How to get rid of hospital smell?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2015

In nearly a decade of bedside nursing, I have never had a problem with the smell of the hospital sticking to me.

Perhaps it has something to do with the products your facility uses. Perhaps you might have a highly sensitive sensory system that causes you to be bothered by the alcohol/soap smell when others never noticed it.

Farawyn · Mar 31, 2015

I shower of course. Nothing other than that. I have to say I miss the hospital smell. Not all the smells, mind you, but the antiseptic smell.

Where do you work, OP? Gastro?

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2015

I shower of course. Nothing other than that. I have to say I miss the hospital smell. Not all the smells, mind you, but the antiseptic smell.
Where do you work, OP? Gastro?

Nope, NICU Â¯\_(ãƒ„)_/Â¯ It is just the smell of the alcohol handrub that I find clings to me, and somehow that gets into my skin all over. Probably is the type of product we use; I don't remember having this issue at my old job. I like the antiseptic hospital smell myself, but the lingering handrub makes me go blech.

allnurses Guide · Mar 31, 2015

I don't use hand gel unless absolutely necessary. I must prefer to actually wash my hands. However if you take a fresh cut lemon into the shower with you and rub it all over your skin and squeeze the juice into your hair while you shower you will drop some of that smell.

Hppy

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2015

I don't use hand gel unless absolutely necessary. I must prefer to actually wash my hands. However if you take a fresh cut lemon into the shower with you and rub it all over your skin and squeeze the juice into your hair while you shower you will drop some of that smell.
Hppy

Interesting, I'll try that! Incidentally, how do you get on with washing your hands instead of gelling? I don't think I'd have the time or enough skin cells to wash and dry for every time I use handrub in a shift.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Mar 31, 2015

Personally, I'd rather have the soap and alcohol pad smells in my pores than GI bleed or a purulent wound. I remember running around for an entire shift with those odors emanating from me, driving home with them, and stripping off my scrubs in the garage before running downstairs to take the hottest shower I could stand. Yeccch. :barf02:

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2015

Personally, I'd rather have the soap and alcohol pad smells in my pores than GI bleed or a purulent wound.

Yep. Smelling like hospital soap or alcohol foam is one hundred times better than reeking of poop, old blood, uremic frost or an infected wound.

Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN · Apr 1, 2015

Yep. Smelling like hospital soap or alcohol foam is one hundred times better than reeking of poop, old blood, uremic frost or an infected wound.

Ew. Yes, well, fortunately these are not the only alternative to smelling like handrub. Which is the problem I'm actually having. Thanks for sharing, though!

allnurses Guide · Apr 1, 2015

Interesting, I'll try that! Incidentally, how do you get on with washing your hands instead of gelling? I don't think I'd have the time or enough skin cells to wash and dry for every time I use handrub in a shift.

Here's the thing - I am a nurse in recovery from alcoholism. I have been sober since 2004 but I went through the very grueling process of the California Diversion program and had a couple of false positives for alcohol due to hand gel (it's actually documented in peer reviewed studies so don't laugh) It doesn't make you drunk but traces can show up in your urine. So I learned to wash my hands when I entered a room and before I left. You can do it quickly if you use good technique. Now if my hands are soiled and I can't for some reason get to soap and water I do use hand gel. However my endocrinologist said that Triclosan inhibits immune and hormone functions and I have enough problems without inviting more. I am not telling anyone not to use hand gel and I do use a really good lotion that cost about $20.00 a bottle so my hands and skin stay pretty soft. It's Boot's #7 Serum if you are interested.

Hppy