Use a cloth or towel only once when you soak or clean an area of infected skin. Then, wash them in soap and hot water and dry them fully in a clothes dryer. Put a heating pad or a hot water bottle to the skin for about 20 minutes, three or four times a day.
Take a bath or shower often, be sure to use soap to clean your body while showering or bathing. Do not share towels, wash cloths, razors, or other personal items.
Keep the infected area covered with clean, dry bandages. Pus from infected wound is very infectious.
A follow-up study last year found that Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were able to survive on polyester fabric for up to seven days and for up to 21 days on cotton; this ability increases the risk of cross contamination in the home.
Clean and Cover Wounds
If your wound is infected with staph, it should be treated. Covering the wound can help prevent staph bacteria from spreading to other areas of the skin and to other people, since pus containing staph can leak from an infected wound.
To kill MRSA on surfaces, use a disinfectant such as Lysol or a solution of bleach. Use enough solution to completely wet the surface and allow it to air dry. This will sufficiently reduce the amount of germs.
Avoid sharing personal items such as towels, sheets, razors, clothing and athletic equipment. Staph infections can spread on objects, as well as from person to person. Wash clothing and bedding. Staph bacteria can spread on clothing, towels and bedding.
Staph bacterium is alive and contagious when present on the skin. On objects or materials, it can survive for 24 hours or longer. Therefore, to protect others, it is crucial to cover sores or lesions.
The pus must drain for the infection to heal. You may use warm compresses to “ripen” the abscess, but DO NOT try to pop or puncture the abscess yourself. If your abscess is not draining on its own, your doctor may help the pus to drain through a small incision.
DEALING WITH STAPH OR MRSA SKIN INFECTIONS:
PHISOHEX® cleanser* three times a week until wounds are healed. Always use an unscented moisturizer on your body to prevent dry skin. During these times you can use cleanser around the wound areas if your body's skin becomes too dry or irritated.
A staph-infected wound is likely to be tender and swollen, with evidence of pus. Wrinkling or peeling skin that burns or blisters can be a sign of staphylococcal scaled skin syndrome (SSSS), another staph-related skin infection. Invasive staph infections can be life threatening if not treated immediately.
Streptococcus and Staphylococcus are two kinds of bacteria that have been found on toilet seats; the first can cause throat infection and impetigo, the second can cause skin infections, including boils and cellulitis. And viruses, such as the common cold virus and hepatitis A, can be found on toilet seats as well.
Healthy people, including children are at very low risk of contracting MRSA. Casual contact such as hugging is okay; however, hands should be washed before leaving the patient's hospital room or home.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can survive on some surfaces, like towels, razors, furniture, and athletic equipment for hours, days, or even weeks. It can spread to people who touch a contaminated surface, and MRSA can cause infections if it gets into a cut, scrape, or open wound.
People that carry S. aureus can shed the organism in large numbers – meaning it'd be pretty easy for Staphylococcus bacteria to be transferred into your bed at home.
Among the bacteria researchers have found on bar soap are E. coli, which can cause diarrhea, along with other issues, and Staph.
The temperature range for growth of S. aureus is 7–48°C, with an optimum of 37°C. S. aureus is resistant to freezing and survives well in food stored below -20°C; however, viability is reduced at temperatures of -10 to 0°C.
Lysol® kills 99.9% of viruses & bacteria, including MRSA!
Alternative Remedies Some people apply substances with reported antimicrobial properties, such as tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, eucalyptus essential oil, oregano essential oil, and others to skin infections to help them heal.
Antibiotics commonly prescribed to treat staph infections include cefazolin, nafcillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid. For serious staph infections, vancomycin may be required. This is because so many strains of staph bacteria have become resistant to other traditional antibiotics.
If you have a MRSA infection, dirty clothes and bedding can spread it. Routine laundry procedures using detergent will help to make clothes, towels and linens safe to wear or touch.
A staph infection at the surface of the skin may heal with just a few days of treatment. However, if a large sore or wound has developed, it may require several weeks of treatment or longer.