PLEASE HELP,My 2 month old baby had surgery and now has MRSA Satph infection.What can I use to disinfect>>>?

Question

My 2 months had surgery on the 6th of Aug.Now he has been in the hospital for 4 days because they gave him MRSA Staph infection he has been in there with IV antibiotics.I have been disinfecting my home so he can come home,but what can I use to disinfect my laundry,something that will be strong enough to kill staph??????Please Help

Answer 1

If your baby has MRSA/Staph you'll need to see if you can get a hospital grade detergent. Ask your baby's doctor and see if they can get you some from their supplier or if the hospital has some on hand.

Good luck! My heart certainly goes out to you.

Did the hospital give you any suggestions? It is considered a bio-hazard and requires special cleaning. Anything you use to clean areas that are infected need to be disposed of. Use a household disinfectant or a solution of one tablespoon of bleach mixed in one quart of water (prepared fresh each day) to disinfect all non-disposable items and surfaces that

may have come in contact with the infected area, wound drainage, or soiled supplies.

If you wash laundry. Be sure to use the hottest water you can get. Regular detergent is supposed to be okay when used with hot water, but I would suggest hospital grade if you can find some.

Answer 2

So sorry to hear about your baby, I hope everything will be well soon.  I attach a web site for your information (it sounds like you already have things under control) which also mentions laundry etc.  This is a UK website.  

http://www.millionsofgermswilldie.co.uk/...

I also attach another which is informative.  Please don't feel shy of asking the hospital for advice and your local Department of Health.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publichealth/hea...

Answer 3

tea tree oil  

Answer 4

1/4 cup to a gallon of chlorine bleach with a contact time of five minutes is effective for staph and most everything else on hard surfaces. (Clorox will tell you 3/4 cup, because the weaker solution doesn't kill some things, but it does kill staph.) Mix the solution fresh each time you clean. For most clothing, washing in warm water with detergent and the appropriate amount of bleach for the fabric and using a clothes dryer until they are THOROUGHLY dry will control staph. It's a pretty hard bug that can survive 30 minutes in a hot drier. (Use the setting that generates the most heat the fabric can stand.)  It's also not going to survive an afternoon on a line in direct sunlight.

But I notice you're talking mainly about preparing for him to come home. His antibiotics at the hospital do not make him more vulnerable, so, while you do want it to be clean, you also want to prevent transferring the resistant strain from the hospital to home. That means frequent cleaning of surfaces with the above solution and lots of hand washing. Scrub for at least 15 seconds AFTER you raise a good lather.

And, while you're at it, don't mistakenly become a breeder of more resistant bacteria. Do not use "antibiotic" products. It's actually getting a bit hard to avoid them, but they turn homemakers into "Mama the Bioterrorist" with her own highly effective germ lab, the kitchen. (Far worse than the bathroom.)  They are a primary cause of resistance in common bacteria. The agent in antibiotic cleaning products kills a high percentage of the bacteria. Those that survive are those that are more resistant to it, and they pass that resistance on when they reproduce. You end up then with a whole colony of resistant bacteria. It is no different from what happens when people demand antibiotics for things that are not appropriate (like flu, which is a virus and isn't touched by antibiotics) and when people do not take the whole course of the prescription. You can see why these thing are most often picked up in hospitals. Lots of opportunities for bacteria to develop resistance and lots of people moving from patient to patient to spread it. (And did you notice, for instance, if the fabric blood pressure cuffs were covered with disposable covers changed between patients?)

Use only products that are not labeled "antibiotic" and do not have antibiotic "active ingredients" listed. Ivory soap, for instance. Bleach is fine. It kills bacteria regardless of the antibiotic resistance, so even if any survive, they're not "new and improved" bugs.

Don't get paranoid about it, but remember that now, after the course of antibiotics, any of that infection your child brings home is now more resistant even to the big guns they used on him, and take reasonable precautions for a while.  

Answer 5

I say bleach on flat surfaces and perhaps disinfectant spray. Good wishes to your baby.  I'm not sure abt the laundry part, ask the hospital staff, they will know

Answer 6

Bleach is probably the best.  But the hospital should be able to help you with what is the best disinfectant.

For general cleaning ALL OVER the house, 1/2 water, 1/2 hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle.  This is absolutely the BEST cleaning liquid in the world.  And it's inexpensive.  It makes everything shine, plus it's disinfecting and anti-bacterial.  It's great on glass and mirrors too.

God bless your baby.  I know all will go well.

Answer 7

Bleach is the recommendation..

Personally I would contact my locale health department for support and help in gaining confidence for you as a mother and family.

I don't know what the MRSA strain in your area nor which type your family has come in contact with(you did say hospital was point of contact) which is why I suggested the Health department.

As for your laundry I would use soap with a soak. (hot where possible and bleach where possible.

My personal thought  is the clothing that comes back into your home from the hospital.

Best to you and your family.