How do I clean up dried, smeared feces on a tile floor? The tile is not smooth, but textured. I don't even know where to begin.

You've got it covered! Add hot water in a bucket, soap and bleach, use a scrub brush on the rough tile floor. Dump it in the toilet. Bleach the scrub brush to use again. Mop the floor after that.

Set aside the brush and bucket for the next time, keeping it separate for that use.

Use the bucket to also clean the bottom of shoes.

If you can keep people out of the area for a while, I'd thoroughly wet the floor down and leave it sit a while. After that, the problem areas should be loosened up so you don't have to scrub so much. Then mop the whole thing. I saw a church janitor do this when the daycare in the building had a contagious disease running thru all the kids (this was one of many things he did to increase the cleanliness). It seemed to help. I tried the same thing at home on high traffic areas with some success as well.

With all the work involved in cleaning up feces I think the real question is how long can you keep doing this? It sounds like an absolute nightmare with no real solution and feces harbors all kinds of nasty pathogens that can make you really sick. Might be time to get mom out of the house.

Pine Sol and hot water also work well on it. Yes to the brush on a stick.

I too agree that it maybe time for Mom to go to LTC. An AL will not take her. After cleaning up after my Mom a couple of times (one I swore the toilet thru up and we had to throw out an area rug. The other time, she went on a small table) I said one more time and I would have to place her. It took a bowl or two of vinegar just to absorb the smell. I don't do smells very well.

They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, get her into some clothing that prevents this from happening, like this:

https://www.buckandbuck.com/womens-adaptive/womens-jumpsuits/back-zip-jumpsuits.html

I sincerely hope this woman isn't living alone because she obviously isn't competent to do so.

My husband got violently ill and threw up dried blood all over the bathroom floor. Had to call 911 to take him to ER.

When I got home I used old towels to get what I could - I then just poured bleach onto the floor and let it sit. Sopped it up with more towels then scrubbed down the floor. Luckily the bathrooms in our house are miniscule as far a floor space.

I'm so sorry for what you are going through.

All wonderful replies and spot on, but if you are like me and cannot stand the smell of bleach use Lysol floor cleaner. Not sure about your financial means but a hard floor scrubber like Hoover or bissel might be a solution as well. I have been dealing with feces on the floor for about 4-5 months now and it helps tremendously to have the floor scrubber, specially after my robovac decided to tackle a pile I did not noticed in time.

Best wishes

I have had this problem with my dogs, mainly, over the years. I use Nature's Miracle. You spray it on and wait. Then wipe it up with towels, toilet paper (I find makes sense for disposal.) It may take several attempts. It works for me, and it doesn't smell too bad, and it does remove other smells. It's called an enzymatic stain and odor remover; I imagine there are other brands. I suspect it works for all us critters.

I have a steam mop. Great mop. Cleans fast, dries fast since it is steam. The steam will loosen dried stuff faster than regular water.
There are also floor scrubbers that do a good job.
I used Odor Ban for a lot of things and I still continue to use it long after my Husband has passed. It is an air freshener, sanitizer, works great in the laundry.
I dilute it and put it in my steam mop. Floor gets clean, sanitized and the air smells fresher.
If grout does not come clean try a paste made from Hydrogen Peroxide and baking soda. My daughter did this on her floors and allowed it to sit for a bit then scrubbed. It worked pretty well then once the grout was cleaned the tile and grout got sealed. Big job!
If mom is going to be there for an extended time I would look into replacing the tile in areas she can get to.

If you have her in pull ups that she can easily remove, maybe you want to try the briefs with the adhesive tabs slow her down a bit and you can catch her before she figures out how to remove them herself.

Did you ever see the movie Sunshine Cleaning? Good for a few laughs...but made me think of this idea: I wonder if there are any "crime scene" clean up companies for whom this wouldn't be a huge issue. I too have used Nature's Miracle and there are others easily found at the local pet store. I also adore my shark steam mop, but wonder if this is a task that asks too much of it. If you do use one, I would buy some extra mop heads and not even wash them, just dispose of them. Depending on your funds, I might ask for referrals to the best flooring places, those with the most experience, and ask what materials are best to tolerate this. I'd be tending toward industrial carpets/flooring made to withstand such things, perhaps what is used in hotels, nursing home, hospitals. You'd be surprised what is out there. It will no doubt cost more, but will pay off by being easily cleanable. That doesn't help for right away...So I would at least try to get some washable rugs (try ruggable.com) and place one secured in the spots most likely to be hit. I never thought it would happen with my mom, but when it came time to get new sofas or recover the old, I chose Crypton fabric which is wonderful...the backside of it has a barrier, and the top is easily cleanable although they have a preferred steam method to do ....but the barrier prevents anything from soaking through to the filling so all is not lost. Great stuff used in hotels etc. Have you tried googling the question?

If your mother is getting into her diaper, it's time to make some adjustments to how it's kept on her. I'm going to assume that if her mind is so gone from dementia that she doesn't know what sh*t is, she doesn't live alone either.
I've had many dementia clients who did the same thing. Here is the cheap solution that I've used every time and it is tried and true. You will need three things.

1) A pair of round-nosed bandage cutting scissors (the kind nurses use to cut away a wound dressing)

2) A roll of duct tape.

3) A couple of pairs of shortlette-style non-compression underwear (not a girdle) that come to just above the knee. The don't have to be tight-fitting, but they should fit snuggly.

After her diaper is put on cut a long piece of duct tape and loop it around the diaper like a belt. Do it tight enough that she can't get her hand into the diaper. Then put the pair of shortlette underwear over it. When she has to be changed, the tape and diaper can be cut right through it with the bandage scissors.
You won't be risking an injury because the scissors are round-nosed and slanted. They are made for cutting off wound dressings that are taped in place.
This has worked for me for more people than I can remember.

PS. Clean the floor with bleach and water. You won't need to go to Home Depot for all the other stuff because there will be no need. If she can't get into the diaper she can't get to what's in it either. Please try this. You will see it works.

garylee,

It would help if you put protective mitts on your wife's hands at night so she can't pull her diaper apart or mess with her catheter.
You can order them online. They're sort of like boxing gloves, but not as big. The person wearing them isn't able to get them off on their own. Look into getting some for your wife so she doesn't injure herself.

sp19690,

There's no reason why any young person should grasp what it's like for someone in their 80's or 90's because they aren't there yet.
All old people don't end up in diapers. My father at the age of 90 was still golfing a full course once a week and bowling twice a week. He also still drove, lived on his own, and didn't have a moment of dementia. Then he had a stroke. He was in the NH for less than a year then he died. He had 90 very good years. So you never know.

Wow, I'm sorry. I think if my mom gets to this point I won't be able to be the caregiver any longer.

One way to keep toddlers from taking off their diapers is to put them on backwards so they can't reach the tabs. It works for some confused adults as well.

spray the area with a cleaning spray and let it sit there - might have to cover it with paper towel and spray a few times. It should wipe right up. just needs to be wet long enough to dissolve for wiping up. then you can follow up with an all over floor mopping. -- be glad you aren't dealing with carpets

Steam Mop.

You'll need to "wet" the floor and probably use a disinfecting cleaner since feces has a lot of bacteria in it. If there is still a "smell," consider using any of the pet cleaners for "accidents."

Please do not feel like you are the only one who has had to deal with all these feces situations at all! My mother has done all kinds of crazy things with it in the past! We have cameras in her room which I can monitor what is going on in her bedroom from my cellphone and computer. We have cameras all over the house because of her. These days most of the craziness with my mom happens in the bathroom but it still can get crazy in a matter of 15 to 30 seconds or less! I finally decided area rugs in my bathroom was not worth having until she is no longer staying with us. I bought a gallon jug of OdoBan Odor Eliminator and Disinfectant, Original Eucalyptus Scent (1 Gallon - Makes 32 gallons) I use it for everything when it comes down to disinfecting everything in the house. It smells great, disinfects, and reasonable priced too. You can buy it at Sam’s, Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot. I would saturate the areas heavily then wait a few minutes and wipe up with paper towels. Afterwards disinfect again and wipe. I have had to shampoo my mother’s bedroom carpet twice in one month! I was ready to pull my hair out too! It is only a phase right now. It will eventually stop then it will be something else which causes additional work. Hang in there! In addition, I keep bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere to disinfect my mom’s hands often too! Another thing I would recommend is keeping her finger nails real short!! This is a must for my mom too! Hang in there!

I could not do it. I can barely change a baby's diaper. The only time there was a mess to clean up with my mil was when my daughter was here and I was out of the house for a few hours. Her first words to me were, "Mom, you could not have handled this. If it happens again, you have to call me." I am dreading the possibility of dh having these issues eventually.

I just wanted to say God bless you for the care and love that you're providing your mother. My mother has dementia too but she has not progressed to that point. I can't imagine how difficult it must be sometimes. Please take care of yourself as well.

Multiple people on the Alzheimer’s forums recommended shaving cream for urine and feces. Just let it sit for a little bit.