not notice symptoms for four to eight weeks after an infestation begins, while someone who has already had scabies before might notice symptoms within days.
A scabies infestation is not considered successfully treated until all living mites and their eggs have been destroyed.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you think you have developed a scabies infestation, make an appointment to see your doctor to determine yourdiagnosis. There are no over-the-counter treatments that have been tested and approved for scabies, so you will need to see a doctor for a prescription-strength medication that can kill scabies mites and their eggs.
Scabies symptomsmay include:
A scabies infestation can happen anywhere on your body but is most common in areas like the:
A scabies infestation won’t go away until it’s properly treated. It can be hard to know what is causing your itching.
Scabies istreated with medicationscalled scabicides that kill the mites and sometimes their eggs, too. There are no over-the-counter treatment options that have been tested and approved, so you will need a prescription from your doctor for these treatments.
Scabicides like permethrin are usually available as creams or lotions. Your doctor or pharmacist will give you directions on where and how often to apply these treatments. Some are only for use on the head and scalp, while others are for the entire body. Certain formulas may need to be left on for a period of time and then washed off.
Medications for treating scabies often include:
There are also age limits for some medications, so you will need to see a pediatrician to treat a child for a scabies infestation. Generally, all members of the household should be treated even if one person who lives there becomes infested.
Retreatment may also be necessary if itching or other symptoms of infestation continue for a month or so after treatment.This can happen when mites are reintroduced to a treated host after eradication, so it’s important to treat all people and items in an infested household.
Summary
Scabies mites are parasites that can burrow under your skin, and scabies can live on things like mattresses for two to three days. The mites on furniture or clothing can then reattach to human hosts and cause reinfection if they aren’t fully eradicated.
If you have an infestation of scabies, you should treat yourself, all members of the household, and all household items to avoid infestation after treatment.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx: Scabies.World Health Organization.Scabies.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment of Scabies.Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.MedlinePlus.Permethrin.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Medications.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx: Scabies.World Health Organization.Scabies.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment of Scabies.Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.MedlinePlus.Permethrin.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Medications.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Scabies.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx: Scabies.World Health Organization.Scabies.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment of Scabies.Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.MedlinePlus.Permethrin.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Medications.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About Scabies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Disease.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.DPDx: Scabies.
World Health Organization.Scabies.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Treatment of Scabies.
Illinois Department of Public Health.Mites affecting humans.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Scabies.
MedlinePlus.Permethrin.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Medications.
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