How To Deal With Bad Smells

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As we all know one of the downsides of being a nurse can be the smells we encounter on a day to day basis. It doesn't matter if you work in a hospital, nursing home or a patient's personal home, it's safe to say we have smelled some pretty nasty things.

I have recently graduated nursing school and work for a home health company. For some reason smells are my biggest downfall as a nurse.

I want to open a discussion around what remedies or solutions you have come up with (or products that are available) to help you deal with the really bad smells you've encountered. Weather it's chewing a piece a gum or putting on a mask. I would like to know what has worked best for you.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Telemetry, Stepdown, ICU.

Wear really good deodorant and act as though you are itching your nose as you bring it towards your arm pit to inhale the burst of freshness there. It is a modest way of getting a break in when the environment is polluted with awful smells.

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you can smell lemon

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I heard vapor rub works, I'm going to try that soon;)

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Specializes in anesthesia, nursing labor research, philosophy.

Little bit of tiger balm (or any other mentholated rub type product) under the nose.

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Take up smoking....it kills the sense of smell! :lol2: j/k

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Little bit of tiger balm (or any other mentholated rub type product) under the nose.

Tiger balm? What is that?

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Specializes in anesthesia, nursing labor research, philosophy.
Tiger balm? What is that?

It's kind of like Ben Gay, a mentholated balm for sore muscles, etc... But it's not a gel, it's more like lip balm consistency. It's pretty available here on the west coast. I think it's from Singapore or something. Ask at the drug store.

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Specializes in ICU.

I was born with a bad sense of smell. The only thing that gags me is GI bleed. Urp!

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Take up smoking....it kills the sense of smell! :lol2: j/k

*runs to the store to buy a carton of Camel Crush*

:smokin:

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Specializes in OB.

For the really,really bad ones wear a mask with a cottonball in it with a few drops of tincture of benzoin. You won't be able to smell anything else.

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Specializes in Psych.

Strong mint, gum, cough drop, spray the room. I would say open a window, but heaven forbid that happens in a hospital.

The worst time for me with smells was when I was pregnant.

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