Hospitals employees have many different ways of combating offensive odors produced by patients' bodies. The odors may be due to infectious diarrhea, necrotic infections, or excessive body fat. We've all been in that situation many times, and we've all dealt with it one way or another, whether it be through machines which suck in the odor and expel neutral smelling air into the room, or potpourri, peppermint spirits that you can sprinkle about, essential oils, or chemical products that you can spray such as Glade.
However, when do these measures become offensive to use? One time I was washing up an incontinent patient who had c-diff and although it smelled rather gross, the situation was worsened when another nurse walked over to the doorway and started spraying Glade into the room as I was washing up. Because of that, I had to contend with an extremely unpleasant smelling combination of cinnamon and ****. I would have rather just dealt with the stool.
What is your experience in these matters? Does your hospital have the machines that suck in the odor? Or do you spray or sprinkle substances around? What is your preference?
in my line of work, i tend to get kids that think Axe body spray is the BEST thing everrrrrr! Their scent lingers so long after they leave, it's almost comical. I guess maybe it's better than the smell teen BO that happens once the hormones kick in and the apocrine glands turn on, but speed stick does a nice job too. I've gently told them that less is more
On the other hand, i've had children that have come to school smelling like 3 pack a day smokers and children smelling like 2 pack a day smokers then masked by the smell of axe body spray by their parents
The ONLY thing that makes me squeamish is poop and colostomy bags. I would take a chemical headache over poop smell any day. That being said, I usually use a procedure mask with benzoin rubbed on the outside of the mask near my nose... Smells like sawdust or fresh cut wood and really helps with the smell.
There is a product called Ozium that is quite effective. You can buy it in cans small enough to keep in a pocket for those especially toxic situations. I find it not nearly as offensive as Glade in that it seems to neutralize rather than just cover up... like taking a shower instead of just covering up BO with some cologne. You can get Ozium from Amazon for about $5; pilot shops sell it too as it's the best at controlling air sickness emesis odors I've ever found.
Before I forget: blow your nose after you leave a stinky room. The stink molecules cling to the hairs in your nares otherwise and you will continue to smell the nastiness for a while.
We have a limited number of those machines that are supposed to neutralize odor. In my experience, they don't work very well (at least the type we have don't). The poop is just too potent.
Plain old ISH! I remember as a child going UP NORTH in WI to cabins at the lakes that had outhouses. Someone thought it was wise to have a chocolate/mint spray! To this day I never forget the gross combination.
Smell flowers or poop flowers. Just learn to breathe through your mouth.
I don't like to breathe through my mouth because I keep thinking those nasty odor bugs are getting in my lungs. Luckily I have a job which doesn't make me deal with poop very often LOL!
I'll take natural body odors and regular odors anytime over the stomach-turning air deodorizers. The air deodorizers also have particulates which disperse in the air, so they aren't healthy for some people.
The other day, a consulting doctor poked his head out of my patients room because he was concerned that it smelled like something was burning. (It seemed to be interrupting his doctoring duties..."I'll get your nurse"). Well it smelled out in the hall and nearby rooms too. Apparently our hepa-filtered air vents are connected to those in the family waiting room, and someone had burned popcorn.
Flare, ASN, BSN
4,431 Posts
in my line of work, i tend to get kids that think Axe body spray is the BEST thing everrrrrr! Their scent lingers so long after they leave, it's almost comical. I guess maybe it's better than the smell teen BO that happens once the hormones kick in and the apocrine glands turn on, but speed stick does a nice job too. I've gently told them that less is more
On the other hand, i've had children that have come to school smelling like 3 pack a day smokers and children smelling like 2 pack a day smokers then masked by the smell of axe body spray by their parents