Scabies Control: How To Get Rid of Scabies

This page is a general scabies control guide. Although scabies is a medical skin condition that medical professionals should handle, the products and methods suggested in this guide will be used to treat your home, mattresses, and furniture to kill the mites that cause scabies. If you believe you have scabies, seek medical attention as soon as possible. To get rid of scabies in your home or property, follow this guide and use the recommended products, and we guarantee a great reduction in the population.

Scabies is a common skin condition that can happen to anyone. Infestations often occur in residences and businesses like nursing homes and daycares. Scabies are caused by microscopic mites called Sarcoptes scabiei. These round organisms have no eyes.

Scabies is usually caused by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. This means household members and persons who live in the same structure are prone to infect each other. Scabies symptoms include severe and intense itching, sleeplessness from constant scratching, and pimple-like rashes on the skin.

Scabies is regarded as more of a medical problem than a pest control issue, so when scabies mites live in your mattress or on your skin, it is best to see a doctor to get rid of these parasites. While Solutions Pest and Lawn does not carry any products to get scabies off your body, we do offer some preventative chemicals that can significantly reduce the threat of scabies in your home.

If you or someone in your family suffers from skin irritation and rashes caused by Scabies, action must be taken immediately. To treat scabies in your home, follow our DIY guide below to learn a little about this frustrating pest and how to eliminate scabies from your home.

Identification

Before you can carry out a treatment approach, you need to know how to identify scabies and be certain they are the problem, not some other issue. Misidentification can lead to using wrong or unnecessary treatment options, which could waste your time and money. Since Scabies are human itch mites, they are microscopic, so identification can prove difficult. 

• Scabies are very tiny, virtually microscopic creatures under 0.5 mm in size but can sometimes be made out as visible pinpoints of white.
• The tiny female mite burrows just under the skin (usually on the finger webs, wrists, elbows, nipples, genitals, or buttocks) and lays eggs.
• Scabies hide in the upper layer of the human skin but can also be found between fingers, wrists, elbows, and other body parts.

If you were to look under a microscope, you would discern the following characteristics: 

• Females are about .30 to .45 mm long.
• Males are about .25 to .35 mm long.
• Adults are rounded and oval-shaped.
• They are eyeless.
• They have four pairs of legs or eight legs.
• Have suction-like appendages in their front legs that allow them to stick to the skin.

Use the description to help you properly identify scabies in your home. If you are unsure, contact us, and we will have one of our pros assist you with correct identification.

Inspection

A medical professional is the best person to inspect for scabies. They can take a skin sample and confirm that you indeed have scabies. Once the medical professional has confirmed that you have scabies, you can begin treatment in your home or business.

Where to Inspect

Scabies are contagious and can very easily be spread from one human to another by skin-to-skin contact with someone infected. It can also be spread through sexual contact.

Scabies are more easily transmitted in places with close skin contact, like daycare centers or nursing homes. It is often transmitted between people living in the same household by sharing towels or bedding materials. Check your mattresses and other furniture that you often lounge on for scabies.

What To Look For

Red rashes and severe itching (especially at night) are common experiences for people with scabies. If untreated, the itching from the rash may persist for a lengthy amount of time. 

Treatment

Once you have confirmed that you have scabies or someone in your property has them, it is time to begin treatment. The best method for scabies control is to conduct a detailed cleanup and then apply Sterifab disinfectant and insecticide spray.

Remember to read all product labels, follow the application instructions on them, and wear personal protective equipment to stay safe.

Step 1: Preparation

To start treatment, you must vacuum your entire home thoroughly and wash and dry all articles of clothing of the person suffering from scabies on high heat. To be safe, it may be best to launder all articles of clothing in the home.

Make sure to vacuum every area of the home. Vacuum furniture, curtains, baseboards, carpets, rugs, and all areas of the home.

Next, take all bedding and clothing of persons diagnosed with Scabies and wash and dry them on high heat. Also, take towels, linens, pillow covers, bedsheets, covers, and anything washable that is used or worn on the body and put them in the washer.

Step 2: Indoor Treatment with Sterifab

Sterifab is an effective product that is also an insecticide, sanitizer, fungicide, germicide, and viricide. This makes it perfect for killing small organisms like mites or scabies.

To completely eliminate scabies, Sterifab should be used on carpets, rugs, furniture, mattresses, sofas, chairs, and flooring.

Using a hand or power sprayer and keeping approximately one foot away from the surface to be sprayed, apply Sterifab over all surfaces until thoroughly damp. Be sure that all folds, creases, seams, etc., are also covered in this manner. Allow the treated items to remain wet for at least 10 minutes and then dry before using.

To kill scabies on mattresses, spray coverage varies from 4 to 8 oz., depending on the size of the bed. Single bed and folding cot mattresses will need 4 to 5 oz. of Sterifab, while double bed mattresses need 6 to 8 oz. of Sterifab.

Prevention

After treating your home for scabies, you will want to implement preventative measures to prevent a future scabies outbreak. Here are some preventative measures to take to lessen the presence of scabies:

• Maintaining cleanliness with a regular vacuuming and washing routine is key.
• Avoid sharing or using towels, clothing, and items an infected person has previously used.
• Sanitizing your home or property and washing and drying on high heat any items on the home where an infestation has been identified.
• Continuing to apply Sterifab periodically during your cleanups is also helpful. 

Key Takeaways

What are Scabies?

• Scabies are tiny microscopic mites that live on humans, burrow into our skin, and lay eggs. A heavy infestation can cause rashes and severe itching.

How to Get Rid of Scabies

• If you or a person in your home has scabies, they need to seek medical attention. A doctor will provide topical creams or medicine to address scabies on your body.
• To reduce and prevent large infestations of scabies, you must perform routine vacuuming and washing of clothing and spray Sterifab miticide and disinfectant spray.

Preventing Scabies Reinfestation

• Continue to keep your home clean by regularly vacuuming, washing, and cleaning to reduce the activity of mites and prevent future scabies outbreaks.