Tips on making that ICU bed look perfect after a bath

HeHe,
This thread makes me laugh. I love having my patient, the bed and the room look great and do a lot of what has been mentioned here. I really like the idea of buying my own body washes with good smells. Great idea.
What makes me laugh is that I have been in the ICU for over a year and when I started I thought the nurses were all neurotic and I would never become one of those "sheet nazis"!!! But here I am as particular as anyone!!! It makes SUCH a difference. Especially having the lines and pumps perfect and labeled and untangled. Some nurses don't give a damn and it drives me NUTS!!! I would rather bang my head on the wall than to leave a room as bad as some nurses do!!! Anyway, great conversation here, I love it.

Calvin&Hobbes,
Mind if I print out a thousand copies of your post? I'd like to wallpaper our break room with it! I add a sprinkling of baby powder to their backs and sheets if it isn't contraindicated and always make sure that the closed ends of the pillowcases are facing the door. Changing ET and NG tube tapes also makes a big difference. As for washing hair: I have used wet, warm, soapy washcloths with many a collared bloody head trauma. Wrap the hair with a warm soapy washcloths ahead of time to soften up the dried blood. If it is really bad, tuck a thick garbage bag under the head and shoulders, put the bed flat and use warm soapy water poured from a clean urinal. You'll be standing at the head of the bed (think intubation position!) If you put a bottle of mouth wash in the final rinse, it gets rid of the old blood smell. Cover the central line with a thick towel, but expect to change it after anyways.

wow.....my first post!!

.....hairwashing can be done on virtually any icu patient in less than 3 minutes without even getting the bed wet....there is no (no!) excuse for not doing it at least every other day....

I have had patients cry with thankfulness when I wash their hair/give them the salon tx.........(sometimes, there is not much else that I can do for them.....ie ......mult pressors....trauma etc.....that makes them more comfortable...)