[So] My hospital has banned disposable wipes...

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  • by Thunda
    Specializes in Med/Surg.
  1. Your opinion

    • 4
      OP is crazy, stop whining!
    • 18
      I don't have disposable wipes where I work
    • 9
      This is not common
    • 76
      That is disgusting!

107 members have participated

Maybe I'm just ignorant, and this may be an ongoing trend; however, it seems pretty skinflint-ish. They blamed the decision on the fact that B&G had to remove the wipes (which are not flushable) from the system a small #of times. I may be ignorant of plumbing systems but running a snake thru the system occasionally doesn't seem to warrant this sort of change.

The biggest issue I have is that I work in a satellite building, far enough away where we do not have access to central supply or housekeeping. It has a lot of incontinence issues.

They implemented this change without first having another system of peri-care in place. There are no separate hand towels for BM, there is no designated Washer for BM soiled linen, there is no wash basin to get the excess BM off the FACE TOWELS that we are forced to use to cleans peoples hinders. I asked if the building could just buy some flushable wipes until we get something setup and received a "ugh... I'm not sure" with no follow up so residents are forced to use the same towels on their face and butts.

There is no bleach to use in the buildings consumer-grade washing machine due to multicolor hand towels.

This seems really gross to me, anyone else or am I just a poop/face-averse weirdo

(frankly I've just been using 3 paper-towels from the dispenser in the bathrooms, wetting/ringing it out and using the peri-cleanser we have)

allnurses Guide

NurseCard, ADN

2,847 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I would buy my own baby wipes at a discount store, along with some

plastic baggies if necessary. Keep them handy, use them, bag up

the dirty wipes, throw them in the trash. A little extra expense for

you, especially if you have to buy baggies... but sounds better than

using paper towels or using the hand towels if those aren't being

bleached/disinfected.

Mulan

2,228 Posts

Hell, I'd use toilet paper or the paper towels.

Pretty sad state of affairs where a nurse should have to buy wipes and baggies and I wouldn't do it.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN

1 Article; 2,543 Posts

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

So I take it that management has never heard of C-Diff? No bleach?!?!?

sauconyrunner

553 Posts

Specializes in Emergency.

I am unsure exactly what the standards for washing stuff is, but it would seem that this is not it. WHy do you have multicolored hand towels?

Your institution may be interested in reading some research on the contaminants in bath basins.

Thunda

59 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg.

the paper towel solution i mentioned is as close to the wipes as I can get, they're damp, and have the cleansing foam on it so it's not abbraisive

amoLucia

7,736 Posts

Specializes in retired LTC.

Just wait until family and pts start seeing the poopy-stained towels and washclothes!!! Nothing gets them unstained - looks like they've never been washed. (And they retain a musty smell!) Even using the facility's industrial strength acid bleach! Wonder what they'll remember when they do those satisfaction surveys? Maybe a little bird should start singing...

And just FYI - wipes plugging the toilets is a MAJOR MAJOR maintenance problem. Esp on 11-7 when there's no housekeeping around and there's a deluge in the hall that you can part like Moses and the Red Sea! And perpetual flooding ruins flooring. So no, it's not just about being cheap. I'm sure there are biodegradable/flushable wipes out there, but they must be super $$$.

Home Health Columnist / Guide

NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN

10 Articles; 18,300 Posts

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Memo to infection control department is needed STAT with signatures from all the concerned staff. That should get someone's attention.

Thunda

59 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg.
Memo to infection control department is needed STAT with signatures from all the concerned staff. That should get someone's attention.

No.... no it would not. The Administrative staff is very catty, likely just get ppl in trouble

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

What type of facilty do you work in???

We have hospital laundry that just plain heats and bleaches everything out of existance.

Could you use diaper pails? No, I'm serious. I used to soak my children's nappies in a bucket with a water and vinegar solution, drain it down the toilet, flop the lot in the washer and do a hot wash. Very little stained and there was no odour in the house.

We had somebody drop a towel down a hopper. Don't even start me on the flood, the disaster it caused was beyond any snake.

prinsessa

615 Posts

Specializes in LTC/Skilled Care/Rehab.

We don't have disposable wipes at our facility. We use washcloths. I'm not sure if they are bleached but they are white (and don't ever have stains on them).

allnurses Guide

NurseCard, ADN

2,847 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
Hell, I'd use toilet paper or the paper towels.

Pretty sad state of affairs where a nurse should have to buy wipes and baggies and I wouldn't do it.

It is sad, but that's just the way I would handle the situation.

Using paper towels is fine I guess, if they aren't abrasive. For

some reason I saw myself making a major mess and using up

too much extra time by trying to use the paper towels in the

bathroom.

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