Natural Approaches for Scabies: Exploring Effective Remedies

I want to Thank this forum for finally getting my home back. My husband and I are completely rid of Scabies because of this forum.. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. Here is our story and what we did to finally rid our bodies and home from these relentless critters.

We tried the prescription creams and even took the pills that doctors prescribed and scrubbed my house and washed the linens every day, only to have recurrences every 4-5 days. After 3 failed attempts doing it the doctor's way finally I headed to the internet and found this website. I read all the different posts for what others were using and having success. I guess you can say I gathered a mix of treatments. Here is what we did to finally rid our bodies and home.

1) Wrap the mattress and box springs in plastic

2) Wrap the couch in plastic

3) Steam Clean the Carpets -- We added 1/4 cup Chlorine free bleach, 3 Tblsp Dr Bonners Castile Peppermint soap and Zep Carpet Cleaner to mix with our water. Not only did this actually do a better job on our carpets then the cleaner itself ever did, but our carpets were minty fresh.

4) Take the bed linens off the bed every morning and straight to the washing machine. Add borax with your detergent. Then to the dryer until completely dry, I ran mine for 2 cycles. Spray the plastic on the bed with 50/50 Cholorine free bleach and Water, let air dry.

5) If you have pets, bathe them with the Peppermint soap made into shampoo. Use a nit/flea comb to remove any eggs that they are carrying. No the scabies don't infect them, but they do provide them with rides all over your house.

6) Remove daily clothing in the bathroom and place them directly into a plastic bag to transport clothing and towels to the washing machine.

7)Bathe twice a day, make the water as hot as you can take. Add Tblsp of each -Dr Bonners castile Citrus, Tea Tree and Peppermint oil soaps to the Bath water and soak. Then wash with one of the castile oil soaps which ever one you choose for the day and shower off. Towel dry and spray entire body with a 50/50 mix of the chlorine free bleach and Water. Place towel in the plastic bag with the clothing you were wearing and off to the laundry.

8) vacuum carpets every day.

9) each day spray every room in your house from floor to ceiling (everything- walls, doors, cabinets, floor.. Etc. ) with a 50/50 mix of chlorine free bleach and water.

In 10 days and we were completely free of scabies from our bodies and home. I say 10 days because we were clear of any outbreaks in 5 days, but we kept up the cleaning regiment for another 5 days just to make sure we didn't have another recurrence in the usual 4-5 days when we were following the doctor prescribed methods.

You have to be completely ready to stay with the routine, if you decide that you are tired and don't follow through with the cleaning regiment, I promise you will be sorry. Just plan on starting over as though it is day one all over again. Trust me you can't win the battle if you aren't fighting.

Once again Thank you everyone for posting your remedies, I hope passing along our success story will help someone else. Please pay attention to your body because the chlorine free bleach and soaps are not for everyone and I wouldn't want anyone to have an adverse reaction if you have allergies or sensitive skin to any of the ingredients used, then don't use them, create a mix of your own that works for you.

Away from human contact, scabies mites die within 3 days; so it would probably be cheaper to just rent a motel for a couple nights then return to your home. Go to Starbucks with your sanitized suitcase in the car, stay there 12 hrs, then stay in a motel for the night, the next day, and another night if you want to be sure.

When you get home, all the mites will be dead, and you didn't have to sanitize every inch of your home.

But all the above is overkill anyway...that's my point.

Don't forget shoes... I have been spraying them inside and out with bedbug and flea spray.

Sofa and desk chair covered with plastic, and also I wipe all of my toiletries with alcohol - razor, tweezer, and also wipe off pencils and lipsticks...

Hairbrushes - put in a pillowcase and put in the dryer for 30 min on high, to be certain.

I'll keep everyone posted on my journey with this. God bless, and I hope everyone keeps up and gets through this awful thing.

Like the earlier post say, it probably is a little bad for your skin, since it does dry it out quite a bit, but using a lotion afterwards solved that.

I've only done it one night, but I can say it's working because my husband and I have been fighting it for countless months and this is the most effective new treatment we've found. I woke up this morning (AFTER THE VERY FIRST NIGHT OF SOAKING) with not one new bite. At least as of lunch when I'm posting this from my desk.

The true key is a reduction in the number of live mites in your environment.

4/1 water/bleach EVERYTHING. It is diluted enough as to not leave spots on fabric. When I say everything I mean everything, all the time, always. If you can imagine. Everytime you think about it spray something with the solution or wipe it with a disinfectant. One of at all times was carrying the bottle as we went about our nightly routine spraying and cleaning everything we touched. You will begin to realize why you haven't been able to get rid of it.

You have to keep with it, it is awful. You come home from one job, just to start another one.

Steps to follow if you can't come up with something else you think if better:

1) fill bath with hottest water you can stand, add 1 cup of bleach and 1/2 peroixde. SIT, RELAX, FEEL THE FIZZLE. 10-15 min

2) This step is optional, but if you worry about the drying effects on your skin I would considered adding this.

Take a shower with oatmeal soap, tea tree oil soap, aveeno, etc. Something you find that soothes your skin. This will help the skin heal from the bleach you just sat in. The peroxide does this while sitting in the bath. At this point I was not itch, except for my very top of my shoulders that I would not get in the bath tub cause I live in a small apartment with a small tub.

3) Air dry. While I was still wet and standing in the bathroom I sprayed my skin with the bleach/water solution to be left on over night. I think air drying keeps it off the towels. the little buggers are scurrying and dying so giving them a way off your bleached body is letting them live to fight another day.

4) I went to bed naked but I understand that's not for everybody. That way there was no where they could hide. I treated my bedding, mattress, box spring, and my body. Everywhere they crawled was treated.

When you wake up you will feel the difference and be way less itchy if you still itch at all.

I also wanted to add that before I ran the bath I sprayed by bed with the solution because I knew I was going directly to bed. It was really wet, but it dries by the time the whole bathing routine is done. Surprisingly, it didn't leave that much of a smell of bleach. At least not enough to make you not keep doing it. They are most active at night so if you can survive the night without getting any new bites you know you are killing them off.

You are winning!

Treating your house is what takes the most out of you. You have to vaccum everyday. Also spray your car and work environment if you can. But definately your car's interior with the solution. If you can help it sit on hard furniture that can be wiped down when you get up. We don't sit on the couch, we got 2 plastic chairs. TREAT YOUR FURNITURE WITH THE SOLUTION QUITE HEAVILY. Since you probably sat in the same spot everyday for months before and while you were infected before you started EFFECTIVILY treating.

Good Luck!

I read some of these comments and decided what do I have to lose. It's been two days and I am pretty Damn happy with the results. Two days and dried up Probably 75% of the mites, just be careful it can burn a little but well worth it. I will stick with the Bleach and Water. Good Luck!

However, I honestly think the bleach cleanser (bleach and water) I tried one night was the actual cure. It stopped the itching immediately and after applying it directly to my skin for a couple of nights, the mites are gone. This has only gone on for a week for me. My heart goes out to those of you who have been dealing with it so long. I'm a health care professional and have been around scabies-infected people for years but never got it until now. I was infected with scabies from having sex with a man who does not have the symptoms. He must just be carrying it. Anyway, I don't care if the bleach is bad for your skin as long as I'm cured. This has been a nightmare. Good luck everybody.

Here is my cure:

Bed bug spray EVERYTHING -- it has permetherin in it. If you have it in your scalp use CVS 1% Lice shampoo.

Shower every night as hot as you can stand it, dry off and spray with water and bleach solution.

Spray the bed with bug spray, get in bed. Leave Window open to circulate air, fumes I am sure are not good for you.

Wake up, shower and scrub gently with a KITCHEN (yes, I said KITCHEN scrub pad to remove dead skin, and dead Scabies and whatever they leave behind), spray again. Spray everything with bug spray and bleach/water solution - wash everything daily.

After a few days you should see sign of improvement.

This has ruined my summer 2011; I have been in despair... So down over it. Cost $$$ and I have had it since the beginning of May... it's now August.

I have red marks all over my chest and upper legs, and some inside my arms. But it gets better.

God knows what all these chemicals are doing to my body, but I was desperate, I am hoping I am through the worst of it now.

Don't give up!

We tried the prescription creams and even took the pills that doctors prescribed and scrubbed my house and washed the linens every day, only to have recurrances every 4-5 days. After 3 failed attempts doing it the doctors way finally I headed to the internet and found this website. I read all the different posts for what others were using and having success. I guess you can say I gathered a mix of treatments. Here is what we did to finally rid our bodies and home.

1) Wrap the mattress and box springs in plastic

2) Wrap the couch in plastic

3) Steam Clean the Carpets -- We added 1/4 cup Chlorine free bleach, 3 Tblsp Dr Bonners Castile Peppermint soap and Zep Carpet Cleaner to mix with our water. Not only did this actually do a better job on our carpets then the cleaner itself ever did, but our carpets were minty fresh.

4) Take the bed linens off the bed every morning and straight to the washing machine. Add borax with your detergent. Then to the dryer until completely dry, I ran mine for 2 cycles. Spray the plastic on the bed with 50/50 Cholorine free bleach and Water, let air dry.

5) If you have pets, bathe them with the Peppermint soap made into shampoo. Use a nit/flea comb to remove any eggs that they are carrying. No the scabies don't infect them, but they do provide them with rides all over your house.

6) Remove daily clothing in the bathroom and place them directly into a plastic bag to transport clothing and towels to the washing machine.

7)Bathe twice a day, make the water as hot as you can take. Add Tblsp of each -Dr Bonners castile Citrus, Tea Tree and Peppermint oil soaps to the Bath water and soak. Then wash with one of the castile oil soaps which ever one you choose for the day and shower off. Towel dry and spray entire body with a 50/50 mix of the chlorine free bleach and Water. Place towel in the plastic bag with the clothing you were wearing and off to the laundry.

8) vacuum carpets every day.

9) each day spray every room in your house from floor to ceiling (everything- walls, doors, cabinets, floor.. Etc. ) with a 50/50 mix of chlorine free bleach and water.

In 10 days and we were completely free of scabies from our bodies and home. I say 10 days because we were clear of any outbreaks in 5 days, but we kept up the cleaning regiment for another 5 days just to make sure we didn't have another recurrance in the usual 4-5 days when we were following the doctor prescribed methods.

You have to be completely ready to stay with the routine, if you decide that you are tired and don't follow through with the cleaning regiment, I promise you will be sorry. Just plan on starting over as though it is day one all over again. Trust me you can't win the battle if you aren't fighting.

Once again Thank you everyone for posting your remedies, I hope passing along our success story will help someone else. Please pay attention to your body because the chlorine free bleach and soaps are not for everyone and I wouldn't want anyone to have an adverse reaction if you have allergies or sensitive skin to any of the ingredients used, then don't use them, create a mix of your own that works for you.

Bleach is the cure. It may be dangerous but totally worth it. It took three times of doing this with spot treating with bleach and a blow dryer but I am now scabie free. Mostly it's important to know that your dog having a parasite is much different and honestly you cannot relate. Heating a spot that has brand-new bumps with a blow dryer to just past the point of being uncomfortable will kill them. Doubling that with the bleach, you're basically good to go.