How to Get Scabies Out of Carpet (Ditch the Itch for Good!)

If everyone in your household seems to have itchy, scratchy skin and is coming up with a rash, scabies might be to blame. These nasty critters are similar to lice and can cause a whole lot of discomfort for your family. 

To get rid of scabies, you need to not only get treatment for yourself but also deep clean your home. That includes fully cleaning your carpets. Scabies mites are sneaky little creatures!

So let’s take a look at how to get rid of scabies from your carpet.

But first, let’s get one thing clear.

What Are Scabies?

If you don’t fully understand what they are, you can’t hope to effectively treat these pests. 

Scabies is a type of microscopic mite that infests the human skin. These mites burrow into the top layer of the skin and lay eggs. The mites then live within the skin. 

Scabies is extremely contagious and can be spread by skin-to-skin contact with an infected surface or person. They’re often transmitted in nursing homes, prisons, childcare facilities, and extended-care homes. 

Removing Scabies from the Home

Removing scabies from the home is typically a long process.

The thing is, the mites on your carpet will die on their own within up to 72 hours. But the trouble is, they need a human host to survive. So they won’t just sit on the carpet or mattress or clothing waiting to die. Instead, they’ll migrate onto a perfect host – you and your family members!

So to get rid of scabies from the home, you need to wash ALL bedding, towels, clothes, and furniture in hot water. Then, either dry on high heat or dry clean the items. 

How to Get Scabies Out of Carpet: A 7-Step Guide

It’s not just clothes and towels that scabies can climb onto. Scabies can also fall off a person’s skin or clothes and get into your carpets. They can then transfer onto new victims who are hanging out in the room!

To deal with this nuisance, you need to follow a few steps. Here’s how to clean your carpets and rid your home of scabies for good.

Step 1: Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum

The first step to getting scabies out of the carpet is to thoroughly vacuum the area. Make sure to go over the entire carpet, moving from one wall to the next. 

Step 2: Dust the Baseboards

Next, you need to grab a wet rag and wipe down the baseboards. This helps remove any scabies that might be lurking in the area and ensures you’re getting the room properly cleaned. 

Step 3: Dust the Ceiling Fans

Dust the ceiling fans. This is because you’ll be using the fans to air dry your carpet after you steam clean them to get scabies out. 

Step 4: Fill the Steam Cleaner

Next, fill the steam cleaner with hot water. Scabies dies with water that’s between 130 and 140º Fahrenheit, so you’ll need to make sure the water is piping hot. The steam cleaner will also warm up the water to ensure it stays hot. 

Step 5: Add Soap

Once you’ve filled the machine with water, add soap. There are special soaps for killing scabies which you can add to make sure you’re getting rid of them once and for all. 

Step 6: Start Steaming

Now, it’s time to steam clean the carpet by moving a corner that’s diagonal to the room’s entrance. Slowly walk from one wall to the other, being sure not to step on any areas that you’ve already cleaned. 

A pro tip is to overlap your lines slightly. This makes sure that you don’t miss any spots on the floor and that you kill all scabies in the area. 

Step 7: Let the Floor Dry

Once you’ve finished steam cleaning the carpet, it’s time for you to let the floor dry completely. Even though most carpets dry in 6-8 hours, you want to allow the carpet to dry for as long as you can. 

Since scabies dies within 72 hours of losing contact with human skin, this is the ideal amount of time to leave the carpet to dry. That way you can be sure that there are no critters lingering on the carpet. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Scabies Live in Your House?

Even though scabies lives in human skin, they can also fall off and onto your carpets, furniture, towels, and clothing. That’s why it’s so important to deep clean the home after someone has scabies. 

What Kills Scabies Instantly?

If you’ve got a scabies infestation, the easiest way to get rid of them is with hot water. That’s why steam cleaning carpets in a scabies-infested home is so important.