Scabies mites can live in a mattress for two to three days.
Olga Shumytskaya / Getty Images
What Is Scabies?
Scabiesis the itchy rash brought on by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite.
Olga Shumytskaya / Getty Images
These tiny insects tunnel under the skin where they lay eggs.
Scabies most often occurs in crowded, tropical regions and infestation has nothing to do with hygiene or cleanliness.
Treatment options include medicated creams or oral medication.
They can live for two to three days on surfaces like furniture, clothing, and other objects.
How to Get Rid of Scabies
you oughta treat yourself and your mattress to prevent reinfection.
Even if you cannot see scabies in bedding or a mattress, they can still be there.
Vacuuming
Vacuuming is an effective way to treat larger items you could’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.
Can You Sleep in Your Bed if You Have Scabies?
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.
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 canlive on a human hostindefinitely if an infestation isn’t treated.
You might have an infestation for longer than you realize, too.
A scabies infestation is not considered successfully treated until all living mites and their eggs have been destroyed.
Scabies istreated with medicationscalled scabicides that kill the mites and sometimes their eggs, too.
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.
Generally, all members of the household should be treated even if only one person becomes infested.
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.
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.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Scabies: Medications.
