No matter how thoroughly I clean or with what, it’s ALWAYS there. There surely must be something I can do. He wears an external catheter and pull on absorbent underwear.
If urine gets deep into upholstery or carpet under pads - and sometimes even into the wooden sub floor - it's very difficult to remove completely. Enzyme cleaners like nature's miracle can help, they have a low-foaming formula that is designed to be used with any water-based carpet cleaning machine or steam cleaner.
We use a diaper pail in mom's room when she has bouts with incontinence, but we use an air purifier all the time. I don't have any affiliations with Wal-Mart and do not get paid for any referrals, but this is what we have in her room and it works great for old people smells.
I've heard every method and never found one to work. My step fathers bed reeked, tossed it out the window from the 2nd floor right into a dumpster...that worked.
Bed pads (you can get them from Amazon) and I use them on chairs too.
To get the urine smell out I add baking soda and detergent to the “sanitize” cycle of the washing machine.
Sometimes I also add “Rockin Green Active Wear” which has “filth fighter enzymes” and that combo gets it smelling clean followed by Lysol spray in the room. I also have a waterproof bed cover on the bed.
I agree with others if urine has gotten into the bed or furniture there’s nothing to be done but throw it out.
There are many products to remove biological odors. These are even sold in the grocery store. Also use Febreze. I line my trash can bottoms with newspapers and sprinkle baking soda. I've heard that kitty litter also is great at absorbing odors! We have a bidet toilet attachment which helps with cleanliness and odors. There is a new product for body odor control called Lume - definitely try it. It can be used in the butt crease, feet, under arms, anywhere on the body. It's being advertised heavily. As mentioned above, use an air purifier. To collect the used Depends, I have a diaper pail with a lid and spray with Febreze when necessary. There may be some houseplants that are effective at refreshing air, as well. Some fabrics (polyester) will hold onto odors. Also, in the laundry, I use a liquid "sanitizer" sometimes.
Is there urine in the mattress. It sounds like there might be a soaked chair that has dried??? Are there any upholstered furniture that may have gotten soaked in urine and then it dried?
For clothing you can use baking soda and vinegar. I air out the room daily and check underneath the sheets. You can get pads to go underneath the sheets from your medical supplies under health insurance OTC.
I think the smell is coming from somewhere that perhaps, it is imbedded and maybe a piece of furniture needs to be discarded and replaced.
Good morning! Carbon based products work best to remove smells like that. Look into a product called Diaper Dust for your trash can and the soiled pads/depends to start. It's sold on Amazon but you can get it cheaper on the website. I know a lot of people that have had good success with it.
A couple of things. His mattress should be like a hospital mattress which has a water proof cover. Easy to clean and can not absorb moisture. Wash bedding frequently on a steam cycle. Most smells come from bacteria. Keep his cloths clean. Clean with odor reducing cleaners like febreeze or those with activated charcoal (something that absorbs odor) personally I think a mattress change is the first thing to do. I also use disposable mattress protectors on the bed.
I rent. I don't smoke.. I leave a pan of vinegar in each room to be rid of smell.. that's an easy to one... No brainier u would be foolish to not do that....it is likely embedded somewhere u may have to to leave a pan of vinegar there always.. I say Pan for greater surface area.. if u have a bowl with a large surface area that would do too..... When my dad fell couldn't get up wasn't found for 3 days the urine on carpet was terrible.. I soaked in urine for 24 hours after they dried u couldn't tell they had been soaked in urine... Get lots of big bottles of vinegar.. wipe the walls and soak any furniture,bed, carpet that u can.. get some vinyl backed mattress pads to place over bed if he needs to sleep on bed an it still not dried when he needs to use bed. Remove it to let it continue to dry when not being used. the smell of vinegar will be terrible for a while but after clears unplesant odors will be gone too... If not it will be less redo let dry again
U can withstand the terrible vinegar smell for a few days for the greater good result. Btw with my ultiple sclerosis I had to wear a catheter both and internal anf a walking catheter.. They leak. Make sure u have vinyl backed chuck or mattress pad on all that he lays on. Or fabric items he sits on. Once urine gets in fabric the smell stays.
Sounds like you clean well...Open windows for fresh Air & ultimately a new mattress. I think odor could be seeping out from the old mattress...Cover new mattress w plastic mattress protector
For my dads bed pads and used depends, I purchase mint infused garbage bags from Home Depot. Its advertised as rodent repellant but they work well to contain the odor within the garbage bags. Unfortunately they only come in one size. We also use Gonesh inscense sticks when its time to deep clean or we have to clean BM. We use Pets and Kids enzyme additive in the laundry along with baking soda.
In addition to cwillie's reply, here is an article relating to "old person smell". It permeated my parents house and there was no urine in carpet or the furniture. The fact that my elderly parents did not bathe or shower daily was the cause. Plus they never really opened the windows for fresh air unless it was SUPER hot outside, which wasn't often.
My in-laws were the same ages as my parents and their house did not have this smell. I truly believe it was because they showered daily. Plus they regularly opened the windows in the Spring, Summer and Fall to let fresh air into the house. It was like night and day. Both my Mom and MIL did have some urinary incontinence but managed it with Depends pads. Wet pads were discarded immediately in plastic grocery bags and thrown outside in the trash. Neither house smelled of urine. Just the nonenal smell (in my parents house) was the issue. I always supplied them with Glade linen spray and I used it all the time when I went over there, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay long.
Here's an article on it: "Old People Smell"... What is It? https://www.franklinpark.org/blog/old-people-smell/#:~:text=As%20our%20skin%20matures%2C%20its,of%20us%20are%20familiar%20with.
Could require shampooing the carpets - ? Oh ... catheter. Does this help:
How do you prevent urine from leaking out of the catheter when you change from a bedside drainage bag to a leg bag?
Pinch off the soft rubber tube (the catheter tube) so that urine doesn't leak out. Disconnect the urinary (Foley) catheter tube from the current large drainage bag with a twisting motion. Keep pinching the soft rubber tube (the catheter tube) so that urine does not leak out. Be careful not to pull on the catheter.
Besides making sure anything urine soaked is discarded, there are Japanese persimmon extract sprays (one is made by Mirai $$$) that are formulated to eliminate the “old people” scent. After cleaning up both bed, room as well as my mom, I would lightly mist the bed linens and carpet with the Mirai spray. After the morning bathroom clean up, I would also use original scent Poopourri spray on the toilet water surface. I tried other room type sprays but they all seemed too floral. The Poopourri original scent has a nice lemony herbal scent. Be sure to double check all surfaces. There might be overlooked urine soaked areas that are creating the continued problem.
my brother doesn't change clothes or his diaper unless i bug him to. the smell is pretty bad. go on line there are things you can buy and things you can do yourself. also maybe get rugs cleaned and have room disinfected!!
Odoban is a commercial cleaner that removes all kinds of odors. I use it for cleaning surfaces and also pour a cup into the laundry. Febreze and other air fresheners really do nothing to eliminate odors, it just perfumes the air for a short time…A good scented candle helps a bit more, but must be monitored. Buy a good ‘black light” flashlight to help you determine where the smells are coming from. (Both help with pet odors also) Although this can be difficult, daily bathing and clean clothing is crucial. Even more difficult is getting hair/head thoroughly washed, but whew, a lot of lingering stink comes from there! Best of luck.
In my experiences with this situation--besides making mother shower more frequently and taking the time to really wash the 'undercarriage'--we tried and tried to clean the carpet and the 'soft' furnishings--the couch, mom's recliner.
I could not believe the dirt that came out of those items! Sadly, her antique bedroom set had gotten permeated with the scent of urine and although I actually inherited this set--my super-nose could still smell the urine. I knew could not have it in my home.
If urine has soaked through the pads and into the wood subfloor you are never going to get the smell out unless you pull up the carpet and pad and paint the affected floors with KILZ. I did 5(!) coats of KILZ in my daughter's condo before the urine spots from an incontinent dog no longer leached through the floors.
Best to have a non-slippery hardwood, or better yet, linoleum down as flooring. Mom did not live long enough for us to do this.
I always felt so bad that mom's place smelled so awful. She would not open windows for ANYTHING, so it just got so stuffy--and layer upon layer of smells were what we were smelling.
And once the apt was emptied ( all her clothes were pretty pungent) and the carpets pulled up--and windows left open for a week--there is now no smell.
Weirdly, I found the smells to be the hardest to deal with. I have a really great sense of smell and what I could smell and what YB could smell were vastly different.
I bought a Homedics air cleaner that I keep near my husband's hospital bed. I have asked members of my family to let me know if they get even a whiff of the urine smell that usually accompanies incontinence. To this date, after more than a year of home care, no one has reported it.
JustMeCP: Perhaps you may have to invest in a new mattress as the urine could, quite likely, have soaked through the current mattress and will be near impossible to clean.
for the short term relief of odors - Vicks vapor rub under your nose does help. So do strong peppermints in your mouth. you can buy no rinse peri(neal) sprays for cleaning the areas covered by incontinence briefs. They loosen stool to make it easier to remove if that is present. They are designed to soothe the skin, do not have to be rinsed off if patient is restless or can't stay standing. This can help clean the penis and scrotum more effectively. If uncircumcised, then need to retract foreskin and wash area with soap and water daily, wipe off any accumulated "stuff' with a bath wipe and discard. Wooden matches create smoke when they burn, and help neutralize odor of feces. Light a couple, let them burn a minute, then blow them out. Near the source of odor, if possible. Pan of unused ground coffee can help with odor. Under the bed, maybe. Similar to vinegar use. Get a new mattress if needed, buy a full waterproof cover and a waterproof half sheet (goes across the bed in the area from waist to mid thighs) and put them on the new mattress prior to use. Cloth, reusable incontinence pads may be a better value than the disposable ones. Some people use both types of pads, depending on circumstance. Look up 'how to clean catheter bag" on line. these get stinky. Also, how often do you use a new external catheter? Cost often makes it tempting to use for longer than recommended, but reuse carries odor. Having the patient move out of the room and then opening the windows, with door to rest of house close, will help with odor. So does sunshine. Good luck.
I've found an excellent product for completely neutralizing the urine enzymes and other odors: Lysol laundry deodorizer, kills 99% of bacteria, viruses, etc., but truly wipes out odors. This would be excellent for all bedding, etc., but do a double rinse to avoid any skin irritation. I think it would also work well added into a rug shampoo if unable to replace both the carpet and foam. It may be best, if able, to clean carpet because the glues can be very toxic in a semi-enclosed room.
You can, if unable to replace the mattress, place an impervious and zippered cover on it to block odors, may need one also for the box spring (maybe in the next size up for fit). For body odors, try some charcoal soap or pine tar soap. The charcoal may be drying so lotion liberally after use. I'd suggest washing the walls, the drapery, pillows, basically everything. Wipe down the furniture, wash any throw rugs.
You can find natural products that work as well as something like fabreze which only lingers in the sinuses and blocks the perception of odors. There are a number of brands of bulk or pre-packaged bamboo charcoal that is highly odor absorbing and won't harm a thing. Keep his personal laundry, pull ups, chux, etc. in covered bins. Ventilate with outside air as much as possible and open the curtains for max sunlight.
Not knowing a thing about your financials, I's suggest that you either pay yourself well from his estate or hire professionals for this cleaning and pay from his estate.
I would think that this odorous room is as depressing for him as it is for you so, wishing you all the best in this cleaning and odor elimination.
Re the old person's smell, I brought some of mother's furniture to my home - mostly not fabric but wooden dressers, a desk and such. I had put them in a couple of rooms upstairs and could smell the "old person's smell" every time I went past those rooms. An article online suggested vinegar solution I think it was 1:1 vinegar and water in a spray bottle. I sprayed many many times, including into the drawers and the backs of the furniture, letting the furniture dry between sprays. Slowly the smell lessened and is gone now. Otherwise I would have had to throw the pieces out. One chair did have a fabric seat and back and it worked for that chair too. Strangely her coffee tables and other living room furniture didn't smell except for that chair.
I clean everything with the water/vinegar, plus a squirt of dish detergent, solution. Kitchen counters, the whole bathroom. it makes everything smell clean, too. I also use vinegar, the cleaning vinegar it's called now in stores, to bleach whites without bleach because I don't like the bleach smell. You have to use hot water with 1 cup vinegar and soak the fabric in it for an hour or more. Good to know it's good on urine smell too! Thanks.
For cleaning: Lysol w/Lemon scent or vinegar or dish soap w/barkeeper's friend ( a comet-like product-doesn't scratch); Clothing: re-wash 2-3x or toss, and shoes are kept separate from clothes - they have their own smell. Hope it's better for you already from others' suggestions!
Smells Be Gone is a product I LOVE, better than Frebreeze, no smell, good for items that can't go in the wash. I've gotten rid of smells on pillows and couches etc. Can take several rounds - spray, let dry for 24 hrs, repeat until tolerable. I also purchased bed pads in several sizes so all that has to be washed are the pads, not the whole bed. My parents caregivers have used the bed pads for wheelchair, dining room chair, wherever the parent sits. Been awesome when they are going through an incontinent time (yes, comes and goes with my parents along with the UTIs).
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/old-person-smell-174839.htm
https://tinyurl.com/mrutfet4
To get the urine smell out I add baking soda and detergent to the “sanitize” cycle of the washing machine.
Sometimes I also add “Rockin Green Active Wear” which has “filth fighter enzymes” and that combo gets it smelling clean followed by Lysol spray in the room. I also have a waterproof bed cover on the bed.
I agree with others if urine has gotten into the bed or furniture there’s nothing to be done but throw it out.
Is there urine in the mattress. It sounds like there might be a soaked chair that has dried??? Are there any upholstered furniture that may have gotten soaked in urine and then it dried?
For clothing you can use baking soda and vinegar. I air out the room daily and check underneath the sheets. You can get pads to go underneath the sheets from your medical supplies under health insurance OTC.
I think the smell is coming from somewhere that perhaps, it is imbedded and maybe a piece of furniture needs to be discarded and replaced.
I hope this helped.
personally I think a mattress change is the first thing to do. I also use disposable mattress protectors on the bed.
of smell.. that's an easy to one... No brainier u would be foolish to not do that....it is likely embedded somewhere u may have to to leave a pan of vinegar there always.. I say Pan for greater surface area.. if u have a bowl with a large surface area that would do too.....
When my dad fell couldn't get up wasn't found for 3 days the urine on carpet was terrible.. I soaked in urine for 24 hours after they dried u couldn't tell they had been soaked in urine... Get lots of big bottles of vinegar.. wipe the walls and soak any furniture,bed, carpet that u can.. get some vinyl backed mattress pads to place over bed if he needs to sleep on bed an it still not dried when he needs to use bed. Remove it to let it continue to dry when not being used.
the smell of vinegar will be terrible for a while but after clears unplesant odors will be gone too... If not it will be less redo let dry again
U can withstand the terrible vinegar smell for a few days for the greater good result. Btw with my ultiple sclerosis I had to wear a catheter both and internal anf a walking catheter..
They leak.
Make sure u have vinyl backed chuck or mattress pad on all that he lays on. Or fabric items he sits on. Once urine gets in fabric the smell stays.
My in-laws were the same ages as my parents and their house did not have this smell. I truly believe it was because they showered daily. Plus they regularly opened the windows in the Spring, Summer and Fall to let fresh air into the house. It was like night and day. Both my Mom and MIL did have some urinary incontinence but managed it with Depends pads. Wet pads were discarded immediately in plastic grocery bags and thrown outside in the trash. Neither house smelled of urine. Just the nonenal smell (in my parents house) was the issue. I always supplied them with Glade linen spray and I used it all the time when I went over there, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay long.
Here's an article on it:
"Old People Smell"... What is It?
https://www.franklinpark.org/blog/old-people-smell/#:~:text=As%20our%20skin%20matures%2C%20its,of%20us%20are%20familiar%20with.
Oh ... catheter. Does this help:
How do you prevent urine from leaking out of the catheter when you change from a bedside drainage bag to a leg bag?
Pinch off the soft rubber tube (the catheter tube) so that urine doesn't leak out. Disconnect the urinary (Foley) catheter tube from the current large drainage bag with a twisting motion. Keep pinching the soft rubber tube (the catheter tube) so that urine does not leak out. Be careful not to pull on the catheter.
Get a few of these:
Azuna
651 Delaware Ave., Buffalo NY 14202 / 833-692-9862
contact@azunafresh.com / https://azunafresh.com/
utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=17324839914&utm_content=137052084956&utm_term=odor%20removal&gadid=600018358956&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyMKbBhD1ARIsANs7rEEmdg3rXrtg0vD27uljjlVw50yItueBWevCFACz1fpqKUS91cawUbgaAvUZEALw_wcB
Febreze and other air fresheners really do nothing to eliminate odors, it just perfumes the air for a short time…A good scented candle helps a bit more, but must be monitored.
Buy a good ‘black light” flashlight to help you determine where the smells are coming from.
(Both help with pet odors also)
Although this can be difficult, daily bathing and clean clothing is crucial. Even more difficult is getting hair/head thoroughly washed, but whew, a lot of lingering stink comes from there!
Best of luck.
I could not believe the dirt that came out of those items! Sadly, her antique bedroom set had gotten permeated with the scent of urine and although I actually inherited this set--my super-nose could still smell the urine. I knew could not have it in my home.
If urine has soaked through the pads and into the wood subfloor you are never going to get the smell out unless you pull up the carpet and pad and paint the affected floors with KILZ. I did 5(!) coats of KILZ in my daughter's condo before the urine spots from an incontinent dog no longer leached through the floors.
Best to have a non-slippery hardwood, or better yet, linoleum down as flooring. Mom did not live long enough for us to do this.
I always felt so bad that mom's place smelled so awful. She would not open windows for ANYTHING, so it just got so stuffy--and layer upon layer of smells were what we were smelling.
And once the apt was emptied ( all her clothes were pretty pungent) and the carpets pulled up--and windows left open for a week--there is now no smell.
Weirdly, I found the smells to be the hardest to deal with. I have a really great sense of smell and what I could smell and what YB could smell were vastly different.
you can buy no rinse peri(neal) sprays for cleaning the areas covered by incontinence briefs. They loosen stool to make it easier to remove if that is present. They are designed to soothe the skin, do not have to be rinsed off if patient is restless or can't stay standing. This can help clean the penis and scrotum more effectively. If uncircumcised, then need to retract foreskin and wash area with soap and water daily, wipe off any accumulated "stuff' with a bath wipe and discard.
Wooden matches create smoke when they burn, and help neutralize odor of feces. Light a couple, let them burn a minute, then blow them out. Near the source of odor, if possible.
Pan of unused ground coffee can help with odor. Under the bed, maybe. Similar to vinegar use.
Get a new mattress if needed, buy a full waterproof cover and a waterproof half sheet (goes across the bed in the area from waist to mid thighs) and put them on the new mattress prior to use. Cloth, reusable incontinence pads may be a better value than the disposable ones. Some people use both types of pads, depending on circumstance.
Look up 'how to clean catheter bag" on line. these get stinky.
Also, how often do you use a new external catheter? Cost often makes it tempting to use for longer than recommended, but reuse carries odor.
Having the patient move out of the room and then opening the windows, with door to rest of house close, will help with odor. So does sunshine.
Good luck.
I've found an excellent product for completely neutralizing the urine enzymes and other odors: Lysol laundry deodorizer, kills 99% of bacteria, viruses, etc., but truly wipes out odors. This would be excellent for all bedding, etc., but do a double rinse to avoid any skin irritation. I think it would also work well added into a rug shampoo if unable to replace both the carpet and foam. It may be best, if able, to clean carpet because the glues can be very toxic in a semi-enclosed room.
You can, if unable to replace the mattress, place an impervious and zippered cover on it to block odors, may need one also for the box spring (maybe in the next size up for fit). For body odors, try some charcoal soap or pine tar soap. The charcoal may be drying so lotion liberally after use. I'd suggest washing the walls, the drapery, pillows, basically everything. Wipe down the furniture, wash any throw rugs.
You can find natural products that work as well as something like fabreze which only lingers in the sinuses and blocks the perception of odors. There are a number of brands of bulk or pre-packaged bamboo charcoal that is highly odor absorbing and won't harm a thing. Keep his personal laundry, pull ups, chux, etc. in covered bins. Ventilate with outside air as much as possible and open the curtains for max sunlight.
Not knowing a thing about your financials, I's suggest that you either pay yourself well from his estate or hire professionals for this cleaning and pay from his estate.
I would think that this odorous room is as depressing for him as it is for you so, wishing you all the best in this cleaning and odor elimination.
I also purchased bed pads in several sizes so all that has to be washed are the pads, not the whole bed. My parents caregivers have used the bed pads for wheelchair, dining room chair, wherever the parent sits. Been awesome when they are going through an incontinent time (yes, comes and goes with my parents along with the UTIs).