Follow
Share
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
And your question is ???
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

She needs help cleaning. That's where you come in if you're not disabled. Make sure that the used pull ups are thrown out of the house once a day. Run some swiffer wet over the bathroom floor at least 2x a week. Make sure she is sleeping on "wet pads" aka"chucks" so that un the morning when she gets up they can be tossed in the garbage. If she has a chair in the room put a chucks on the seat so that if she has a leak, the pad can be tossed out.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

If the skin has not been cleaned well, properly there will be a urine odor. And if the clothing has been soiled that also will smell of urine. Any furniture, bedding, pads that have been soiled should be washed or replaced.
Urine that gets on the floor of the bathroom should be cleaned up. Using Odor Ban works well for floors, clothing, furniture.
SUPERVISE her in the bathroom. It may feel like an invasion of her privacy but this is a health problem that can lead to a breakdown of the skin that can lead to sores and or infection.
If there is carpeting in her room it might be best to remove it.
If she is in a regular bed, with a regular mattress changing to a Hospital bed with a mattress that can be wiped down and sanitized is the best option. Or a mattress pad that is waterproof. Get 2 so that one can be washed, they take a while to dry.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Get a plastic sheet or cover for the bed, use either washable or disposable pads for the chairs and bed. I got extra large ones online (amazon but most medical supply sites have them too) for MIL as I wash her blanket almost daily due to her night time leaks I bought washable ones, they are more cost effective and I find easier to deal with than disposable that become saturated and smelly. I use a hospital grade disinfectant in the bathroom and her room that is safe on fabrics to keep the smell out. Daily washing of her and soiled items is a must to keep the odors from filtering throughout the house. For her it is to keep the UTIs and skin breakdowns from happening, she has very fragile skin and bed sores are very hard to heal (diaper creams help with that too) I would not wait more than a day to take out the garbage.. I know the workers at the trash center by name as I am there almost everyday. Hope this helps.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Get AHEAD of the problem before it becomes a serious issue! We let mom handle her own laundry and she doesn't do it properly, so the smell of old urine is so thick and powerful, I literally gag when I am around her.

She refused aides when we should have simply pushed a little--she'd feel and smell better if she could shower more than once a month!

She lives wiht YB's family and my sweet SIL keeps scented candles going all day. That helps, but the source is mom's unwashed body and that is a smell that is hard to handle, if the person won't wash properly.

Often, elders are on meds that cause urine to really smell. Also they tend to be constantly dehydrated, b/c toileting is a hassle. Mom has a permanent internal catheter but still leaks a LOT. She will not change her depends or pads. It's a very sad situation--get ahead of it--don't let it get out of control like we did.

A BIG issue is that she won't let her bathroom trash go out but once a week. It's pretty bad in there. You MUST remove the 'source' or it actually becomes imbedded in the furniture, etc.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

Consider some other substances, including food.   When my father had to deal with rotten foods, spoiled b/c the "management" in the RV park he had to leave while recovering from pneumonia turned off the electricity and a freezer full of food spoiled.   If you can imagine the smell of rotten meat in the Texas climate, you can guess how awful it was.

He used coffee grounds, baking soda and newspapers to absorb the odor, and  they did.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

I got rid of the lingering urine smell by using vinegar in bowls after an accident I cleaned up. One in each room should work.

I helped Mom with toileting. If not #2 would have been all over. Pullups rip in the sides to make it easier to remove. I used Huggie baby wipes to clean Mom up. Nice and big and thick. I lined a small trashcan with a lid with a trash bag and placed soiled diapers and wipes in there putting a Stick up in the lid. I tried to get as much of #2 off the pullup as I could before putting it in the trash.

I found that Tide original takes out smells out of clothes. Sometimes I soaked Moms slacks in vinegar water before washing. Remember that drying in a dryer may just bring the smells back up. I had Clorox Wipes available for quick cleanups. Used PineSol.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Does mom live with you or alone?

We have a very specific “depends”trash and it goes out after every change. I would grab a small barrel that is specific for the depends and taken out more often.

Someone mentioned the use of chucks - they also help with any leakage and can be used on the bed - furniture - wheelchairs etc.

If Mom is living alone maybe see if you can start with some care help even a few hours a week - just to help her with housecleaning - errands - it could be helpful of having another set of eyes with her and see if they can offer advice on where she may need more assistance? Even if she is mostly independent - maybe she will accept small help and the caregiver can provide additional ways she sees that would help mom going forward.
Best wishes
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter