MMRSA Guide
Microscopic illustration of MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria
Reference · Is MRSA contagious? · At home

Preventing MRSA at home and protecting your household

MRSA moves through households the same way it moves through gyms and hospitals — on skin, on wounds and on shared objects. A short list of unglamorous habits stops it.

Reviewed and updated by the MRSA Guide editorial team.

The five basics

  • Cover every wound with a clean dry dressing until it is fully healed. Change dressings promptly if they become wet or soiled.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water — or use alcohol gel — after any wound care, before eating, and before touching shared surfaces.
  • Don't share personal items. Towels, razors, bar soap, deodorant sticks, clothing and bedding all carry the bacteria between people.
  • Launder hot, dry hot. Wash affected clothing, towels and bedding on the hottest cycle the fabric will take and tumble-dry thoroughly.
  • Wipe high-touch surfaces daily — door handles, taps, phones, remote controls, keyboards — with a household disinfectant.

After known exposure

If you have been in close contact with someone who has an active MRSA infection, you don't need testing unless you develop symptoms. Wash any area of skin that touched theirs with soap and water, and watch for new pimples, boils or red painful lumps over the next 1–10 days. See a doctor early if lesions grow quickly or become tender.

If infections keep coming back

Recurrent household MRSA is a strong reason to ask about decolonisation. The standard regimen is mupirocin 2% nasal ointment twice daily plus a chlorhexidine body wash daily for 5–10 days. Some clinicians treat the whole household simultaneously to break the cycle. See our page on why MRSA comes back for the full protocol.

Related reading

Back to the prevention hub, or read about preventing MRSA in hospitals, sports and during intimate contact.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop MRSA spreading to my family?
Keep any wound covered with a clean dry dressing until it has fully healed. Wash your hands with soap and water after changing dressings and before touching shared surfaces. Don't share towels, razors, bar soap, clothing or bedding. Wash the infected person's clothes, sheets and towels separately on the hottest wash the fabric will take, and dry fully. Clean high-touch surfaces (door handles, taps, phones, remote controls) daily with a household disinfectant.
Do I need to bleach the house?
No. A standard household disinfectant (quaternary ammonium wipes, dilute bleach or 70% alcohol) applied to high-touch surfaces is sufficient. Deep cleaning of every room is not required and often creates a false sense of security compared with consistent daily wiping of the surfaces people actually touch.
Can I use the same washing machine?
Yes. Wash the affected person's laundry on the hottest cycle the fabric allows and dry thoroughly — the heat of tumble drying is more important than washing temperature. There's no need for a separate machine, and there's no need to add disinfectant to the load if it is washed and dried properly.
What should I do after a household member is diagnosed with MRSA?
Ask their doctor whether decolonisation is being recommended — this is a 5–10 day course of mupirocin nasal ointment plus daily chlorhexidine washes. Some clinicians treat the whole household simultaneously if infections keep recurring. Keep wounds covered, wash hands, don't share personal items, and clean high-touch surfaces daily until the infection is resolved.
How long is MRSA contagious?
As long as there is an open, draining wound or the person is nasally colonised. A covered, healing wound poses very little risk to household contacts. Colonisation without symptoms can persist for months and is a common reason for household clusters, which is when decolonisation is offered.
Do I need to throw away sheets or clothes?
No. MRSA is killed by normal laundering with detergent and heat. There is no need to discard clothing, towels or bedding.

Is MRSA contagious?

The short answer, contagious period and surface survival.

MRSA bacteria: what it is and how it gets into the body

The organism, resistance, and the routes it uses to enter the body.

Hospitals & surgery

Hand hygiene, chlorhexidine bathing, screening and surgical prophylaxis.

Sports & locker rooms

Skin checks, covered wounds and cleaning shared gear.

Intimacy & sexual transmission

Skin-to-skin risk and when to abstain.

References
  1. CDC. MRSA in the community — cleaning and disinfecting your home (2024)
  2. CDC. Personal prevention of MRSA skin infections (2024)
  3. American Academy of Dermatology. MRSA: how to prevent it from spreading (2023)
  4. NHS. MRSA — how it is spread and prevented (2023)
  5. Knox J. et al., Journal of Infectious Diseases. Environmental contamination as a risk factor for intra-household Staphylococcus aureus transmission (2012)
  6. Fritz S.A. et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases. Household versus individual approaches to eradication of community-associated Staphylococcus aureus in children (2012)
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