Nursing Smells You Love?

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

I know our profession has a reputation for some pretty gnarly smells, but does anybody have specific work-related smells that they actually enjoy?

My biggest is tincture of benzoin. We use it on preemies underneath tape to help protect their fragile skin, and I absolutely love the smell. Every time I use a benzoin swab, I feel like I stop to take a deep inhale. Maybe it's because the compound is also used in the creation of perfume and scented candles...

I also love the smell of a freshly-bathed NICU baby, especially when we get to use nice soaps. After giving baths, I love the "clean baby scent" when you smell the crown of the baby's head while you're holding them. I worked at a hospital that got rid of our baby shampoo and made us use hospital hand soap for baths, which was awful. You'd bend down to smell the baby and get a huge whiff of hospital antiseptic smell (not to mention how horrible it was for their skin). The nurses would actually buy bulk baby shampoo and hoard it at the nurses station.

We also have a few products that I enjoy the smell of. I worked in a hospital that used a locally-compounded skin protection ointment with a smokey smell just like bacon. Another used a diaper cream that smelled exactly like frosting (although that was a strange combo with a dirty diaper).

Anybody else have any guilty pleasure work scents?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

Any scent that isn't dirty body, sick body, bowel movement or infection.

[JKL33]

Closed OB units. They smell like clean. Clean linen, clean baby stuff, even the p&p is of the sweeter-smelling variety.

[JKL33]

18 minutes ago, adventure_rn said:

I worked in a hospital that used a locally-compounded skin protection ointment with a smokey smell just like bacon.

I skimmed over this. Come on!! That's kind of sick. ?

I need a whiff of chlorhexidine after reading that.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

51 minutes ago, adventure_rn said:

I also love the smell of a freshly-bathed NICU baby, especially when we get to use nice soaps. After giving baths, I love the "clean baby scent" when you smell the crown of the baby's head while you're holding them.

When I interviewed for my NICU job, they asked me what I liked about the NICU. My answer was the Fresh New Baby smell. Nothing smells better than a clean baby's head while they are sleeping on your shoulder.

[Rionoir, ADN, RN]

The OCD in me loves the smell of CHG ?

[Wuzzie]

Iodoform gauze.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

The hand cleaner that comes in the central line dressing kits is very nice. No one uses those packages, so I grab them before they hit the trash and have some in my car.

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

I love the smell of liquid carafate and I absolutely love the scent of oral liquid Nystatin. Mmmmm. ?

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

Xeroform gauze!!! It is the cleanest smell ever!

[amoLucia]

OP - Off on a tangent but you reminded me of bottled tincture of benzoin.

We too used to use it on geri pts to toughen up sensitive pressure points. As a new grad, I was working one Easter weekend 11-7 with a very low census. Another new grad and I decided to fluff, paint (with benzoin), turn & powder all the NH pts waiting to be discharged back to the NH. We started down the hall but after the 6th or so pt, I remember asking her 'did she feel the room moving in sloooooow motion?!?!' Real wiffty-like. It was the benzoin tnct that we had been inhaling for our super-duper care!

A couple whiffs of fresh air at the window and we were fine. But I always remember benzoin.

Back to the topic - best thing about having a baby >>>> that new baby smell and you get to name the baby!

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

I love the smell of oral potassium, it's smells like oranges and citrus. But all the patients said it tasted like **** and was really bitter.

Oh and the purple Dimetapp, do they still sell that? I loved the smell of it.